Lane Kiffin’s return to Oxford dominated the buildup to Saturday, but the biggest statement in the sport came from the team he left behind. Ole Miss used a huge performance from Trinidad Chambliss to knock off LSU and shake up the top of the AP Top 25 picture.
That result pushed Ole Miss into the No. 2 spot on Josh Furlong’s ballot submitted to the Associated Press, behind Texas and ahead of Miami. The ballot reflects the weekend’s biggest movers, with BYU sliding into the top 10 after another comfortable road win and Alabama climbing after surviving an early scare.
Texas held onto the top spot on Furlong’s list after a 30-6 win over UTSA. Arch Manning’s day was uneven - 164 passing yards, two touchdowns, and a 17-of-33 line - but the Longhorns handled business without much drama. Even so, Furlong noted the No. 1 spot is hardly locked in with Ole Miss and others pressing.
Ole Miss, though, made the kind of case that changes a ballot fast. Chambliss threw for 363 yards and two touchdowns, and the Rebels also came up with an end zone interception to seal the win over LSU.
Furlong wrote that Saturday was supposed to be about Kiffin, but it ended up being about the quarterback Kiffin found and then left behind. He also called Chambliss an early Heisman favorite.
Miami checked in at No. 3 after Darian Mensah put together a sharp Friday night showing. Mensah completed 30 of 34 passes, with his first miss not coming until he had already gone 24-for-24. Miami built a 24-7 halftime lead before Wake Forest trimmed the margin, but the Hurricanes still looked strong in the win.
Notre Dame landed at No. 4 after a second-half shutdown of Michigan State. The game was tied 17-10 at halftime, then the Irish held the Spartans scoreless and to just 40 total yards after the break to pull away by 17. It wasn’t flashy, but it was enough.
Georgia stayed at No. 5 after a road win over Arkansas. Furlong described the Razorbacks as a broken program and said Georgia did what it was supposed to do, though Kirby Smart likely won’t be thrilled about Arkansas scoring 17 points on the Bulldogs’ defense. He also suggested Georgia can start slowly before tightening things up later in the year.
Indiana moved up to No. 6 after handling a winless Western Kentucky team, while Ohio State sat at No. 7 after a lopsided win over Kent State that was effectively over by halftime. The Buckeyes scored five first-half touchdowns in a game Furlong dismissed as a waste for FOX’s “Big Noon Kickoff” trip.
LSU came in at No. 8 after the loss at Ole Miss. Furlong pointed out that Lane Kiffin’s teams can be inconsistent, but said the Tigers had an uphill climb once Ole Miss got rolling early. He credited LSU for making it competitive, while also noting the pregame drama likely got in the way of what needed to happen on the field.
Alabama followed at No. 9 after a wild start against Florida State. The Crimson Tide were down 21-6 at one point, but they answered with three straight touchdowns to end the first half and then took over after halftime in a 50-36 win.
BYU rounded out Furlong’s top 10 after a road win over Colorado State. The final score may not have wowed anyone in Provo, but the Cougars were in control throughout. LJ Martin continued to stand out, and Furlong described BYU as the Big 12 favorite as it moved into the top 10.
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BYU Now Faces The Quarterback It Nearly Brought To Provo
Colorado States offense will come to Provo with a familiar face under center, one BYU spent part of the transfer cycle trying to land. Hauss Hejny, who began his college career at TCU and Oklahoma State before moving on to Colorado State, is now the Rams starting quarterback and the player BYU once targeted before turning its attention elsewhere.
The Cougars eventually signed Bear Bachmeier after Hejny committed to another program, but the connection never fully disappeared. Former BYU assistant coach Matt Mitchell, now on the Colorado State staff, was part of Hejnys recruiting path, which adds a little more intrigue to a matchup that already carries the usual conference stakes. [Read more 🡒]
BYU Just Showed How Overwhelming This Team Can Be
BYU kept rolling with a 41-23 win over Colorado State, and the early script made the game feel out of reach before it had a chance to settle in. LJ Martin set the tone immediately, punching in three first-quarter touchdowns and finishing with 176 yards on just 15 carries, the kind of burst that lets an offense dictate everything else around it.
Colorado States night got even tougher when quarterback Hauss Hejny went down with a hamstring injury and was replaced by Ksaan Farrar, a change that clearly affected the Rams offensive effectiveness. For BYU, the result was another reminder of how overwhelming this team can look when it gets momentum early, the running game is humming and the opponent is forced to chase the game on unfavorable terms. [Read more 🡒]
BYU Revives A Rivalry That Still Means More Than Fans Admit
A familiar road game is putting an old connection back in the spotlight, with BYU set to face Colorado State in Fort Collins for the first time since 2010. The matchup restores a rivalry that has stretched across changing conference homes and shifting eras of college football, even as both programs have spent years navigating the broader realignment churn that has altered so many annual games around the sport.
For BYU, the matchup carries a little extra weight because some of the current coaches were on the field for earlier meetings and remember what those nights meant. The programs have changed around the rivalry, but the interest has not really gone away, especially with financial realities and conference politics continuing to reshape who plays whom and how often. [Read more 🡒]