Danny Kanell’s latest top 12 brought a few familiar names to the front and one eyebrow-raising addition after a wild Week 3 across college football.
By Sunday morning, Kanell had reshuffled things enough to put four SEC teams at the top of his board: the Ole Miss Rebels, Texas Longhorns, Mississippi State Bulldogs and Alabama Crimson Tide. The Georgia Bulldogs landed at No. 7 in the updated ranking.
“It’s the best because it’s no bias. You have to earn it. It’s the #DKtop12 pic.twitter.com/ZBYOLvn34H
- Danny Kanell (@dannykanell) September 20, 2026”
Ole Miss, Texas and Alabama being near the top isn’t exactly a shock to anyone who has been watching the season unfold. Mississippi State, though, is the team that stands out. The Bulldogs have forced their way into the conversation behind quarterback Kamario Taylor and a strong start under head coach Jeff Lebby.
Mississippi State already has two Power 4 road wins, and the most recent came in Week 3 with a 41-34 victory over South Carolina. That one had some real fight in it, too. The Bulldogs trailed 16-0 before ripping off 41-7 over a roughly 30-minute stretch.
Even with that kind of comeback on the résumé, Mississippi State may still be flying a little under the radar because of what else happened around the SEC. Ole Miss’ performance against LSU and Kentucky’s win at Texas A&M could keep the Bulldogs from getting the full spotlight for another week.
If that holds, Missouri might be the team in real danger in Week 4.
In Other News...
Georgia Oklahoma Line Says Something Fans Didn't Expect
Georgia heads into Week 4 at 3-0 after rolling past Arkansas 45-17 in its SEC opener, and the next test brings a familiar kind of attention. The Bulldogs are favored by 14 points over Oklahoma, with the over-under set at 47.5, setting up a matchup that already looks like it will say plenty about how comfortably Georgia can control the game on both sides of the ball.
Oklahoma arrives with a defense that still has plenty of credibility, even as its offense has struggled in recent games, which is part of what makes this line stand out. Kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m. EST on Saturday, Sept. 26, and for Georgia, the bigger question may not be whether it can win, but whether it can do so in a way that matches the expectations now attached to it. [Read more 🡒]
Georgia Fans Won't Love This Detail About The Oklahoma Game
Georgia gets its first SEC home game of the season Saturday in Athens, and the matchup comes with plenty of familiar stakes. The Bulldogs are 3-0 entering the date with Oklahoma, a game set for 3:30 p.m. EST on ESPN, and oddsmakers have already made Georgia a 14-point favorite with an over-under of 47.5 points.
Still, there is one detail around this meeting that figures to land differently with the home crowd, even before the teams take the field. For Georgia fans, this is the kind of early conference showcase that can quickly turn from a routine spotlight into a measuring-stick afternoon, especially with the Sooners coming in as the opponent for the Bulldogs first SEC home test of the year. [Read more 🡒]
Georgia Just Lost A Marquee Chance Fans Were Counting On
Georgia came into the week with a chance to pad its rsum in a way fans always notice, but that opportunity shifted before kickoff. Oklahoma opened the season at No. 10, yet after three weeks it was no longer in the AP Poll, even with a recent win, leaving Georgia without the ranked opponent many were circling on the schedule.
The Bulldogs still sit at No. 2 and should have chances ahead to stack quality wins, with Alabama, Florida, Ole Miss and Missouri all sitting on the horizon. Of course, those matchups may look different by the time Georgia gets there, which is part of the frustration and the intrigue of following a schedule this deep into the fall. [Read more 🡒]