Week 3 gave college football exactly what it always promises: a few teams walking out with their stock soaring, and a few others leaving a mess behind them.
Ole Miss came out of Saturday with the loudest statement of the week, and it started with Pete Golding refusing to play scared. After Trinidad Chambliss punched in a 14-yard touchdown scramble to put the Rebels ahead of LSU 30-24 with just over 6 minutes left, Golding kept the offense on the field instead of taking the extra point.
Chambliss drew the Tigers offside twice, and JT Lindsey finished the easy 2-point conversion from the 1-yard line to make it 32-24. Golding knew Lane Kiffin would go for 2 if LSU answered, but it never got that far.
Kam Franklin, Jaylon Braxton and the Ole Miss defense shut down the Tigers on the final possession. The bigger story, though, was Chambliss.
The former Ferris State star threw for 363 yards and accounted for 3 touchdowns in front of a home crowd, and Ole Miss looked every bit like a real contender with him under center. Hotty Toddy.
That left Lane Kiffin on the wrong side of the spotlight again. His name has been everywhere since he left Ole Miss just before the Rebels’ 2025 College Football Playoff run, and he kept making noise leading into this trip back to Oxford.
After LSU’s demolition of Clemson, he joked “imagine if we had pro players” in the interview before halftime, then said all the pressure was on Ole Miss entering the Week 3 showdown. On Saturday, his team came apart in front of the whole country.
There was no confusion about which team was better. Ole Miss was the sharper, tougher side, and Oxford was a difficult place to walk into under those circumstances.
For LSU, it was a brutal night all the way through.
Kentucky also earned a big spot on the winners list, and so did Louisville. The Wildcats’ win over Texas A&M and the Cardinals’ takedown of ACC rival SMU both landed as major results, with both teams carrying real momentum into the thick of conference play.
Will Stein picked up his first SEC win in a big way, and it wasn’t a fluke. Kentucky controlled Texas A&M up front in the run game, averaging 4.3 yards per carry, which set the table for Kenny Minchey.
The Notre Dame transfer had his best game as a Wildcat, going 14-for-18 for 252 yards and 2 touchdowns in front of a packed Kyle Field crowd. Louisville, meanwhile, looks set up nicely after beating SMU.
The Cardinals would be favored right now against every remaining opponent on their conference schedule, and the toughest ones left include home games against Pitt and Florida State, plus a road trip to North Carolina. Georgia Tech, Syracuse and Stanford are also on the slate before Rivalry Week against Kentucky.
Depending on how the ACC shakes out, Miami vs. Louisville could still be in play.
Florida got a huge performance from Jadan Baugh, and he made the day feel even bigger with every touch. The Gators running back ran for 162 yards on 26 carries and scored 3 times in Florida’s 44-39 win over Auburn at Jordan-Hare Stadium.
Baugh has been the best running back in the country to open the 2026 season, and the explosiveness is the difference. He didn’t have that same gear last season, but it was on full display in the run that sealed the game.
Once he got past midfield, the play was over. Through 3 games, Baugh has 458 rushing yards, 8 touchdowns and no lost fumbles.
Only Duke’s Nate Sheppared, who has 82 carries to Baugh’s 54, has more rushing yards.
At Ohio State, the football wasn’t nearly as lively as the broadcast was supposed to be. Kent State at Ohio State being slotted as the Big Noon Kickoff game was strange enough on its own, and Gus Johnson’s call matched the weirdness. He sounded like he was on call for a rousing game of checkers at the local library, and he was practically asleep when former 5-star wide receiver Chris Henry Jr. scored the first touchdown of his career.
Then there was NC State, which managed to turn a winnable finish into something almost impossible to explain. The Wolfpack were tied or ahead for all but 1 second of their loss at Vanderbilt, and they led 31-28 with seconds left.
They had options: punt, run out the back of the end zone, or simply take a knee. CJ Bailey seemed to be thinking about the last one, but instead of kneeling when the Commodores closed in, he tried to squeeze out extra time while protecting the ball.
Miles Capers stripped it away, and Vanderbilt moved to 3-0. How does this happen, NC State?
In Other News...
Kentucky Just Put Will Steins First Season Back In Play
Kentuckys win over No. 9 Texas A&M gave first-year coach Will Stein something every rebuilding program needs: a believable path forward. The 31-21 victory did more than add a quality mark to the rsum, it reset the conversation around a season that had been drifting toward the margins and put the Wildcats back in range of meaningful November football.
There is still plenty of work ahead, and the schedule does Kentucky no favors, but the stakes are clear now. If the Wildcats can navigate the rest of the slate well enough to reach six wins, they would become bowl eligible for the first time since 2023, which would be a notable marker for Steins first season and a sign the program is moving in the right direction. [Read more 🡒]
Kentucky's Freshman Usage Is Already Creating A Roster Dilemma
Kentuckys 2026 recruiting class is already taking shape as a wide-ranging group, with 15 commitments from 11 states and a ranking of No. 38 nationally. The class includes two four-star recruits, and it arrives at a time when college footballs eligibility rules are in transition, with the five-year clock set to begin for the 2027 recruiting class while 2026 signees will still be able to choose between the new system and the old one.
That backdrop matters because early playing time can complicate everything for freshmen, especially on a roster where coaches are trying to balance development with depth. Kentucky is hardly alone in wrestling with the fallout, either, as Alabamas true freshmen have already been pushed into game action this season and their usage has begun to affect remaining eligibility in different ways, with some situations still unsettled as the season moves along. [Read more 🡒]
Kentucky Has A Ranking Case AP Voters Shouldn't Ignore
After the latest Week 3 AP college football poll, Kentuckys place in the national conversation looks a little more complicated than the raw numbers suggest. The poll included familiar heavyweights such as Ohio State, LSU and Washington, but the Wildcats also emerged as one of the teams the piece argues voters are underselling after a strong early-season showing.
For Kentucky, the case is about more than simply getting noticed after a good start. The question now is whether AP voters are giving enough weight to what the Wildcats have already done, or whether theyre still waiting for a bigger signal before moving them where they belong. That leaves Kentucky sitting in an awkward spot, close enough to the rankings to feel relevant, but not quite where its rsum appears to point. [Read more 🡒]