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...
Lane Kiffin's Return To Oxford Got Ugly After LSU's Loss
LSUs trip to Oxford ended with a 32-24 loss to Ole Miss, but the postgame scene carried its own edge. The rivalry already had enough bite with Lane Kiffin back on the sideline in a place where he once coached, and the atmosphere inside Vaught-Hemingway Stadium matched it, with a crowd large enough to set an attendance record.
As Kiffin made his way out afterward, police escorted him from the stadium following a tense encounter with former Ole Miss recruit Suntarine Perkins. It was the kind of ending that reminded everyone how personal these SEC games can get, especially when old ties, new loyalties and a loud crowd all collide in one night. [Read more 🡒]
LSU Loss Ended With An Awkward Ole Miss Moment Fans Noticed
Holly Rowe was back on the field Saturday night for the LSU-Ole Miss game, and the scene got lively quickly as No. 8 Ole Miss handed No. 7 LSU a 32-24 loss. The postgame portion of the broadcast brought the kind of raw emotion that follows a rivalry-style finish, with Ole Miss quarterback Trinidad Chambliss fresh off the win and still caught in the moment during his live interview.
Chambliss wound up apologizing publicly after an expletive slipped out on the air, and he later expressed regret for how it played out. Rowe handled the exchange professionally, keeping the moment from overshadowing an already frustrating night for LSU, even if fans were left talking about the awkward ending just as much as the result itself. [Read more 🡒]
LSU Fans Were Shaken By A Frightening Scene Above Saturday's Game
The aerial shots over Saturdays Ole Miss-LSU game in Oxford had plenty of fans already locked in on the atmosphere inside the stadium, but one clip quickly shifted attention to the sky above it. A helicopter came in uncomfortably close to an ESPN camera drone capturing live views over the field, turning what should have been routine broadcast imagery into the kind of moment that made viewers stop and replay the footage.
The near-miss spread fast on social media, where LSU fans and plenty of other observers reacted with concern, and even a helicopter pilot weighed in after seeing the video. No collision occurred and the game went on without further incident, but the episode was a jarring reminder of how much is happening around a major college football broadcast before anyone ever talks about the final score. [Read more 🡒]