Danny Kanell didn’t wait for the final whistle of Week 1 to make his call on the college football landscape. With one game still left on the slate - No. 19 SMU against Florida State - the former quarterback turned analyst dropped his top 12 Monday morning and put LSU and Ole Miss right at the front of the line.
Kanell made it clear he wasn’t interested in preseason reputation or old rankings. His standard was simple: production on the field, against quality opponents.
As he put it, “I don’t care what you were ranked before the weekend. Or the preseason.
Who has been the best on the field. Against the best.
Pure and simple. #DKtop12”
That approach produced a list heavy on the SEC, with six teams from the conference making the cut, including Auburn. LSU checked in at No. 1, Ole Miss at No. 2, and the rest of the group included Bama, Texas, and the Tigers from Auburn.
Kanell’s full top 12 read like this: LSU, Ole Miss, Miami, USC, Notre Dame, Indiana, Oregon, Auburn, Ohio State, Bama, Texas, and 12 blank.
LSU’s case was easy to see after what happened against Clemson. The Tigers rolled to a 51-10 win, a result that stands as the largest loss of Dabo Swinney’s career. The game was delayed by rain in Baton Rouge for two hours before kickoff, and the weather ended up being a fitting prelude to a night that turned into a blowout.
Ole Miss didn’t win with the same kind of hammer-blow final score, but the Rebels were just as explosive on offense. Even after Lane Kiffin’s departure, the attack looked every bit as dangerous as it did in 2025. Trinidad Chambliss was the engine, piling up 396 total yards and four touchdowns - three through the air and one on the ground - before Lucas Carneiro nailed a 48-yard field goal to seal a 41-38 victory over Louisville.
In Other News...
LSU Just Got Caught In College Footballs Eligibility Chaos
A Baton Rouge judge was weighing whether two former NFL players could suit up for LSU this fall, another sign of how unsettled college footballs eligibility rules have become. For the Tigers, it is part of a wider mess that now stretches well beyond campus and into courtrooms, where questions about who can play, when they can play and under what conditions are being argued almost as often as they are decided on the field.
Now the issue is heading to Washington, where Sen. Ted Cruz has been pushing the bipartisan Protect College Sports Act as a way to set federal standards for eligibility, NIL and transfers while giving the NCAA limited antitrust protection to enforce its rules. The Senate is scheduled to vote on the bill between Sept. 15 and 23, and LSU's latest brush with the chaos shows why college sports leaders are under growing pressure to find something more stable before every roster question turns into another legal fight. [Read more 🡒]
LSUs Clemson Statement Just Sparked A Bigger Early Season Question
LSUs season-opening rout of Clemson did more than announce the Tigers as a team to watch, it also put several of its best players in the league spotlight. After the 51-10 win, three LSU players were recognized by the SEC, with Sam Leavitt earning Offensive Player of the Week honors, Jordan Seaton landing Lineman of the Week on offense and Jordan Ross taking home Defensive Lineman of the Week.
The awards only sharpen the early-season conversation around LSU, because a performance that dominant tends to raise the bar quickly. When three different players are honored after one game, it suggests the Tigers were not just sharp in one area, but carried the kind of balance and physical edge that can travel into the rest of September and beyond. [Read more 🡒]
Former LSU Tigers Took The Clemson Rout Into The Saints Locker Room
LSUs 51-10 win over Clemson did not stay on the field for long. By the time several former Tigers who now play for the New Orleans Saints got back around their own locker room, the victory had turned into a bit of cross-team mischief, with Saints players using the result to needle a couple of former Clemson teammates in a way only pro athletes seem to appreciate.
Travis Etienne Jr. and Bryan Bresee came back to decorated lockers, with LSU-themed items waiting for them courtesy of Saints teammates Barion Brown, Davon Godchaux and Will Clapp. Brown and Godchaux are still active players, while Clapp has moved into a coaching role on the Saints offensive line, and the whole thing added a little extra local flavor to a win LSU fans were already enjoying. [Read more 🡒]