Week 4’s AP Top 25 brought real movement near the top, and the biggest jolt came from Oxford, where Ole Miss and LSU turned a top-10 matchup into a statement win for the Rebels.
Trinidad Chambliss was the driver for Ole Miss, staying in Oxford while Lane Kiffin came back with the team he left for. The Rebels jumped out early, absorbed LSU’s push, and finished the job to strengthen their case in SEC title contention. What looked like a chance for Kiffin to get the last word instead turned into a rough night filled with closeups of his reaction as Ole Miss handed LSU a loss.
The Tigers still have plenty to work with. LSU’s defense can take it places and its offense has a lot of playmakers, but the protection issues remain a problem. The quarterback still has to deal with pressure from quality rushers, and that’s the kind of flaw that can get exposed again against future SEC fronts.
Another shakeup came after an SEC playoff hopeful stumbled at home against an unranked opponent, opening the door for a change near the top of the poll. That loss helped fuel the wider rearranging voters were forced to make this week.
Florida was one of the teams that benefited from the chaos. The Gators moved from unranked to No. 21 after AP voters finally gave them a spot in the poll.
Their win at Auburn, powered by Jadan Baugh’s 162-yard, 3-TD performance, pushed them to 3-0 and made the case too strong to ignore. With Houston and Virginia also losing, the bottom of the rankings shifted enough to create room.
Texas A&M, meanwhile, paid for its own home loss to Kentucky. Falling to an unranked opponent on its own field came with the expected drop, and it also raised fresh concerns about whether Marcel Reed’s offense can move the ball with enough consistency and whether the defense can get physical enough to survive the SEC stretch ahead.
A handful of teams were on ballots but not quite in the Top 25 itself. Washington led that group with 107 points, followed by Kentucky with 98 and West Virginia with 93. Oklahoma received 91, while Oklahoma State got 50, Boise State 48, Virginia Tech 46, Western Michigan 27, Duke 20, Tulsa 18, Arizona 12, Pittsburgh 10, UCLA 10, James Madison 7, North Dakota State 6, Kansas State 3 and Nebraska 2.
In Other News...
LSU Fans Were Shaken By A Frightening Scene Above Saturday's Game
Saturdays Ole Miss-LSU game had enough drama on the field, but one of the most talked-about moments came high above the stadium. An ESPN camera drone capturing aerial shots for the broadcast had a close call when a helicopter flew very near it, and the footage quickly spread across social media as fans tried to make sense of what they had just seen.
The scene understandably rattled viewers, including a helicopter pilot who weighed in after watching the clip. No collision occurred, and the game carried on without further incident, but the moment served as a reminder of just how much is moving around a big-time college football broadcast long before anyone starts talking about the final score. [Read more 🡒]
LSU Fans Will Have Plenty To Say About This ESPN Sideline Moment
Holly Rowe and Laura Rutledge were both on the sideline for ESPN during the LSU-Ole Miss matchup, with Rowe handling injury updates and Rutledge delivering live field reports as the broadcast kept moving through a high-profile SEC night. A short clip of the handoff between the two reporters quickly made the rounds on social media, giving fans another off-field moment to dissect from a game that already had plenty of attention on it.
Rowe also ended the night on a more familiar note, conducting a postgame interview after Ole Miss beat LSU. The moment came with added context because Rowe has already been part of one of the more unusual sideline storylines of the season, when a false AI-generated video involving Texas coach Steve Sarkisian triggered public apologies from Arch Manning and Sarkisian. [Read more 🡒]
Ole Miss Suddenly Has A Kewan Lacy Problem Again
Kewan Lacys season has become defined as much by what he cannot finish as by what he can give Ole Miss when he is on the field. The running back has already had to leave games against Louisville and LSU because of health concerns, and his latest exit came after he landed hard on his right shoulder against the Tigers and needed to be evaluated for a possible AC joint injury, stinger or clavicle issue.
For a Rebels offense that has wanted Lacy in the mix, the bigger question now is how long that uncertainty lasts. Ole Miss has been forced to lean on other backs while waiting for clarity, and with Lacys availability still unsettled, the room suddenly looks a lot thinner than the Rebels probably expected at this point in the season. [Read more 🡒]