Just three weeks into the season, the Coaches Poll is already getting pulled in a dozen different directions, and Week 3 only made the job harder. LSU’s loss at Ole Miss sent shockwaves through the top of the rankings, while Florida and Louisville both used big wins to muscle their way back into the top 25.
The biggest move near the top belonged to Ole Miss. The Rebels climbed three spots after Trinidad Chambliss delivered a gutsy performance in the win over LSU, a result that pushed Lane Kiffin’s team back into the conversation as a College Football Playoff threat out of the SEC.
LSU took the hit, sliding four spots after coughing up a 24-7 halftime lead. The Tigers did manage to answer with 17 straight points of their own, but the comeback stopped there when Sam Leavitt had his fourth down pass tipped and intercepted in the end zone. Lane is 2-1.
Texas A&M suffered one of the poll’s biggest drops, falling 12 places after a stunning home loss to Kentucky. The Aggies were 17-point favorites, but they never controlled the line of scrimmage and couldn’t slow down a Kentucky team that came in and handed them a 10-point defeat.
Florida is back in the rankings after getting tossed out a week ago. The Gators earned their return with a strong offensive showing in a road win at Auburn, enough to convince voters to give the SEC another ranked team.
Louisville also moved in the right direction after taking down ranked SMU at home. The Cardinals’ ground game finally showed up, and Jeff Brohm’s team picked up an important early-season win in what looked like a meaningful ACC measuring stick.
SMU did not get kicked out, but the Mustangs did take a tumble, dropping nine spots after the loss in Louisville exposed some offensive inconsistency. Even with the setback, they stayed in the poll.
The changes didn’t stop there. Houston had been off to a strong start, but the Cougars came up just short on the road at Texas Tech and fell out of the rankings, with Florida taking their place. Virginia also disappeared from the top 25 after a 38-27 home loss to unranked West Virginia erased the goodwill built from its early win over NC State.
The poll also included a long list of teams hovering just outside the top 25, led by Houston at 116, Mississippi State at 114, Duke at 70, West Virginia at 55, Kentucky at 54, Oklahoma State at 36, Pittsburgh at 35, Virginia Tech at 30, Vanderbilt at 29, Boise State at 29, Tulsa at 20, UCLA at 18, Kansas State at 18, Western Michigan at 17, Nebraska at 11, North Dakota State at 8, Northwestern at 4, Clemson at 3, Massachusetts at 2, James Madison at 2, and Arizona at 1.
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 🡒]