No new No. 1 is coming in the AP Top 25 this week, and that was never really in doubt once the weekend slate lined up with so many ranked-on-ranked matchups.
Texas held onto the top spot by surviving a major road test at No. 14 Tennessee, and the way the Longhorns won said plenty about where this team is right now.
The attention naturally drifted toward Arch Manning, but the Texas defense drove the result, piling up 10 sacks against a Tennessee offensive line that never found its footing. Colin Simmons matched a single-game school record with five of those sacks himself.
Even with the win, Texas still has work to do in the passing game, in pass protection and in cutting down the penalties that keep showing up.
Florida made the loudest statement of the weekend. Jadan Baugh kept looking every bit like the best running back in college football, and the Gators backed it up with a 52-28 rout of No.
4 Ole Miss. Baugh ran for 154 yards and scored three times as Florida improved to 4-0 for the first time since 2019, when the program went 11-2 and won the Orange Bowl.
That start puts a real runway in front of Florida. It’s not far-fetched to imagine the Gators entering the Texas game on Oct. 17 at 6-0, or even heading into the Cocktail Party against Georgia at 7-0. That meeting could finally look like a matchup between equals.
Ole Miss, meanwhile, has plenty to sort through during its idle week. The biggest question entering the season was how the transfer-portal additions on defense would hold up, and Florida’s 302 rushing yards and six touchdowns made the answer look grim. Trinidad Chambliss had a solid day with 342 total yards and three scores, but the absence of Kewan Lacy left the Rebels without the steadying presence they needed to keep Florida’s offense on the sideline.
Oregon also came through a difficult spot after starting quarterback Dante Moore left Saturday’s game following a violent late hit to the head. Even with that setback, the Ducks were still facing USC, and that matters. Dylan Raiola stepped in and guided six scoring drives as Oregon pulled away from the Trojans and kept its playoff case intact.
USC took another hit, and the reason is becoming familiar. The Trojans still cannot tackle at the level required against their better opponents.
At this point, the pattern under Lincoln Riley is hard to miss: the defense breaks down, and even a talented offense eventually can’t keep pace. This time it happened against a backup quarterback.
Texas Tech also had to grind through a difficult night against Tennessee. The Longhorns’ offense was smothered by the Texas defense, Faizon Brandon was forced to scramble repeatedly even when pockets were clean, the ground game managed just 1.6 yards per carry, and Tennessee’s late push unraveled with penalties, another sack and poor throws.
Then came the kind of finish that sticks in the rankings conversation. Iowa beat Michigan 20-19 on the road when Hank Brown hit Reese Vander Zee for the game-winning touchdown to finish off a 91-yard drive at the Big House.
That result gave Iowa a set of notable marks: its first win against a ranked team on the road since 2021, its first win at Michigan since 2010 and its first road win over a ranked Big Ten team since 2015. That should be enough to nudge the Hawkeyes up a bit more in this week’s AP ballot.
Michigan still had reasons to feel good about parts of its offense. Bryce Underwood was asked to show he could handle the vertical passing game, and the Wolverines produced two 100-yard receivers in a home game for the first time since 2002. Underwood’s 49-yard strike to JJ Buchanan looked like the winner late, but the defense has plenty to answer for after allowing Iowa to march the length of the field for the decisive score.
In Other News...
Mississippi State Has Earned A Ranking Debate Fans Wont Ignore
Mississippi States fast start has turned what looked like a solid opening month into a real ranking conversation. The Bulldogs are 4-0 and already 2-0 in SEC play, with a win over No. 25 Missouri helping push them up to No. 16 in the AP Poll, and sophomore quarterback Kamario Taylor has been one of the biggest reasons for the surge. Taylor has thrown for 1,192 yards and 14 touchdowns, tying for the national lead in passing scores and giving Mississippi State the kind of offensive punch that can make voters take notice.
The debate now is whether the Bulldogs have done enough to climb higher despite the company they still have to keep in the schedule. Teams ahead of them have stumbled, which only sharpens the argument around Mississippi States place in the poll, but the next stretch will say plenty about how serious this start really is. No. 7 Alabama is looming, and LSU is not far behind, leaving the Bulldogs with a chance to turn an early ranking into something much more difficult to dismiss. [Read more 🡒]
Ole Miss Has A Heisman Problem Fans Can't Ignore
The late-September Heisman conversation had a few familiar faces in it, but Ole Miss had its own reason to pay attention. Across the weekend, standout performances from quarterbacks, running backs and wide receivers around the country kept the race crowded, with individual game breakthroughs and efficient stat lines nudging certain players into the spotlight as the season starts to settle into its next stretch.
For Rebels fans, the issue is less about the national debate itself and more about what it says about where Ole Miss fits in that race. The review of the weekend's biggest efforts, along with a look ahead to upcoming matchups for some of those players, underscores how quickly the conversation can shift once October football gets rolling. Ole Miss can still make noise, but the path to having a true Heisman contender is starting to feel like a problem fans can't ignore. [Read more 🡒]
Trinidad Chambliss Gives Ole Miss Hope Despite One Ugly Warning Sign
Ole Miss left the loss to Florida with a sharp reminder of how quickly a game can get away from it when the defense cannot slow the run. The Gators piled up more than 300 rushing yards, turning the afternoon into a long one for the Rebels and exposing a problem that will need fixing if this team wants to hold up in SEC play.
Trinidad Chambliss still gave Ole Miss a reason to keep looking forward, though, because the quarterback handled a heavy load and produced one of the better individual outings of the day. He completed 25 of 34 passes for 298 yards with a touchdown and an interception, and added 44 rushing yards with two scores, giving the Rebels a clear offensive centerpiece even in a loss that raised more questions than answers. [Read more 🡒]