Danny Kanell’s weekly top 12 got a serious shakeup after a wild Week 7 slate, and Georgia took the biggest hit.
The former Florida State quarterback and current college football analyst had the Bulldogs at No. 1 a week ago. After Georgia’s home loss to Auburn, Kanell knocked them all the way down to No. 11 in his latest rankings.
BYU sits at the top of the list, with UCLA right behind at No. 2.
Miami is third, followed by Ohio State at No. 4 and Texas Tech at No. 5.
A strong SEC showing still made its way into the mix, though. Tennessee is the highest-ranked conference team at No. 6 after beating Alabama at Neyland Stadium on Saturday evening for the third straight time.
Kentucky checks in at No. 7, Ole Miss is No. 8, and Georgia is the fourth SEC team in the group at No.
Wake Forest comes in at No. 9, Iowa is No. 10, and Indiana rounds out the top 12 at No. 12.
Kanell posted the updated rankings with a note on X, writing: “It’s the best because is has no bias. After week 6 here is the #DKtop12”
The weekend was chaotic across the sport, with five of the top eight teams in the AP Poll going down. That kind of carnage naturally brought major movement to any ranking system, and Kanell’s list was no exception.
The AP Poll is set to be released Sunday afternoon, which will show how far Georgia slides in that ranking as well.
As for the SEC, the conference still has plenty of teams in the conversation for a 12-team Playoff spot, but how many ultimately get in remains to be seen. Check back next week for Kanell’s Week 8 update.
In Other News...
Missouri's Loss Exposed An Ole Miss Problem Tigers Couldn't Contain
Ole Miss got what it needed against Missouri, but the win also highlighted a concern the Rebels will have to keep managing as the season goes on. Even with injuries limiting Edwin Joseph and Kewan Lacy, Joenel Aguero helped steady the defense, while Caleb Cunningham emerged as a reliable target and finished as the teams receiving leader with a touchdown. It was the kind of game that showed Ole Miss has enough playmakers to survive bumps, but also enough moving parts to make every week feel a little more precarious than the final score suggests.
Kewan Lacy still crossed the 120-yard mark on the ground despite missing part of the game, which only underscored how central he has become to the offense. Deuce Alexander did not have his best outing, but he remains an important piece for a unit that is leaning on depth more and more. For Ole Miss, the larger takeaway from Missouri was not just that the Rebels won, but that their margin for error may depend on how well those key contributors hold up. [Read more 🡒]
Ole Miss Just Got A Rare SEC Endorsement With Huge Stakes Ahead
Paul Finebaum has Ole Miss sitting atop his current SEC pecking order, a notable nod for a program that has spent much of the season building its case with offense and results. The Rebels have impressed enough to draw attention beyond Oxford, and even with some lingering questions on defense and a loss to Florida, the overall arc has been encouraging enough to keep them in the national conversation.
Now comes the part that will tell the real story. ESPN's FPI ratings have already put Ole Miss in the mix for a College Football Playoff berth, but the schedule is about to get a lot less forgiving with Texas, Auburn and Georgia still ahead. For a team trying to turn respect into something bigger, the next stretch will show whether this praise is a sign of real staying power or just a strong midpoint read. [Read more 🡒]
Ole Miss Just Sent A Serious SEC Message Against Missouri
Ole Miss left little doubt at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium, handling Missouri 21-3 and stringing together a second straight win in a way that should get the rest of the SECs attention. The Rebels controlled the line of scrimmage on both sides, smothering Missouris ground game and holding the Tigers to just 38 rushing yards while leaning on a balanced offensive effort that looked increasingly hard to stop as the game wore on.
Kewan Lacy and Makhi Frazier helped power an Ole Miss rushing attack that piled up 223 yards, giving Trinidad Chambliss a strong platform to operate from. Chambliss made the most of it, throwing three touchdown passes and adding one more score himself, a performance that gave the Rebels a clear edge and left them with momentum heading into what comes next. [Read more 🡒]