Mississippi State has already forced the country to take a second look.
The Bulldogs were sitting at No. 24 before climbing to No. 16 after a 31-24 win over then-No. 19 Missouri, which has since dropped to No.
- That pushed Mississippi State to 4-0 overall and 2-0 in SEC play, and it put them in a very small club: only Alabama, Florida, Georgia and Mississippi State are 2-0 in conference games.
Even with that jump, there’s a strong case that the Bulldogs are still too low.
The AP Poll has not been aggressive enough about rewarding teams for early Power Four wins and punishing teams that take losses right away. That approach matters because it gives unbeaten teams a real chance to build a ranking that means something and forces the teams with blemishes to earn their way back up.
That’s where Mississippi State stands out. Four teams ranked ahead of the Bulldogs have already lost: Ohio State, Ole Miss, LSU and Oregon.
Ole Miss dropped five spots after a rough 52-28 loss at Florida, a game in which the Rebels gave up more than 300 rushing yards. Oregon is sitting at No. 15 after losing to Oklahoma State, and the argument for keeping the Ducks ahead of Mississippi State leans heavily on a win over USC, a team that doesn’t belong in the top 25.
Mississippi State’s resume is stronger than a typical unbeaten team’s, too. The Bulldogs have won at Minnesota in Minneapolis, beaten South Carolina in Columbia and handled ranked Missouri at home. That’s a far more convincing start than padding the record against soft opposition.
Kamario Taylor has been the engine behind it all. The sophomore quarterback has worked his way into the Heisman conversation, and his numbers are loud: 1,192 passing yards and 14 touchdowns, which is tied for the most passing touchdowns in the nation.
Mississippi State has piled up 172 points in four games, an average of 43 per game. For context, No.
13 Utah has scored 173 points and No. 14 Iowa has scored 131.
So where should the Bulldogs be?
No. 12 makes the most sense. That slot would put Mississippi State ahead of No.
15 Oregon, No. 14 Iowa, No.
13 Utah and No. 12 Texas Tech based on the overall body of work so far.
Texas Tech is the only real challenger in the discussion, thanks to a 28-26 win over No. 20 Houston and a 49-14 victory over Sam Houston, though the Red Raiders also committed four turnovers in that Sam Houston game.
The bigger distinction is that Houston is the only Power Four opponent Texas Tech has faced.
There is one clear pushback against moving Mississippi State higher: the defense. The Bulldogs gave up 34 points against South Carolina and 24 against Missouri. And the gap in the rankings is real, at least in the eyes of the voters, with Mississippi State sitting 388 points behind Texas Tech and 188 behind Utah.
The next two weeks should bring more clarity. Mississippi State hosts No.
7 Alabama at Davis Wade Stadium this weekend, then heads to LSU on Oct. 17.
Those games could settle the debate for good.
In Other News...
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 🡒]
Ole Miss Just Turned Its Bye Week Into A Defensive Reckoning
Ole Miss heads into its bye week with plenty to sort through after the lopsided loss to Florida, a game that stood in sharp contrast to the Rebels earlier win over LSU. Trinidad Chambliss did his part on offense, but the bigger story from Gainesville was how often the defense gave ground, especially when it came to stopping the run and finishing tackles.
Pete Golding is the one in charge of the defensive play-calling, which puts the spotlight squarely on that side of the ball as the Rebels get a chance to reset. The bye week now looks less like a pause and more like a needed review, with tackling at the top of the list if Ole Miss wants to avoid another showing like this one. [Read more 🡒]