College football spent Week 3 delivering the kind of chaos that keeps the sport wired into every Saturday, even without a giant upset to hang the weekend on. The games still came with plenty of juice, plenty of drama, and one heavyweight matchup that actually lived up to the billing. That sets the stage for the biggest overreactions coming out of the weekend - and, in the case of Oxford, for a little reality check after the celebration.
Trinidad Chambliss did not win the Heisman Trophy
He certainly looked the part in one of the weekend’s most eye-catching performances. Chambliss handled the spotlight against LSU, beating the Tigers with both his arm and his legs while sending former coach Lane Kiffin to a loss. He threw for 363 yards and two touchdowns, then finished off the fourth-quarter game-winning drive with a run for a secore.
That’s the kind of night that sticks with voters. But the calendar still says September, and the season is barely into its first quarter. The Heisman is not handed out this early, no matter how loud the moment feels.
USC is not in the clear yet
The Trojans got the result they wanted in their Big Ten opener at Rutgers, but the trip to Piscataway was anything but tidy. USC left with a win, yet the Scarlet Knights still put up 35 points and 460 total yards. That’s the same Rutgers team that Massachusetts pushed around on that same field just two weeks earlier.
There’s no need to sound the alarm just because of one sloppy road outing. USC may have walked into this game with an eye on what’s coming next, and the schedule certainly doesn’t get softer.
Still, the Lincoln Riley era has already built a reputation for explosive offense and not much resistance on the other side of the ball. Five of the Trojans’ next six opponents are in the US LBM Coaches Poll Top 25, so the real answer on USC won’t take long to show up.
Ole Miss and Louisville may end up boosting each other
Week 1 already gave us a pair of SEC-ACC showdowns, and the more time passes, the more it looks like one of them may have been undervalued. Last week, the argument was that LSU may have received too much credit for blasting Clemson. This time, the case is that Ole Miss might not have gotten enough for surviving Louisville.
That result matters because the Cardinals backed it up in Week 3 by beating SMU, one of the more important wins of the weekend. Louisville’s offense, with Lincoln Kienholz at the controls, looks like it could hang around with early ACC favorite Miami (Fla.) in the race for conference supremacy. If the Cardinals keep stacking wins, that Week 1 loss could age very well for Ole Miss.
The Big 12 picture is starting to narrow fast
If the current polls hold, the league title game might already have its outline. Texas Tech got past Houston thanks to a late stop on a two-point conversion attempt, and the Red Raiders do not have another ranked opponent left on the schedule. They won’t see either Brigham Young or Utah in the regular season.
Those two teams are set to meet in the “Holy War” on Nov. 7, and the winner would then be positioned to face Texas Tech for the championship. That’s obviously a lot to assume this early, and the rest of the conference still has every chance to disrupt the script. Even so, Texas Tech, BYU and Utah have clearly separated themselves for now.
North Dakota State is in the playoff conversation
The path is open in a way it simply wasn’t before. In June, the NCAA Division I cabinet voted to remove the two-year waiting period for teams moving up to the Bowl Subdivision, which makes North Dakota State eligible right away in its first FBS season. That means the Bison can play for the Mountain West title, and yes, they can even reach the College Football Playoff.
They’ve already made a strong start, too, going 4-0 and winning their first conference game at Air Force. That gives the longtime FCS power a chance to reach the playoff field even faster than James Madison.
Of course, there’s still work to do. Even if NDSU runs the table in its new league, it would still need to finish as the highest-ranked conference champion from the Group of Six.
And the road ahead is no joke, with trips to New Mexico, UNLV and Hawaii still waiting. For now, the Bison get a week off and a little time to imagine how far this could go.
In Other News...
LSUs Quarterback Situation Just Got Dragged Into A New Controversy
Sam Leavitts performance in LSUs loss to Ole Miss was already going to be part of the postgame conversation, but the attention around the Tigers quarterback has since shifted away from the field. A social media account believed to be linked to his father, Jared Leavitt, posted controversial comments about Muslims, quickly drawing concern from LSU fans and media and adding an uncomfortable layer to an already scrutinized situation.
So far, there has been no official response or apology from the account or from LSU, leaving the issue hanging as Leavitt prepares for the next stretch of games. For a quarterback trying to settle things down on the field, the off-field noise is the last thing LSU needs, especially with the program now facing questions that have little to do with wins and losses. [Read more 🡒]
Pat McAfee Sparks Ole Miss Sideline Buzz With Unexpected Game-Day Appearance
Pat McAfee showed up on the sideline for Ole Miss-LSU on Sept. 19, and his presence quickly became one of the more talked-about details around the game. He was seen standing next to Mary Kate Cornett, the Ole Miss student who had previously been drawn into a false rumor McAfee discussed on his show, a saga that had already spilled well beyond the football field.
Cornett had once considered legal action against McAfee before the matter was resolved outside of court, which made their shared appearance in Oxford all the more notable. Neither has publicly addressed what it meant, and for now the image of the two together is left to linger without an explanation from either side. [Read more 🡒]
Ole Miss Just Took A Rivalry Shot LSU Fans Wont Forget
Ole Miss left its mark on the rivalry with LSU in a 32-24 win that came with a little extra theater after the final whistle. The Rebels not only handled business on the field, but also leaned into the moment by playing "Callin Baton Rouge" as LSU players walked off, a nod that was sure to land with plenty of bite for a SEC crowd that knows exactly what that song means.
Trinidad Chambliss added to the night with a strong performance against his former coach, Lane Kiffin, giving Ole Miss another layer of satisfaction in a game that already carried plenty of edge. Between the postgame gesture from fans and players and the way the Rebels closed it out, this was the kind of win that sticks around long after the score is forgotten. [Read more 🡒]