ESPN had itself a monster Saturday in Week 4, with three ABC games drawing huge national audiences and Texas-Tennessee standing far above the rest.
The day’s biggest number belonged to Arch Manning and top-ranked Texas, whose win at Tennessee averaged 9.7 million viewers and peaked at 12.9 million. That made it the ESPN networks’ highest-rated noon kickoff in 10 years, and it also stood as the highest-rated noon game of the season across any network.
Florida’s 3:30 p.m. win over Ole Miss at the Swamp also delivered in a big way, averaging 8.3 million viewers and reaching a peak of 9.1 million. LSU’s bounce-back win over Texas A&M came in third among the trio, but still pulled a strong audience with 5.7 million viewers on average and a peak of seven million.
The Week 4 lineup on ESPN’s networks featured a little of everything: Texas making a statement in Knoxville, Jon Sumrall’s Florida rolling past Ole Miss, and Lane Kiffin’s LSU responding to a loss to the Rebels by handing Texas A&M a second straight defeat.
ABC’s Week 5 schedule already has a few matchups worth watching. At noon ET, Keelon Russell and Alabama head to Starkville to face Kamario Taylor and Mississippi State in a game between two of the season’s better quarterbacks so far. Later, Tennessee hosts Auburn in a 3:30 kickoff from Rocky Top, and Mizzou-Florida is also on ABC.
In primetime, Clemson will host Miami with a 7:30 kickoff on ABC.
In Other News...
Ole Miss Offense Has One Urgent Fix Coming Out Of The Bye
After a blowout loss to Florida, Ole Miss has spent the bye week doing what every team hopes a midseason pause will allow: taking a hard look at what went wrong and resetting before the next stretch of games. For the Rebels, the biggest concern on offense has been getting out of the gate cleaner and finding better rhythm up front, where the line has been pushed to tighten its cohesion and set a stronger tone early.
Senior right guard Patrick Kutas said the loss should stay with the team as motivation, not something to shrug off once the schedule resumes. For Ole Miss, the challenge now is turning that frustration into sharper starts and steadier execution, because the bye only matters if the problems it exposed lead to real improvement when the Rebels line up again. [Read more 🡒]
Ole Miss Has A New National QB Talking Point Fans Will Love
Bill Connellys latest quarterback rankings gave the SEC plenty of room to boast, with five league passers landing in the top 12 and a broader national conversation that will catch Ole Miss fans attention. ESPNs analyst put Miamis Darian Mensah at the top of the Power 4 group, but the Southeastern footprint in the list was hard to miss, especially with names like Trinidad Chambliss, Kamario Taylor, Keelon Russell, Gunner Stockton and Aaron Philo all drawing notice.
For Rebels followers, the most interesting part is the way the leagues quarterback discussion is shifting around young talent and fast-rising production. Kamario Taylors jump was singled out as a major improvement, and with Alabama and Mississippi State set to meet soon, the SECs quarterback hierarchy is likely to keep getting shuffled in real time. Ole Miss may not be the center of this particular ranking, but it is exactly the kind of national QB chatter that tends to matter in Oxford. [Read more 🡒]
Ole Miss Passing Game Faces A Concern Fans Can't Ignore
Traylon Rays latest outing was a sharp contrast to the one that turned heads a week earlier, and it came at a time when Ole Miss was already trying to sort through a sluggish offensive start against Florida. The Rebels had trouble finding a rhythm in the first half, and that showed up in the passing game, where Ray saw his involvement dip compared with his showing against LSU.
Deuce Alexanders surge in that game also changed the look of the receiver rotation, giving Ole Miss a different focal point as the offense searched for answers. Ray said the offensive coordinator tends to lean on whoever is going well in the moment, which is a sensible approach when things are clicking but also a reminder of how quickly the target distribution can shift when the Rebels are fighting for consistency. [Read more 🡒]