Week 4’s AP Top 25 brought real movement near the top, and the biggest jolt came from Oxford, where Ole Miss and LSU turned a top-10 matchup into a statement win for the Rebels.
Trinidad Chambliss was the driver for Ole Miss, staying in Oxford while Lane Kiffin came back with the team he left for. The Rebels jumped out early, absorbed LSU’s push, and finished the job to strengthen their case in SEC title contention. What looked like a chance for Kiffin to get the last word instead turned into a rough night filled with closeups of his reaction as Ole Miss handed LSU a loss.
The Tigers still have plenty to work with. LSU’s defense can take it places and its offense has a lot of playmakers, but the protection issues remain a problem. The quarterback still has to deal with pressure from quality rushers, and that’s the kind of flaw that can get exposed again against future SEC fronts.
Another shakeup came after an SEC playoff hopeful stumbled at home against an unranked opponent, opening the door for a change near the top of the poll. That loss helped fuel the wider rearranging voters were forced to make this week.
Florida was one of the teams that benefited from the chaos. The Gators moved from unranked to No. 21 after AP voters finally gave them a spot in the poll.
Their win at Auburn, powered by Jadan Baugh’s 162-yard, 3-TD performance, pushed them to 3-0 and made the case too strong to ignore. With Houston and Virginia also losing, the bottom of the rankings shifted enough to create room.
Texas A&M, meanwhile, paid for its own home loss to Kentucky. Falling to an unranked opponent on its own field came with the expected drop, and it also raised fresh concerns about whether Marcel Reed’s offense can move the ball with enough consistency and whether the defense can get physical enough to survive the SEC stretch ahead.
A handful of teams were on ballots but not quite in the Top 25 itself. Washington led that group with 107 points, followed by Kentucky with 98 and West Virginia with 93. Oklahoma received 91, while Oklahoma State got 50, Boise State 48, Virginia Tech 46, Western Michigan 27, Duke 20, Tulsa 18, Arizona 12, Pittsburgh 10, UCLA 10, James Madison 7, North Dakota State 6, Kansas State 3 and Nebraska 2.
In Other News...
Texas A&M Suddenly Has Two Problems Fans Cant Ignore
Texas A&Ms SEC opener against Kentucky was supposed to be a chance to settle in and build early momentum, but instead it left the Aggies with a familiar-looking reminder of how thin the margin can be in this league. Favored to win before kickoff, they fell 31-21 and spent much of the night chasing a game that kept slipping further away, especially after Kentucky found room to move in the third quarter and widened the gap.
There were a few encouraging signs on offense, with Mario Craver and KJ Edwards each providing some positive moments, but they were overshadowed by the bigger issues that kept showing up. Marcel Reeds interceptions added to the pressure, and the defensive performance was the kind of problem that tends to linger unless it gets fixed quickly, which makes the conversation around this team feel a lot more urgent after one conference loss. [Read more 🡒]
Texas A&M Suddenly Has A Backfield Problem Fans Feared
Texas A&Ms backfield took another hit late in the second quarter against Kentucky, when freshman running back KJ Edwards went down and did not return. Edwards had been part of the game plan before the injury, and his absence was immediate enough to be felt in a room that was already working through depth questions.
Mike Elko confirmed the injury after the game, and the bigger concern is what it means for the Aggies running back rotation moving forward. With multiple scholarship backs already injured, Texas A&M is left trying to piece together a position group that was supposed to provide stability, but now feels increasingly fragile just as the season pushes on. [Read more 🡒]
Texas A&M Suddenly Has A New Worry Ahead Of LSU
Texas A&Ms 31-21 loss to Kentucky brought more than just a setback in the standings. The Aggies also came out of the game dealing with injuries to two young skill players, starting with Terry Bussey, who went down on the opening kickoff with a leg injury and was taken to the locker room. Coach Mike Elko said Busseys issue is likely serious, though he stopped short of giving a specific diagnosis.
Freshman running back KJ Edwards also left the game injured, and there was no immediate update on how severe that one might be. With LSU coming next, the Aggies suddenly have another layer of concern beyond the bounce-back question from a home loss, and both players are expected to be addressed further in Mondays press conference. [Read more 🡒]