The top of the AP poll is about to get a shake-up, and Saturday gave voters plenty to sort through.
Ole Miss may have delivered the loudest result of the week, and it came with a familiar face on the other sideline. Lane Kiffin’s return to Oxford, this time leading LSU, was supposed to be the headline act. Instead, it turned into a showcase for the Rebels, who built a 24-7 halftime cushion behind Trinidad Chambliss and then answered LSU’s comeback push when the game tightened.
Chambliss gave Ole Miss exactly the kind of start it needed, and he kept his composure when LSU clawed back. The Rebels’ quarterback finished the job with a late drive and a 14 yard touchdown run, helping seal what could be the kind of win that brings No. 1 votes into play and pushes Ole Miss up near the top five.
LSU, after rallying to tie the game at 24 in the fourth quarter, still couldn’t finish the comeback. Its defense couldn’t get the stop it needed, and Sam Leavitt’s final fourth down throw was tipped and intercepted in the end zone.
That result should matter in the other direction too. Texas A&M looked headed for a major slide after Kentucky went into College Station and controlled the game from start to finish. The Wildcats turned a loss to Alabama in which they only competed for two quarters into a full four-quarter statement, scoring 28 unanswered points to beat the Aggies on the road in Will Stein’s first big signature win as head coach.
Kentucky kept ripping off long scoring drives, including three touchdown marches of 75 yards or more in the second and third quarters. Texas A&M never found a way to settle the game down, and its offense missed a chance to flip momentum when it failed on a fourth-and-2 from its own 33-yard line. Losing at home to an unranked team could make the Aggies the biggest loser in the rankings this week.
Texas Tech also survived a tense one, edging ranked Houston in Lubbock after the defense stopped the Cougars on a two-point conversion attempt. The Red Raiders didn’t have things easy, either.
Houston’s skill players gave them problems for most of the night, and Tech gave up more than 17 points for the first time in 10 straight home wins at Lubbock. Still, the result counts as another important early step for a team trying to fend off a Big 12 challenger.
Houston, meanwhile, came out of the game with a narrow road loss to the defending Big 12 champion, and that kind of defeat can still leave a mark in the poll. The Cougars showed they could go punch for punch with one of the conference’s best teams, but a two-point loss may not be enough to keep them inside the rankings.
Louisville had one of the clearest wins of the day in the ACC, knocking off ranked SMU 41-31 at home in a game that swung back and forth eight times. Keyjuan Brown was the difference, piling up a personal-best 163 rushing yards and two touchdowns to close the door.
Lincoln Keinholz, the former Ohio State quarterback, looked steady for the Cardinals and gave them a chance to spread the field. Louisville’s run game also finally showed some pop with explosive plays on the ground.
SMU, despite running almost two dozen more plays and holding the ball four minutes longer, couldn’t make enough of it. The Mustangs turned the ball over on downs twice, and both of those stops led to Louisville touchdowns.
Kevin Jennings also had two giveaways as SMU dropped to 1-1 in ACC play.
There are a few other names on the move, too. Virginia, ranked No. 25, could slide out of the poll after losing at home to unranked West Virginia, especially with teams just outside the top 25 ready to gain ground.
Mississippi State should keep climbing after moving to 3-0 and taking down South Carolina on the road. The Bulldogs had 17 votes last week and should pick up more after clearing that test, while South Carolina could lose all 15 of its votes.
Florida is another team likely to rise after surviving a shootout at Auburn. The Gators were effectively the No. 27 team last week, and this result should move them closer to the poll.
In Other News...
Texas A&M Suddenly Has A Terry Bussey Concern It Feared
Terry Busseys night took an immediate turn in the opening moments against Kentucky, and Texas A&M was forced to absorb a blow it did not need. On the kickoff, Bussey fumbled and Kentucky recovered, then he was hurt on the same play and had to leave the field on a cart after being unable to put pressure on his right leg.
The timing made it worse for the Aggies, who were already dealing with another top receiver being out for the game. Busseys absence only sharpens the concern about Texas A&Ms offensive depth, leaving the staff to piece together more of the passing game than it planned to this early in the contest. [Read more 🡒]
Texas A&M Now Has A Response Problem Fans Wont Ignore
Texas A&Ms latest setback came with a familiar sting, as Kentucky walked into College Station and left with a 31-21 win that looked like more than just an early-season upset. The Wildcats rolled up 409 yards of offense and got big plays from quarterback Kenny Minchey, who threw for 252 yards and two touchdowns, while CJ Baxter added 87 rushing yards and two more scores to keep the Aggies on their heels.
For a Texas A&M team trying to settle into SEC play, the bigger concern is how often opponents have been able to answer every push with one of their own. Kentucky also forced two interceptions and improved to 2-1 overall and 1-1 in conference play, leaving the Aggies to sort through a loss that exposed just how much work still remains on both sides of the ball. [Read more 🡒]
Texas A&M Suddenly Has A Marcel Reed Problem Before LSU
Texas A&M walked out of the Kentucky game with more questions than answers, and most of them trace back to a night that never really settled in for the Aggies. Injuries complicated the picture, but the bigger issue was how uneven the team looked on both sides of the ball, especially after halftime when drives kept ending without points and the defense was asked to absorb far too much pressure.
Marcel Reed was part of that broader offensive unevenness, and it leaves Texas A&M heading into LSU with real uncertainty at the most important position. The loss did more than dent the record. It exposed how fragile the Aggies can look when the offense stalls and the defense is forced to spend too much time on the field, which is not the kind of backdrop you want before a marquee SEC test. [Read more 🡒]