No Kiffin, no problem
Last Saturday was a master class in narrative college football. Ole Miss’ instant-classic upset victory over LSU was obviously significant for both College Football Playoff hopefuls, but also represented a larger challenge against college athletics’ accelerating evolution.
LSU head coach Lane Kiffin is emblematic of the sport’s modern era. Leaning on a star-studded mosaic of transfer-portal additions, spunky NIL endorsements and a few (sort of) professional athletes, Kiffin is the poster child for college football’s pre-professional renaissance. In the era of grandeur in college athletics, it seemed wholly unlikely that a promoted coordinator with a first-time FBS quarterback behind center could topple LSU’s radically progressive approach to winning.
Now, Ole Miss is not exactly homegrown. The Rebels added 29 transfers to the roster this offseason, but they feel like an older iteration of college football in a number of ways: a historically middling SEC program trying to stay afloat without a huge donor endowment.
After their most successful head coach of the century left them hanging just before their inaugural Playoff game, Ole Miss managed to best their former leader, championing an increasingly rare patience and grit in college athletics.
Maybe the story we’ve been told about college football’s inevitable collapse into a sterilized mini-NFL was oversold. There’s something irreplicable about the drama, heart and passion of 22 college students going to war on a national stage.
Ole Miss’s feel-good story is far from sealed, though. The Rebels roll into Gainesville Saturday to take on a surging Gators squad. The last time a top-ten Ole Miss team visited the Swamp, Florida humbled them with a 38-10 drubbing in 2015. But, for now, the Rebels are in the driver’s seat.
Texas is (finally) back
Arch Manning’s mild 2025 campaign left lots of Longhorn faithful wary of Texas’ actual ceiling under Steve Sarkisian. After two decades of letdowns, the prodigal son couldn’t even advance a fifth-year offensive juggernaut head coach to the Playoff semifinals, so, when Texas trailed Ohio State 23-3 with 14:55 remaining in the fourth quarter last Saturday, it looked like the Horns were doomed to concede to history once again.
Not to be thwarted, Manning spearheaded an 18-point run that sealed Texas’ first victory over a #1 squad in nearly two decades. As Mamminh paraded around the Texas sideline, it felt like something special had emerged in Austin.
Despite an increasingly warm seat, Sarkisian’s six-year plan has finally incubated. Texas is atop college football and nothing, not even a three-possession deficit against the nation’s best, could kill their resolve. A routine thrashing of UTSA last week gave the Longhorns a much-needed refrain before their trip to Tennessee this Saturday. While the Longhorns may finally lead the pack, they aren’t immune to an upset bid from a spunky, young Volunteers team in Knoxville.
Led by freshman quarterback Faizon Brandon and 100,000 strong, the Vols won’t relinquish their claim to the “real UT” title so easily, but, for now, Texas gets to tout the age- old proclamation, for real this time. Texas is back.
The Big Ten is Anyone’s Conference
Who would have guessed that UCLA, who won just three games last year, would win just as many before both Ohio State and Oregon? Certainly not I.
The Big Ten, home to the last three national champions, is in the bounds. As of week four, nine teams are spotless and two others have a legitimate Playoff path.
USC and Oregon’s showdown at the Coliseum marks a crossroads in the race for a spot in the conference’s premier class. A staple win for the Trojans could catapult them into serious postseason contention. For the Ducks, a victory could course-correct a downtrodden run.
Defending national champion Indiana has cruised through a soft early slate, and won’t face a legitimate threat until an October 17th date with Ohio State. Josh Hoover has been remarkably consistent, posting 10 touchdowns against zero picks as the Hoosiers transition into a post-Mendoza world.
Matt Campbell’s Penn State program has quietly paced a 3-0 start, much thanks to Rocco Becht’s pocket poise. Just like Indiana, though, the Nittany Lions have yet to prove that their win streak is indicative of the rest of their season. They also benefit from a manageable schedule, with marquee matchups against USC, Washington and Michigan.
Michigan has been a dumbfounding case so far. A near-loss to Western Michigan followed by an Oklahoma takedown doesn’t tell us much about their wherewithal as the season heats up. Which Michigan team will show up against Iowa Saturday? The jury’s still out.
Point being, the league is for the taking, but Saturday should kick off the separation between the pretenders and real contenders.