Ole Miss Tops No. 7 LSU 32-24 as No. 12 USC Escapes Rutgers 42-35

Q: After a chaotic Week 3, which of these shocking underdog victories will completely derail a powerhouse's 2026 playoff dreams?

Kentucky’s 31-21 win at No. 9 Texas A&M looks most likely to derail a true playoff path. The reason is less the single loss than what it exposed against the Aggies’ schedule. Texas A&M was a 17-point home favorite, then got outplayed badly after halftime. Kentucky outgained the Aggies 196-20 in the third quarter alone, forced two Marcel Reed interceptions, and left Texas A&M coach Mike Elko saying his team got “whopped.” That is the kind of home loss the selection committee tends to remember, especially when it comes against an unranked opponent. More importantly, Texas A&M has very little margin left. The Aggies go to LSU next, and the broader schedule still includes five more teams ranked in the top 20 over the final eight games. The added reporting around Week 3 made the playoff impact explicit: this was “a game that severely puts a dent in the Aggies’ playoff hopes.” For a team that could not afford a bad loss, this was exactly that. LSU’s 32-24 loss at Ole Miss hurts, but it is different. Losing on the road to a top-10 team in a competitive SEC game is damaging, not devastating. Louisville over SMU and West Virginia over Virginia also matter, but SMU and Virginia entered Week 3 with less national playoff equity than Texas A&M. So if one Week 3 upset ends up being the season-changing blow, Kentucky over Texas A&M is the clearest answer.

Q: How will Lane Kiffin’s emotional revenge victory over LSU permanently alter the power dynamics of the SEC this season?

It likely won’t permanently alter the SEC’s power structure by itself, but it does immediately elevate Ole Miss into the league’s top tier and leaves LSU with far less margin for error. The on-field significance is clear. Ole Miss beat a top-10 LSU team 32-24 after blowing a 17-point halftime lead and still finishing the job, with Trinidad Chambliss throwing for 363 yards, accounting for three touchdowns and directing the late go-ahead drive. That gives Ole Miss one of the SEC’s best early résumés, alongside its earlier win over Louisville, and reinforces the Rebels as a legitimate conference and playoff contender. Multiple projections and power rankings after Week 3 now place Ole Miss near the top of the SEC, behind only Texas or alongside Georgia. For LSU, the loss is damaging but not fatal. In the 12-team playoff era, a September road loss to a highly ranked SEC opponent can be absorbed; what changes is the pressure. LSU is now 0-1 in league play and faces a much narrower path through a schedule that still includes Texas A&M, Alabama and Texas. The loss shifts LSU from pace-setter to pursuer. The “emotional revenge” angle matters more for perception than structure. Kiffin’s return, the offseason legal drama around LSU and the SEC, and the bitterness surrounding his move added stakes, but one result does not permanently reorder a conference this deep. What it does do is prove Ole Miss belongs in the SEC title race right now and that LSU can no longer afford many mistakes.

3 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Sep 20

No. 8 Ole Miss delivered Week 3’s marquee result, beating No. 7 LSU 32-24 in Oxford in a Saturday night game highlighted as the weekend’s main drama.
No. 12 USC also faced a major test, surviving Rutgers 42-35 on the road to improve to 3-0 ahead of its upcoming matchup with Oregon.
Kentucky added another upset by beating No. 9 Texas A&M 31-21 in College Station, while No. 13 Texas Tech edged No. 22 Houston 28-26 on Friday night.
Most top contenders avoided trouble: No. 1 Texas beat UTSA 30-6, No. 2 Georgia handled Arkansas 45-17, and No. 21 Oregon rolled Portland State 84-0.
Week 3 still produced several ranked-team losses beyond LSU and Texas A&M, including Louisville’s 41-31 win over No. 16 SMU and West Virginia’s 38-27 defeat of No. 25 Virginia.