3 Winners
1. Ole Miss
Pete Golding and the Rebels got their revenge on their former coach, Lane Kiffin. It feels like the entire offseason led to this game and it surely delivered. Ole Miss jumped out to a 17-0 lead, let LSU climb all the way back to tie it at 24, before ultimately scoring the go ahead and game winning touchdown to break the hearts of Tiger fans everywhere. There was a lot of emotion in this one and the Rebs were ready from the jump. They greeted Kiffin with an assortment of boos and profanities but refrained from pulling a Tennessee and didn't throw anything onto the field. They let their players do the talking and, in the end, took down Kiffin and the Tigers to improve to 3-0, moving into the top 5 as they now get ready to travel to Gainesville to face off against a tough Florida squad. We'll see if this win can propel them forward the rest of the way.
2. Florida
Jon Sumrall led the Gators into Jordan-Hare and put up 44 points in an impressive road win against Auburn this weekend. It was Florida's first real test under their new coach, and they answered with a win. Jaden Baugh led the way with 162 yards on the ground and 3 touchdowns as Florida had a 17-point lead multiple times before holding off a late Auburn comeback. Sumrall opens up SEC play with a 1-0 record and now awaits the arrival of Ole Miss. This will be his next big test and if he can find a way to upset the Rebels in the Swamp next weekend, Gators fans are going to be singing his praises and further prove the administration right that they hired the right guy. The vibes are good in Gainesville right now.
3. Louisville
Louisville secured a 10-point victory over fellow ACC foe, SMU on Saturday. In what everyone expected to be a high-scoring game, it turned out to be just that. A back-and-forth shootout between Lincoln Keinholz and Kevin Jennings may have actually been overshadowed by the running backs, Kendrick Raphael and Keyjuan Brown as they combined for 5 touchdowns for their respective teams. Louisville prevailed in this crucial ACC matchup as both teams are virtually chasing Miami in hopes of meeting them in Charlotte for the ACC Championship. An early season loss to Ole Miss hasn't stopped the Cardinals from making some noise around the country and this win will only give them more confidence as they keep things rolling.
3 Losers
1. LSU
This was a game Lane Kiffin has definitely had circled since he left Oxford for Baton Rouge in his own controversial way and his return did not end up the way he had hoped. His team got dominated in the first half and had to claw their way back in the second half, which they did, but ultimately fell short of completing the improbable comeback. Mind games, allegedly, regarding the injury report and other tactics weren't enough to throw Ole Miss off track as they had the last laugh in this dramatic saga. He left them last November to chase what he saw as a better opportunity to win a National Championship. Him walking back into a hectic environment and losing to that same team the following season isn't the best look at the moment, but who knows who will win the long-term battle of his decision. For now, Ole Miss gets to relish in the fact that they took down their former coach's team and will be able to hold that over him for the foreseeable future. As for LSU, maybe they can finally put this one behind them and focus on the rest of the season as the schedule doesn't get any easier. The season is far from over but the next couple of games could make or break the Tigers postseason hopes.
2. South Carolina
South Carolina jumped out to a 16-0 lead on Mississippi State and proceeded to let the Bulldogs come storming back, at home, to an 18-point deficit where they eventually lost by 7. Kamario Taylor got off to a slow start but once the second quarter started, he began to cook and didn't stop cooking until the game was over. Shane Beamer came into this season on the hot seat, and this game didn't help his case to remain the head coach as fans were chanting "Fire Beamer" at Saturday's game. Of course, that's what every coach wants to hear in his home stadium. This was a chance to secure an SEC win over a sneaky, maybe not so sneaky anymore, Mississippi State team and the Gamecocks couldn't play a complete game and ultimately got punched in the mouth in front of their fans. We'll see how South Carolina responds but it wasn't a good weekend for Beamer and his team.
3. Texas A&M
The Aggies entered the weekend ranked 9th in the country and welcomed a Kentucky team who just got outscored 32-0 in the second half of their previous game against Alabama. They were 16.5-point favorites and while most believed they may not cover the spread, I don't think many people had them getting dominated at home by the Wildcats. That's what this game was. It was all Kentucky essentially the entire game. Kentucky had a 21-point lead heading into the 4th quarter and never let the Aggies get close enough where they had to be worried. Maybe A&M was looking ahead to their visit to Baton Rouge next weekend, maybe they underestimated Will Stein and the Wildcats, but regardless, they got exposed a little bit this weekend as their offense struggled to execute, including two Marcel Reed interceptions. There were murmurs about whether or not A&M was as good as their ranking showed and this weekend only helped that skepticism. Curious to see how they bounce back as they visit LSU next weekend in a game that both teams really need to have.