The Ole Miss football team may have gotten a break this weekend, but that didn’t affect its standing in the Associated Press Top 25. Sunday’s poll kept Ole Miss at No. 4 with Ohio State staying put at No. 1, and now-No. 2 Miami and No. 3 Oregon switching spots.
Lane Kiffin’s group, coming off a hard-fought win over LSU, enjoyed their first Saturday off during the 2025 season. Ole Miss got off to its first 5-0 start since 2022, with three of the victories coming against SEC opponents.
But the beginning of the year did not come without adversity. Late in the fourth quarter in a week two matchup at Kentucky, starting quarterback Austin Simmons suffered an ankle injury, sidelining him indefinitely. On the bright side for the red and blue, backup signal caller Trinidad Chambliss was waiting to be unleashed.
In three starts, the Division II transfer from Ferris State proved to the college football world that he was worthy of leading the Rebels’ offense at a high level. Chambliss led victorious and eye-popping outings against Arkansas, Tulane, and the aforementioned Tigers in the Magnolia Bowl, while notching more than 300 passing yards and 50 rushing yards in each game. His efforts in the LSU win earned him the AP National Player of the Week honor.
Ole Miss has also had more success in running the ball this year than it did in the prior campaign. Missouri transfer Kewan Lacy is largely to be credited for the improved ground attack, as he’s logged nearly 450 rushing yards and eight scores thus far. Wake Forest transfer Deuce Alexander has emerged as a shining star in the air attack, as he’s currently averaging more than 18 yards per reception, and tight end Dae’Quan Wright has been a reliable asset for both Ole Miss quarterbacks.
Defensively, Pete Golding has seen his side of the ball mature, especially on the defensive line, as homegrown talents in Zxavian Harris, Will Echoles, and Kam Franklin have become more effective in wreaking havoc on opposing offensive lines each week. Linebackers TJ Dottery and Suntarine Perkins have become more disruptive as the season has progressed, and former Delta State standout Wydett Williams Jr. has impressed in the secondary.
As for the special teams unit, placekicker Lucas Carneiro has lived up to the hype. The Western Kentucky transfer and reigning CUSA Special Teams Player of the Year has connected on 11 of 12 field goal attempts, with his longest make coming from 54 yards out, and has been successful in all 19 point-after attempts. His lone miss was a 51-yarder at Kentucky. Punter Oscar Bird has also been effective, averaging 46.6 yards per boot in his rare appearances on the field.
Ole Miss will return to Vaught-Hemingway Stadium this coming Saturday at 11:45 a.m. CT, with Washington State being the next opponent on the docket. A win against the Cougars would earn the Rebels bowl eligibility for the sixth straight year.
The full top 25 can be found below:
- Ohio State
- Miami
- Oregon
- Ole Miss
- Texas A&M
- Oklahoma
- Indiana
- Alabama
- Texas Tech
- Georgia
- LSU
- Tennessee
- Georgia Tech
- Missouri
- Michigan
- Notre Dame
- Illinois
- BYU
- Virginia
- Vanderbilt
- Arizona State
- Iowa State
- Memphis
- South Florida
- Florida State
After consistently receiving votes to appear in the weekly poll, Mississippi State’s chances of entering the rankings for the first time in the Jeff Lebby era took a hit on Saturday when the Bulldogs fell to Texas A&M, 31-9, in College Station. Mississippi State received 10 votes to be included in this week’s poll, which in theory, ranks them at No. 36.
