For the first time in the 2025 season, Ole Miss (3-0, 2-0 SEC) has found itself in the top 15 of the weekly Associated Press poll.
A 41-35 home thriller over Arkansas (2-1, 0-1 SEC), with backup quarterback Trinidad Chambliss earning the starting nod as Austin Simmons nursed an injury, moved Lane Kiffin’s Rebels up four spots to No. 13 in the rankings. Chambliss, the reigning Division II champion signal caller, accounted for 415 total yards (353 passing and 62 rushing) and three scores (one in the air and two on the ground) in his inaugural SEC start.
“It’s a dream come true. You dream of moments like this,” Chambliss said after the game. “Coming from a DII [school], I’m very grateful and appreciative of the opportunity that arose today. I’m going to soak it all in, interact with the fans, all the fans, because that was me when I was little.”
The Rebels appeared to have a comfortable lead in the fourth quarter when Lucas Carneiro knocked in a 23-yard field goal to put Ole Miss up 41-28 with just under 11 minutes left in regulation. But Arkansas was set on a mission to play spoiler in Vaught-Hemingway Stadium — a place Lane Kiffin’s teams have seldom lost in his six years at the helm.
Arkansas put together an 11-play drive that resulted in a three-yard touchdown run by Mike Washington to cut the Razorbacks’ deficit to six points. With 4:55 on the clock, Ole Miss had an opportunity to move the chains, force Sam Pittman to use his two remaining timeouts (his quarterback had burned one earlier in the half), and bleed the clock.
However, the game took a different turn when an uncharacteristic drop by sure-handed Rebel wideout Cayden Lee paved the way for a quick three-and-out, giving Green and company the ball back and momentum. Three of the next four plays yielded double-digit gains for the Razorbacks, landing them in Rebel territory with a ticking clock.
Pittman’s chess game was upended when Ole Miss linebacker TJ Dottery forced Razorback wideout Jalen Brown to fumble. Rebel safety Wydett Williams Jr. recovered the ball, and after the offense moved the chains, the contest was wrapped in red and blue.
A shakeup across the college football scene also aided Ole Miss in its positive movement in the polls. Notre Dame, previously ranked No. 8, dropped 16 spots after losing to a now top-10 Texas A&M at home. Clemson, ranked No. 12 heading into the weekend, fell out of the rankings after being on the wrong side of a game-winning field goal at Georgia Tech.
Ole Miss will continue the 2025 season with its next challenge being a home contest against a fierce Tulane squad. That game will kick off at 2:30 p.m. CT and will air on ESPN along with participating SuperTalk Mississippi stations.
Mississippi State, after starting the season with a 3-0 record for the first time since 2018, received votes, but not enough to crack this week’s rankings. The Bulldogs defeated Alcorn State 63-0 on Saturday and will return to the home gridiron for a battle against Northern Illinois on Sept. 20 at 3:15 p.m. CT. The SEC Network and participating SuperTalk Mississippi stations will air the game.
The full top 25 can be found below:
- Ohio State
- Penn State
- LSU
- Miami
- Georgia
- Oregon
- Florida State
- Texas
- Illinois
- Texas A&M
- Oklahoma
- Iowa State
- Ole Miss
- Alabama
- Tennessee
- Utah
- Texas Tech
- Georgia Tech
- Indiana
- Vanderbilt
- Michigan
- Auburn
- Missouri
- Notre Dame
- USC
