Texas Jumps to No. 11 as Ole Miss and Tennessee Slide in New Top 25 Rankings
Texas climbs eight spots after beating Ole Miss, while the Rebels drop to No. 13 and Tennessee falls to No. 17 after losing at South Carolina.
One Saturday night in Austin reshuffled the SEC's middle tier. In the latest EssentiallySports top 25, Texas jumps from No. 19 to No. 11 after its 34-27 win over Ole Miss. Ole Miss drops from No. 7 to No. 13, and Tennessee slides from No. 11 to No. 17 after losing 27-24 at South Carolina.
The Longhorns nearly gave the game away. The Houston Chronicle reported that Texas let a 21-point halftime cushion disappear, then went back ahead on Arch Manning's 1-yard bootleg run in the final three minutes. Manning scored twice on the ground, and Ryan Wingo caught seven passes for 111 yards. Ole Miss quarterback Trinidad Chambliss threw three interceptions. The win ended a two-game skid that included losses to Oklahoma and Florida by three points each, and it moved Texas to 5-2.
Tennessee's loss stung more because the Vols beat themselves. SB Nation's Rocky Top Talk reported that South Carolina kicker Malik Orsan made a 48-yard field goal as time expired. On3 counted 12 Tennessee penalties for 90 yards, and three of them wiped out touchdowns. The defeat ended a three-game winning streak that included a 26-10 win over Alabama, and it leaves Tennessee at 6-2 with SEC title hopes in doubt.
The Rebels had won three straight before Austin, including a 31-3 rout of Missouri and a 52-17 win at Vanderbilt. Both of their losses came on the road, at Florida and at Texas. EssentiallySports wrote that Ole Miss now needs a strong finish to stay in the playoff race.
What it means for the next game
Texas and Ole Miss both play at home on Halloween against opponents that look like mismatches on paper. Texas hosts Mississippi State on ESPN. The Longhorns are favored by 20.5 points, and the total sits at 50.5 to 51.5. Novig has Texas at -1718. DraftKings has the best Texas moneyline at -1350, so the gap between venues on this game is unusually wide. On the other side, Novig lists Mississippi State at +700, and bet365 has the best price at +900. That also matters because Texas' last four games were all decided by seven points or fewer.
Ole Miss hosts Auburn on SEC Network and is favored by 11.5 points. The total is 55.5 to 56.5. Novig has the Rebels at -506 and Auburn at +326. FanDuel has the best Auburn price at +365. Auburn arrives after a 38-17 home loss to LSU, but the Tigers also beat Georgia this season.
Tennessee has a week to fix its discipline problems before Kentucky visits on November 7. The Wildcats are 7-1, have won six straight and moved up to No. 9 in the same rankings. Tennessee already beat Auburn 24-14 at home, and a home win over Kentucky would put the Vols back in the SEC race.
