On a day of carnage and drama for top-10 teams, No. 9 Ole Miss quietly but commandingly made itself an exception by dominating No. 13 Missouri for a 31-3 victory. The Rebels trailed 3-0 but never again as they owned both lines of scrimmage, improving to 5-1 (3-1 SEC).
The “how” behind the win stood out for the right reasons. In particular, star running back Kewan Lacy surpassed 100 yards rushing for the first time in 2026. After an injury-plagued beginning to his season, Lacy torched the Tigers for 122 yards rushing on 16 carries as the Rebels rode a balanced attack to a commanding win.
Star quarterback Trinidad Chambliss brought his usual fireworks with four total touchdowns. But if Ole Miss is going to make a second straight College Football Playoff appearance, it will need more of the offensive diversity that it flashed against Mizzou. With +1600 title odds coming out of Week 7, the Rebels remain firmly in the mix as they gear up for a trip to face a reeling Texas team.
We are handing out grades evaluating every team that started or ended the day with national championship odds of +3000 or better.
2026 national championship odds listed below courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook. Teams listed in order of their AP Top 25 ranking.
No. 1 Georgia
Grade: F
Result: 27-24 loss vs. Auburn
Title odds: +490
One easy way to lose a game when favored by 20.5 points is to give your opponent a 3-0 edge in turnover margin. That’s what Georgia did, as senior quarterback Gunner Stockton coughed it up three times. The last giveaway led directly to Auburn’s game-winning field goal as time expired. UGA’s defense finally figured things out in the second half to give the Bulldogs a chance. But those pesky turnovers made the difference.
No. 2 Notre Dame
Grade: C-
Result: 28-24 loss at BYU
Title odds: +460
Notre Dame’s vaunted defense allowed BYU to convert on 8 of 12 third downs and surrendered a late go-ahead touchdown drive. The Fighting Irish’s offense had scoring opportunities at the end of both halves but came up empty. It was an evening of missed opportunities for Marcus Freeman’s club, which settled for field goals after two horrendous special teams blunders by the Cougars in the third quarter. The aura of invincibility which surrounded this team entering Week 7 was shattered by a team with less talent.
No. 3 Miami
Grade: C
Result: 43-35 (OT) win vs. Florida State
Title odds: +600
Miami racked up 583 yards, won the turnover battle and dominated time of possession but still needed overtime (and a controversial overtime ending) to outlast its in-state rival. The ‘Canes gave up way too many explosive plays, and the offense’s inability to finish drives in the third quarter made this game more dramatic than it should have been.
No. 4 Ohio State
Grade: B-
Result: 19-15 win at Indiana
Title odds: +500
This was a pass/fail assignment for Ohio State, which is now in possession of a gold-plated win that will define its resume. The best thing the Buckeyes did was take away Indiana’s rushing game, which is no small feat. IU’s star tandem of Turbo Richard and Lee Beebe Jr. combined for just 70 yards on 25 carries. Otherwise, it was an ugly slog. But earning a ‘B-‘ in a road win over a top-5 team is like earning a B- in advanced trigonometry. The main goal is to pass, and Ohio State passed.
No. 5 Indiana
Grade: C
Result: 19-15 loss vs. Ohio State
Title odds: +900
Indiana’s star backs combined for just 70 yards and did not produce a run of more than seven yards as the Hoosiers became one-dimensional. With quarterback Josh Hoover battling early inaccuracy and then a shoulder injury, life looked too hard for the IU offense. The defense negated Jeremiah Smith’s impact all game until he corralled a 38-yard touchdown pass with 12:46 remaining to give Ohio State a two-possession lead. That was a backbreaker in a game ultimately decided by inches.
No. 6 Alabama
Grade: D
Result: 26-10 loss at Tennessee
Title odds: +1100
Alabama was physically dominated on both sides of the ball. The offensive line couldn’t open up running lanes or protect Keelon Russell, who looked rattled early. The defense was rarely disruptive in the backfield — amassing just two tackles for loss — and couldn’t get off the field in the fourth quarter. A week after a physically grueling loss to Georgia, the Crimson Tide looked hungover and unprepared for Tennessee’s brand of smashmouth football.
No. 7 Texas
Grade: F
Result: 27-24 loss vs. Florida
Title odds: +1400
Playing at home against a struggling Florida team using its backup quarterback, Texas surrendered 24 unanswered points while relinquishing a 17-3 lead. The vaunted Texas defense couldn’t rattle inexperienced Gators QB Tramell Jones, and the Longhorns looked putrid offensively. Senior quarterback Arch Manning continues to struggle, and head coach Steve Sarkisian has no answers. This was a stunning and inexcusable outcome for the nation’s former No. 1 team, which has now dropped two straight against unranked opposition.
No. 9 Ole Miss
Grade: A
Result: 31-3 win vs. Missouri
Title odds: +1600
Kewan Lacy and Makhi Frazier each surpassed 100 yards rushing as Ole Miss dominated the line of scrimmage by averaging 6.8 yards per rush against a Missouri defense that had been good against the run. Conversely, the Rebels bottled up Jamal Roberts, who entered as the SEC’s leading rusher. The end result was a drama-free victory for Ole Miss, which got four total touchdowns from star quarterback Trinidad Chambliss.
No. 22 LSU
Grade: A
Result: 31-0 win vs. Mississippi State
Title odds: +2200
Injuries to Mississippi State’s offensive stars created a layup that LSU could ill-afford to miss. The Tigers handled the assignment by jumping out to a quick 14-0 lead and never looking back. The Bulldogs repeatedly found their way into LSU territory, but the Tigers played elite fourth-down defense. Offensively, quarterback Sam Leavitt finished interception-free for the first time in his seven games as the starter.