Week 3 of college football wasn’t exactly a rollercoaster. However, we still saw some unexpected results. Texas A&M still can’t believe it lost to Kentucky. In the AP Top 25, Texas maintained its No. 1 rank, while Ole Miss moved to No. 4 with its win over LSU. FOX analyst Joel Klatt also has Texas as No. 1 in his ranking, but he wasn’t exactly sure about the decision.

“I was torn. I could have very easily gone to Ole Miss at number one,” Klatt said on his podcast on September 21. “Texas was just kind of meh against UTSA, 30 to 6. Arch 17 to 33 for 164. Nah, they ran it. He ran it nine times for 50 yards.”

Pete Golding and Ole Miss got a sweet revenge against their former head coach by beating LSU 32-24. Klatt didn’t have the Rebels as the No. 1 team after Week 3; instead, he ranked them No. 2, followed by Ohio State at No. 3. Texas’ top spot is debatable, given how the Longhorns played against UTSA. The scorecard doesn’t tell the full story of the game.

Arch Manning finished 17-of-33 passing for 164 yards. Texas never got the passing offense, which also plagued them against Ohio State in the first three quarters. There were eight penalties in the game, which hindered the offense from scoring opportunities.

However, the highlight of the night was Arch Manning’s legs. Manning ran nine times for 50 yards. Even head coach Sarkisian couldn’t help but praise the young QB. He highly praised his running abilities. But even he could tell this wasn’t the best performance from his QB.

“It was a long week for him, too, understandably. A lot of distractions with the stuff he had to deal with. So hopefully he can get himself refocused and ready to go for a big week as we start SEC play.”

While the offense was sputtering, defensive coordinator Will Muschamp’s unit put on an absolute show. They held UTSA to 1-for-11 on third down. After conceding one early conversion, they forced 10 consecutive stops. It was the same defense that helped the Longhorns turn the tables on the Buckeyes. In his rankings, Klatt took all of this into consideration.

“Defense is playing well, though. Again, I’m honoring the win against Ohio State there,” Klatt said on his podcast on September 21. “When I see it like this, I’m again torn. I almost wish I would have put Old Miss in there.”

From the standpoint of purely the nature of wins, Ole Miss can have an argument over Texas. Pete Golding’s team started the season with an impressive non-conference victory over a ranked opponent. The Rebels took down Louisville in a 41-38 thriller. Week 3 gave them another ranked win. Should beating the No. 1 team place you higher than a team with two ranked wins (one against the No. 7 team)?

Most AP voters agreed with Klatt. Even the Coaches Poll continues to have Texas as No. 1. For Week 4, the Longhorns are heading into a massive road matchup against Tennessee. This will mark Texas’ first official SEC road game. It will also be the program’s first-ever trip to play at the notoriously loud Neyland Stadium in Knoxville.

Both teams enter the weekend perfectly clean at 3-0. Tennessee is coming off a dominant 42-9 victory over Kennesaw State. The game kicks off this Saturday, September 26

Whereas the freshly crowned No. 4 Ole Miss Rebels will pack their bags and travel to Gainesville to face the No. 21 Florida Gators. All eyes will be on the Ole Miss availability report this week to see if star running back Kewan Lacy will clear medical protocols. After hurting his left shoulder landing hard against LSU, his presence is vital to keeping the offense balanced.