Josh Furlong's AP Top 25: Ole Miss makes a statement, and BYU appears in top 10

SALT LAKE CITY — The build up to Saturday reached a fever pitch this week as Lane Kiffin returned to Oxford, Mississippi, a year after he moved to LSU for greener pastures.

But those greener pastures may have been in Oxford all along.

The LSU coach stole the college football oxygen leading up to the weekend's game, but there were several other interesting results that turned some heads this week and shook up the top 25 rankings, too.

The following is the ballot I submitted to the Associated Press that will be counted in the consensus rankings that will be released Sunday afternoon.

1. Texas

There was little drama in Austin on Saturday, with Texas making easy work of UTSA. The score didn't necessarily impress, but there wasn't any doubt in a 30-6 win. With that said, Arch Manning turned in a mediocre performance, throwing for 164 yards and two touchdowns on 17-of-33 passing. This spot at No. 1 is far from a guarantee, especially with Ole Miss (and others) lurking.

2. Ole Miss

Saturday was all about Kiffin, when in reality it was about the quarterback he discovered and then left at Ole Miss. Trinidad Chambliss had an electric performance and established himself as any early favorite to win the Heisman with a win over LSU. Chambliss threw for 363 yards and two touchdowns, and Ole Miss picked off LSU in the end zone to earn the win.

3. Miami

Another quarterback who established himself as a front-runner in the Heisman race was Miami's Darian Mensah Friday night. Mensah had only four incompletions on 34 attempts and was a perfect 24-of-24 before his first miss of the night. Miami jumped out to a 24-7 lead at the halftime break before Wake Forest closed the gap. But Miami looked good in the win.

4. Notre Dame

Locked into a 17-10 battle at the halftime break, Notre Dame held Michigan State scoreless (and to just 40 total yards) in the second half to pull away from the Spartans in a 17-point win. It's not a game to write home about, but it got the job done.

5. Georgia

Facing a broken Arkansas program, Georgia did exactly what it was supposed to do on the road against the bottom-dwelling Razorbacks, who continue to lose fan support. Georgia won big, but Kirby Smart can't be pleased with Arkansas hanging 17 points on his defense. Even then, Georgia sometimes plays possum early in the year before locking in later.

6. Indiana

Indiana beat up on a winless Western Kentucky team ... need we say more?

7. Ohio State

Congrats to FOX for taking their "Big Noon Kickoff" show to a waste of a game. Ohio State had five first-half touchdowns against a scoreless Kent State team, and nobody cared by the time the second half came around, including the always energetic Gus Johnson. We move on ...

8. LSU

Consistency isn't always a thing for Lane Kiffin, who usually shows up in big games and then drops games to lesser opponents. But on Saturday, his team faced an uphill battle as Ole Miss jumped out to a hot start. Credit to the Tigers for making it a game, but the drama leading up to the game likely distracted from what needed to happen on the field.

9. Alabama

For a moment — nearly a full first half — Alabama was on upset alert and someone somewhere was likely writing a check for Kalen DeBoer's exit as lackluster Florida State jumped out to a 21-6 lead. But Alabama reeled off three consecutive touchdowns to closeout the half, before dominating the second half to leave no doubt in a 50-36 win.

10. BYU

The final score won't necessarily make people in Provo happy (with style points off the table) as BYU rolled to a victory over Colorado State on the road, but there was little in question in Saturday's game. LJ Martin continues to impress as an unstoppable force for the Cougars, and BYU is now inside the top 10 as the favorite in the Big 12.

In consideration (alphabetical): North Dakota State, Oklahoma State, SMU, Texas A&M, Tulsa, UCLA, Virginia, West Virginia, Western Michigan

If you can't see my full ballot below, click here.

Think you can do better? Create your own Top 25 ballot with the KSL Sports Fan Top 25 poll here.

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