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Ole Miss routed Vanderbilt 52-17 and Army edged Tulane 20-17 in a chaotic Saturday of college football.
The Rebels piled up points in a blowout that kept their playoff hopes firmly on track, while Army needed every yard of Cale Hellums’s 223 rushing yards to survive Tulane.
Elsewhere, Iowa topped Washington 41-24 and BYU handled Iowa State 24-10, results that are expected to shake up this week’s Top 25 rankings.
According to analysts, the weekend’s upsets and near-misses have tightened several conference races with the season’s second half approaching.
With the playoff picture starting to take shape, next Saturday’s slate promises more separation between contenders and pretenders.
Ole Miss’s offensive explosion was the day’s loudest statement. The Rebels scored early and often, turning what was supposed to be a competitive matchup into a showcase for their postseason credentials.
Army’s win was the opposite: a grind-it-out affair decided in the closing minutes. Hellums’s career day on the ground kept the Black Knights’ drives alive and their special season rolling.
Poll voters will have plenty to debate when the new rankings drop. Style points matter in October, and Saturday delivered them in bunches — along with a reminder that no lead is safe in college football.
The weekend also delivered its share of heartbreak. Tulane’s late rally fell just short, and the Green Wave’s locker room was left to wonder what might have been after coming so close to a statement win.
Looking ahead, the schedule offers no mercy. Several top-10 teams face road tests next Saturday, and the first College Football Playoff rankings are now just weeks away.
Coaches, as always, preached the one-week-at-a-time gospel. But with November looming and playoff spots on the line, every snap from here on carries a little more weight than the last.
Saturday’s chaos is exactly what makes the sport irresistible — and why October Saturdays are appointment viewing for millions.
