College football’s chaos era is here: Texas rallies, Oregon falls and Lane Kiffin eyes return to Ole Miss
AUSTIN, Texas – If you were waiting for chaos to encompass college football, the second week of the 2026 season delivered in a chaotic way on Saturday.
We started the day with Michigan taking down No. 11 Oklahoma in the Big House, and ended it with No. 5 Texas pulling-off a 20-point comeback to shock No. 1 Ohio State in what might turn out to be one of the wildest fourth quarters we witness this season.
But, in the middle of what was a remarkable day in the sport, Oklahoma State decided to create pure madness in Stillwater in their win over No. 6 Oregon that sent shockwaves through the college football world.
Look, we knew it was going to get a little wild this season. But, the Ducks falling this early in the season, to the Cowboys?
This turned out to be a rough day for the Big Ten conference, even with Michigan taking down the Sooners in Ann Arbor. You know, just how we thought it would go, right?
No.
What are we doing here, Oregon and Ohio State?
I've seen a collapse before, but what we witnessed on Saturday night in Austin, Texas, was shocking.
The Buckeyes held a 23-3 lead entering the fourth quarter, and everything we had seen up until that point had Ryan Day heading back to Columbus with a monster win.
But, it turns out the football gods had other plans for everyone either watching inside DKR Stadium or at home.
It was Arch Manning that led a struggling Texas offense from the ashes, just after the internal speaker system finished playing 'Dont Stop Believing' throughout the stadium. I guess this wasn’t the cheesy moment those within the pressbox thought it would turn out to be.
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Arch Manning No. 16 of the Texas Longhorns celebrates after a win against the Ohio State Buckeyes at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium on Sept. 12, 2026, in Austin, Texas. (Getty Images)
All it took was for the Longhorns to somehow slow down Jeremiah Smith just enough for them to start putting together enough momentum to steal this one from the Buckeyes. Manning led Texas to three drives that spanned over 10 plays each for touchdowns, sending Ohio State fans who made the trip into a state of shock.
"I had nightmares about that game," Arch Manning said after leading his team to the comeback win about last year's game.
This one will obviously be remembered for a very long time, especially within the Texas fan base. Just when you thought the Longhorns were buried, somehow these Longhorns found a way to steal one from the Buckeyes.
As for Oregon, I have no idea how Dan Lanning explains this one. Oklahoma State had lost 21-straight games to FBS opponents.
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This is the same Oklahoma State team that lost to Tulsa last weekend, with new head coach Eric Morris getting the biggest win of his career so far. For the Ducks, losing 39-31 is one thing, but folks should also remember this Oregon team scored fourteen of their points off turnovers.
An Oklahoma State Cowboys fan runs onto the field after Oklahoma State beat Oregon 39-31 at Boone Pickens Stadium in Stillwater, Okla., on Sept. 12, 2026. (Getty Images)
So, it's not as if Dan Lanning's team was flying around all afternoon in Stillwater. An expensive roster can’t save you if the team is not fully prepared for every game. On Saturday, the Oregon Ducks found out the hard way, and now we can throw out all Big Ten predictions in the process.
Next week is going to be a movie in Oxford
Prepare yourself now, because the next six days are going to center around Lane Kiffin making his return to Ole Miss with his LSU Tigers.
Sure, we've got SMU vs. Louisville, Houston versus Texas Tech, along with a few other intriguing matchups.
But nothing will touch the cinema that will take place in Oxford, Mississippi.
LSU Tigers head coach Lane Kiffin looks on against Clemson during the first half at Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge, La., on Sept. 5, 2026. (IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect)
There will be hatred, language, non-stop security surrounding Kiffin as he roams the LSU sidelines, and we still haven’t discussed everything that will encompass next week in the SEC.
We've waited almost ten months for Kiffin's return to Ole Miss, which was discussed on what felt like a daily basis during the offseason.
Now, we are here. The spotlight is finally shining on what should be the wildest college football environment we see this season, for all the insane reasons you might imagine.
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I know you've been waiting, Ole Miss fans.
Your former coach is headed back to town, and all eyes are on this family reunion in Mississippi.
Trey Wallace is the Sr. College Sports Reporter for OutKick.
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