College football has seen the rise and fall of every program imaginable. No team has escaped the parity of the sport and lived to tell the tale. The team that is ranked No. 1 right now will underperform one day and then be moved to the bottom of the totem pole. The teams discussed this week got just a taste of how good they really are—and it left a bad taste in their mouths.

The 17th-ranked Tennessee Vols—a team that, despite a loss to Georgia Bulldogs, had every bit of confidence that they could beat anyone—took an embarrassing loss to the fourth-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide. It is a defeat that likely will not be shaken off until Alabama travels to Neyland next year. Now Tennessee get their chance to bounce back when the Kentucky Wildcats comes to town. 

Last week, the eighth-ranked Ole Miss Rebels fell victim to the same fate as Tennessee. Ole Miss, led by senior quarterback Trinidad Chambliss, went toe-to-toe with the fifth-ranked Georgia before Georgia pulled away in the end for a 43-35 win. Now Ole Miss travels to another SEC powerhouse in an attempt at redemption.

Vols bring the heat back home

Any self-respecting Volunteer fan will tell you that the Alabama game is the most important regular-season game of the season. Other games, such as matchups against Georgia or Vanderbilt, can have similar intensity, but the third Saturday in October just means more. After such disappointment in that game—and with the looming threat of missing the College Football Playoff becoming more real—the Vols will have more to play for than ever before.

Kentucky have yet to win a game in SEC play—with blowouts to Ole Miss, South Carolina and Georgia, and a three-point loss against 21st-ranked Texas Longhorns. Kentucky is led by freshman quarterback Cutter Boley, who took the spot of fifth-year senior Zach Calzada after Calzada suffered a shoulder injury

Boley has played about as well as you would expect for a freshman quarterback in the SEC—885 passing yards, four passing touchdowns and four thrown interceptions.

However, just because he yet to imploded does not mean Tennessee cannot make him. Boley should expect to see a heavy dose of blitzes in Neyland, and Kentucky can only hope he is ready. Tennessee senior defensive ends Joshua Josephs and Tyre West will receive the green light to pin their ears back and go after Boley. At the same time, the Tennessee offense looks to settle back into its scoring rhythm behind senior quarterback Joey Aguilar and his array of weapons.

Tennessee overwhelms the young quarterback in route to a dominant win.

Tennessee wins, 37–13

Kiffin and Trinidad blow off some steam in Norman

After a hard-fought loss to Georgia, Ole Miss faces another ranked opponent in 13th-ranked Oklahoma Sooners.

Oklahoma got off to a strong start with junior quarterback John Mateer. After an injury to his hand, however, Oklahoma began to show some cracks in the foundation.

Defensively, they are still likely among the best in the nation, but their offensive output has faltered. Mateer now has another week of recovery under his belt, and Oklahoma fans can only hope he returns to the level of play seen during the first few weeks of the season.

Ole Miss, however, is on an upward trajectory. Despite the loss to Georgia, they have continued to deliver consistent offensive performances, backed by a solid defense.

Chambliss continues to play well for Ole Miss, providing mistake-free quarterback play with the ability to take off and create plays with his legs. He performed well last week against a tough Georgia team, and his confidence has continued to grow.

If Ole Miss brings the same level of play from the Georgia game into this one, there is no reason to believe they cannot win.

Ole Miss wins, 31–17