On Saturday six SEC teams were in college playoff contention. By the end of the day, three of those teams had suffered damaging losses putting their chances in peril. Texas A&M, Alabama, and Ole Miss all wilted under the pressure and opened the door for three ACC teams. Still, there are chances for these programs to sneak into the playoffs, however, one team’s hopes may already be up in the smoke.

The resurgent Gators were always posing a threat to spoil their SEC comrades’ party. Freshman quarterback DJ Lagway’s inclusion in tandem with a more assured Billy Napier did a number on Ole Miss. The close proximity of the SEC teams was a theme in the lead-up to the weekend, all hypothetical scenarios turned futile. College Football legend David Pollack all but confirmed the notion that this result buries the Rebels’ hopes for the CFP.

During a live stream on his own YouTube channel, Pollack said, “I think that’s probably it for their playoff chances. But I tell you what, [with] everybody continuing to lose and things going nuts, I guess we really don’t know. But the problem with Ole Miss is their losses now and who they lost to is going to continue to stack up [against] them. Because you lose to an unranked Florida, an unranked Kentucky [and] an unranked LSU. So they got three unranked losses. I think that pretty much, you know, ends the season probably for Ole Miss.”

The Rebels season spiraling out towards the climax has been a feature of the Lane Kiffin era. Once again, history repeated itself as Ole Miss (8-3) lost 17-24 in a virtual must-win tie to the Florida Gators (6-5). A win would have most likely sealed their spot, but the Rebels fell on their faces in the Swamp.

The win for the Gators was largely unexpected given that they hadn’t beaten a top-10 team since 2020. But backed by a ferocious crowd on Senior Day and led by freshman quarterback DJ Lagway, who threw for 180 yards and tossed two touchdowns, Billy Napier’s side stunned Ole Miss.

The game itself was an intriguing watch for those of a neutral persuasion. After a shutout first quarter, both teams found an extra gear. It was Ole Miss that was moving the football with more effect for the most part. However, the money downs were a huge issue. The rebels were 3 for 14 on third down. Drives couldn’t be sustained and things unraveled at the death when Jaxson Dart threw 2 picks down the stretch.

He is still in the running for creating history at Ole Miss. Dart and his school’s failure would largely be charged to just that- their history. Coming up short in the clutch moments is developing into something of a modern tradition in Mississippi.

David Pollack touched upon the facets of the game where the Gators outdid the Rebels. “[Florida] ran the rock on Ole Miss, which nobody’s done. They protected their quarterback on Ole Miss, which nobody’s done. That D-line has ate everyone’s life alive. Like they’ve dominated every football game and Florida more than held their own.” Florida have played arguably the single-toughest schedule in the country and the record was perhaps an unfair reflection of their performances. But with this win, they are officially bowl-eligible.

Lane Kiffin and Co. entered the weekend placed no.9 by the CFP committee. With two relatively winnable games left on their schedule, a 10-2 record beckoned. In fact, Kiffin even made comments earlier this week about how it was becoming apparent that SEC teams would rather miss the championship game than make it and lose. How much would he wish to take those words back and what Ole Miss fans wouldn’t give up to go to Atlanta now?

Ole Miss had warning signs with surprise defeats to Kentucky and a road overtime defeat to LSU but bounced back with a win over Georgia. But it seems the defeat to Gators, might be the straw that breaks the back of their playoff dreams.

So what now? Week 13 has thrown a spanner in the works. The ‘SEC homerism and bias ruins football coverage’ brigade prevailed. Pollack and the general consensus still feel a 9-3 SEC team may still sneak in. But do Ole Miss still have a chance or are their postseason hopes done and dusted?

It seems like there would be a bloodbath in the southeast for playoff berths and while there is a faint chance for them to reach the postseason, head coach Lane Kiffin appears to have accepted reality.

Can Ole Miss still make the postseason?

To have any faint chances of reaching the playoffs, the Rebels will have to beat Mississippi State and then watch how things unfold. They would need more chaos than Week 13 for them to stand a chance. The AP Poll suggests the College Football Playoff committee could rank the Rebels at No. 15 meaning they would need a jump of three places to qualify for the playoffs. How can that happen?

Well, they will need a number of results to go their way, starting with Clemson, Arizona State, and Auburn to win their respective games against South Carolina, Arizona, and Alabama. Then they would also need Clemson to beat SMU in the ACC championship game and hope Arizona State beats whoever they face in the Big 12 championship game.

However, Kiffin seems resigned to his team’s fate this season. “This is the new-age setup. You know, when, kind of, there’s the playoff line. You kind of know where that is a little bit. Third loss doesn’t get you there. So, it’s just a different world.”

Week 13 wasn’t only bad for Ole Miss, Texas A&M, and Alabama also suffered defeats on the road, which means it is not all doom and gloom. Speaking after the loss Ole Miss wide receiver Cayden Lee said, “It’s definitely frustrating to have the loss that we did and play the way that we played. I feel like we made a lot of mistakes, especially on offense. Didn’t play up to our standard on defense as well, but the rest of the teams in the conference losing, that keeps some hope alive.”

With Jaxson Dart’s impending exit, the team stares into an uncertain future under center once their season officially ends. Lane Kiffin will hope to build some momentum over the remainder of this season and hope it permeates into a more successful 2025.