If anyone is still advocating for Mississippi’s inclusion in the College Football Playoff, they are either affiliated with the Southeastern Conference or hope to be someday.

This is the reality facing the Rebels, who squandered a historic opportunity by losing 24-17 to Florida on Saturday.

No SEC championship game.

No playoff berth.

Nothing, apart from a likely mediocre bowl game trip to Orlando where the program will have to pretend to be grateful.

Considering the significant name, image, and likeness resources that Lane Kiffin had this season, this is nothing less than a colossal failure for the entire program. If you wish to compete with the elite teams, you must perform.

Instead, Ole Miss ended up having one of the most frustrating and baffling seasons in its history.

After the excitement and momentum from their impressive victory over Georgia two weeks prior, how can one justify the Rebels’ 5-for-18 performance on third and fourth downs against a struggling Florida team?

The team’s mistakes in this match are numerous. Kiffin’s questionable decision to hand off to defensive tackle JJ Pegues in short yardage, the failure to convert a 34-yard field goal, and a botched punt return that presented Florida with three easy points, are just a few examples. Quarterback Jaxson Dart’s lack of focus adds to the woes. Kiffin certainly has plenty to reflect on.

Ultimately, the facts are clear. A team with losses to Florida, LSU, and Kentucky does not deserve playoff consideration. The most frustrating part for Kiffin is that these losses were completely avoidable.

Yes, the SEC is a competitive league. But we are now in an era of a 12-team playoff. Teams within the SEC can recover from losses, especially if they also secure significant victories.

However, there is a limit, and three losses is too many.

Florida may be finishing strong this season, but a real playoff-caliber team should be able to handle a Florida squad that just achieved its sixth win.

LSU, despite its reputation and talent, currently sits at a mediocre 6-4.

Kentucky likely won’t be heading to a bowl game either.

If any of those three games had resulted in a different outcome, Ole Miss would almost certainly be on track for the 12-team playoff. The victory over Georgia was incredibly valuable, and their thorough win against South Carolina was one of the more underrated strong performances this season, considering South Carolina’s viability.

Eventually, a three-loss team will make it into the expanded playoff. Perhaps this year, but it shouldn’t be Ole Miss. Their losses came against average or worse teams.

Kiffin must bear some responsibility for this outcome. He has undeniably raised the Rebels’ program profile, but his track record in key games that can define a season has often been lacking. Following the win against Georgia, that narrative was beginning to shift. If Ole Miss had simply secured victories over Florida and Mississippi State, their playoff position would have been nearly guaranteed, and Kiffin would have etched himself in Ole Miss football history.

Perhaps one day he will achieve that status. But it won’t be this year.

For Ole Miss to falter and miss the playoffs with such a talented roster, especially when much of the hard work had already been done, is a deep disappointment.

This also opens the door for teams like Indiana and Tennessee. Indiana’s recent loss to Ohio State strengthens their position differently; they didn’t appear to contend and will finish the season without significant victories. However, if they defeat 1-10 Purdue next week, they will likely be ranked higher than Ole Miss.

Tennessee could also gain from the events in Gainesville; they are currently first out according to the committee and are in a stronger position heading into their game against Vanderbilt next Saturday.

Die-hard SEC fans will argue that both Tennessee and Ole Miss are deserving of playoff spots. This week, league commissioner Greg Sankey was already arguing on social media by sharing strength of schedule stats as he starts his campaign to increase SEC representation in the playoff bracket.

While the SEC is likely the strongest and most competitive conference, it takes a lot of reasoning to conclude that the parity seen indicates a field full of great teams. The reality is that the SEC has several competent, but imperfect teams, whose weaknesses become apparent, especially on the road.

In the coming weeks, the SEC will advocate for more teams from the league to be included in the playoff. However, the selection committee should not— and likely will not—be swayed. Sorry, Ole Miss, but your playoff hopes have vanished.