Reality Check: Are Ole Miss' Playoff hopes destroyed after loss to Kentucky?

It was the day of college football’s most packed slate when Ole Miss unexpectedly fell at home. Wait what? Yes, you heard that right. 

Maybe you were watching Oklahoma State get crushed by Kansas State, or perhaps even Michigan barely defeated Minnesota. Regardless, the events that transpired in Oxford were the most impactful of the day. 

The sixth-ranked Ole Miss Rebels were defeated at home by the unranked Kentucky Wildcats. The game was ultimately decided in the final minute when Ole Miss kicker Caden Davis missed a 48-yard attempt that would have tied the game. 

Ole Miss played from behind at the start of the second half as Kentucky led 10-7. The Rebel’s offense came along in the third quarter as Henry Parrish established the run game and Jaxson Dart opened up the pass attack with Tre Harris. 

After a fumble from Tre Harris, Ole Miss would force a 3-and-out and Dart would soon find Harris in the end zone to go up 17-13. Just as Ole Miss’ defense appeared to have every crucial response to Kentucky’s offense, Mark Stoops and Brock Vandagriff had one last drive in them. 

Kentucky marched the length of the field to cash in a touchdown from Josh Kattus with only 2 minutes and 23 seconds remaining. The rest was history. 

Of course for everyone but Rebel fans this loss is a thriller. Anytime you see a top-10 opponent go down to an unranked opponent it should bring a smile to your face. It’s the beauty of college football. Unfortunately for Ole Miss, this loss may haunt them. 

In the grand scheme of things, Kentucky is a solid team. The Wildcats nearly took down Georgia last week as the Bulldogs escaped Lexington with a 13-12 win. Although this is the same Kentucky team that lost 31-6 to South Carolina.

Nevertheless, the culture Mark Stoops has built is paying off. There was no fright having to play Georgia last week, and that energy was accelerated today against Ole Miss. 

Frankly, these are trap games. Everyone knows how loaded the SEC is. No one is truly talking about the ‘middle of the pack teams’ like Kentucky. This is where Kentucky has nothing to lose. The Wildcats opened up 15.5-point underdogs. Why not go in there with some confidence and let your players play? 

Lane Kiffin certainly implemented some unique strategies to stop Kentucky, including Matt Jone’s apparent fake injury. The theme of the day was uncertainty. Kentucky had Ole Miss on their heels the whole day, leading to an unforeseen loss. 

So what’s next? Ole Miss needs to play the game. It’s Week 5, and there are still a lot of big games to be played. Look no further than tonight when Alabama will face Georgia. There is still a lot of shacking up within and outside of the top 10. 

By taking a glance at Ole Miss’ schedule there are certainly a vast amount of major games to be played. This includes No. 14 LSU, No. 21 Oklahoma, and No. 2 Georgia. This gauntlet is no easy task regardless of what happens between now and the start of these games. Any SEC opponent is to be taken seriously as seen today. However, that notion has been amplified. 

It’s hard to discuss whether or not a 3-loss team will make the Playoffs. In my mind, I only see a bunch of two-loss teams alongside conference champions. The way things stand right now, Ole Miss still has a chance to do both. The Rebels could realistically win out (or lose one more) and/or win the SEC. 

It’s a rocky road for sure, but I wouldn’t count out Lane Kiffin and his Heisman-potential Jaxson Dart.

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