Can Ole Miss make the SEC championship after Florida loss? Rebels' chances to make postseason explored

Two weeks ago, the No. 16 Ole Miss Rebels were the toast of the Southeastern Conference after a dominant 28-10 win over coach Kirby Smart's No. 6 Georgia Bulldogs in Oxford. The Rebels were brought back to earth with a 24-17 loss to coach Billy Napier's unranked Florida Gators in Week 13.

The Rebels came into the season as one of the teams expected to contend for the College Football Playoff spots, but with three losses, their chances of making the SEC championship game were extinguished.

The Bulldogs clinched a place in the championship game courtesy of the No. 19 Texas A&M Aggies' 43-41 overtime loss to the unranked Auburn Tigers. The No. 13 Alabama Crimson Tide, who were tied with Ole Miss as two-loss teams, lost 24-3 to the unranked Oklahoma Sooners to knock them out of contention.

The winner of the Week 14 clash between the Aggies and the No. 3 Texas Longhorns will play in the SEC championship game.

Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin rues missed opportunities

The Ole Miss Rebels were less than polished against the Florida Gators. They went 0-for-3 in trips to the red zone, 3-for-14 on third downs and tallied three turnovers and five dropped passes; their highest number in both categories in any game this season.

During his postgame news conference, Rebels coach Lane Kiffin rued his team's performance.

"Obviously, a lot was at stake, and we didn't come through," Kiffin said. “A game of a lot of missed opportunities. Go 0-for-3 in the red zone, get no points out of a missed field goal, get stopped twice on fourth downs and lose the turnover margin in a tough place to play against a team that has played really good when that quarterback plays. Very unusual."

Ole Miss talisman Jaxson Dart recorded 323 passing yards resulting in two touchdowns, but he was also responsible for two interceptions in the fourth quarter with the game on the line. During his postgame news conference, Dart said:

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry to my teammates. I'm sorry to my coaches. Sorry for the fans. Can't lose these games. This one's going to hurt for a really long time. That's all I can really say. I'm sorry."

Ole Miss Rebels fans still have their clash against the Mississippi State Bulldogs to look forward to as their team settles for an Egg Bowl matchup to close out the regular season.