Ole Miss Falls Outside Top 10 In AP Poll Following Florida Loss

The Ole Miss Rebels need a miracle to make the College Football Playoff following Week 13's loss against Florida.

Mississippi Rebels wide receiver Tre Harris (9) hauls in a touchdown pass during the first half at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville, FL on Saturday, November 23, 2024. [Doug Engle/Gainesville Sun] | Doug Engle/Gainesville Sun / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Ole Miss might be built to win the College Football Playoff, but one must get there first.

Barring complete implosion, that seems like a longshot.

The Rebels dropped six spots in the AP Poll to No. 15 following their 24-17 loss against Florida Saturday. At 8-3, Ole Miss closes out the season on Friday in the Egg Bowl at home against Mississippi State.

POLL ALERT: Oregon, Ohio State remain atop AP Top 25, Alabama, Ole Miss out of top 10, Notre Dame up to No. 5, SMU cracks top 10.

Full poll: https://t.co/7dTTUiSC1j pic.twitter.com/R8RHvmBeWy

— AP Top 25 (@AP_Top25) November 24, 2024

Yes, the Rebels aren't technically eliminated from the College Football Playoff race entering rivalry weekend. Should chaos occur, a No. 11 or No. 12 seed might in reach.

That's out of their control. It didn't have to be after a struggling fourth quarter in The Swamp. As shown in the fourth quarter of ABC's broadcast, the chances of hearing their name called in a 12-team CFP bracket on Dec. 8 dropped to 4 percent, according to ESPN's Allstate Playoff Predictor.

Florida Gators head coach Billy Napier and Mississippi Rebels head coach Lane Kiffin meet on the 50 yard line after the game at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville, FL on Saturday, November 23, 2024. The Gators defeated the Rebels 24-17 [Doug Engle/Gainesville Sun] | Doug Engle/Gainesville Sun / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Had the Rebels beaten Florida, those chances would have been 84 percent entering Vaught-Hemingway Stadium Friday night for the final game of the regular season.

The Gators (6-5) used a late touchdown run from Montrell Johnson to break a 17-17 tie and trusted the defense to create a turnover. Jaxson Dart tossed two fourth-quarter interceptions, including one of the final play at midfield.

"Gave (Florida) a lot of missed opportunities," Rebels coach Lane Kiffin said. "Go 0-for-3 in the red zone. Get no points out of a missed field goal. Get stopped twice on fourth downs. Lose the turnover margin in a tough place to play."

Three losses could be a death sentence for any SEC team, but two of Ole Miss' loss came against unranked opponents. The Rebels have also lost by a combined 13 points, including one in overtime.

Kickoff next week is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. on ABC.