Ole Miss will have to rely on hypotheticals and chaos to get into the playoffs after the LSU loss

As the college football world recovered from the high spirits of the Oregon-Ohio State game, another chaotic finish was brewing Saturday night in Baton Rouge between Ole Miss and LSU.

There were times last night when it looked like Ole Miss and Lane Kiffin were running away from the Tigers in Death Valley. Unfortunately for the Rebels, they never managed to land the knockout blow, leading the entire game until the final play of overtime.

In a game that meant so much to both teams, this could be a major disaster for the Rebels' hopes of making the College Football Playoff. As we discussed after last month's loss to Kentucky, Ole Miss needed to win its last two games. They took care of South Carolina but failed against LSU, putting them in a situation where all they could ask for was help.

After gaining 139 yards in the first quarter and entering the red zone twice, there were zero points, which came back to haunt the Rebels early in the fourth quarter.

“No disrespect, it's an electric atmosphere but we don't attack, we don't block or we don't miss any kicks. We should have won the game,” Lane Kiffin said after the loss.

BATON ROUGE, LOUISIANA – OCTOBER 12: Fans storm the field after a 29-23 LSU Tigers victory over the Ole Miss Rebels at Tiger Stadium on October 12, 2024 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. (Photo by Derick E. Hingle/Getty Images)

As the Tigers continued to hang around, it was almost as if they were waiting for the dam to break on the Ole Miss defense. It's not like Garrett Nussmeir was a world-beater in the first half or even three quarters, but he kept his team in the game, certainly with the help of the Tigers defense.

Even though Nussmeir threw two interceptions, Brian Kelly's team couldn't be stopped from pulling off an upset, they just needed a little drama in the final stages to finally decide the game. After converting on a fourth down, it was up to QB-1 for what could have been the final play for the Tigers and their chances of keeping alive hopes of postseason glory.

With a seven-point lead, Ole Miss only had to stop LSU's offense once on fourth down. But the chances of getting out of Death Valley with the win faded when Nussmeir hit Aaron Anderson for the 23-yard touchdown that sent this already chaotic game into overtime.

BATON ROUGE, LOUISIANA – OCTOBER 12: Garrett Nussmeier #13 of the LSU Tigers celebrates during the first half of a game against the Ole Miss Rebels at Tiger Stadium on October 12, 2024 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. (Photo by Derick E. Hingle/Getty Images)

It was as if all life had been drained from the Ole Miss sideline as the deafening crowd at Tiger Stadium descended into utter chaos. After all this game had to offer, as Ole Miss never trailed until the play that ended the game, it was the Rebels who met their fate.

The season was definitely on the line, and I don't think that's being overdramatic because the Rebels suffered another blow when Kentucky was beaten by Vanderbilt later that night. But after settling for a field goal in overtime, LSU needed just one play to send the Rebels back to Oxford for their second loss of the season on the second weekend of October.

Garrett Nussmeir got going again and hit Kyren Lacy for a 25-yard touchdown on the first play of overtime. That was it, the game was over and for the first time all night Ole Miss was behind.

Where do Ole Miss and Lane Kiffin go from here?

The bye week for Ole Miss is not going to go well for the people of Oxford over the next two weeks or next month. After halftime, the Rebels host Oklahoma, travel to Arkansas and then return home for a game against Georgia.

Obviously these are games the Rebels can win, but as they proved Saturday night, they can also lose, and I'm not even talking about the Georgia game. All Ole Miss can do right now is win and hope for some help, but if we're being honest, that seems pretty far-fetched right now.

Ole Miss is now in the worst possible situation after losing to LSU on Saturday night. (Photo by Jacob Kupferman/Getty Images)

We can play the “what if” game for the rest of the season, but until they actually win those games and put themselves in a position to discuss a possible playoff spot, it’s all just a waste of time.

Oh, and don't forget that there will be some people who will try to further link Lane Kiffin with interest in the Florida job if it opens up.

But right now, on this Sunday morning, Ole Miss is dealing with the fallout from another win they missed.

From this point on, the Rebels will play a game of hypothetical situations while trying to avoid another defeat on their record.

As the second weekend of October comes to a close, Ole Miss finds itself in a spot they have been trying to avoid since the start of the 2024 season. You don't rely on others, and that's not the best position.