One month ago, Ole Miss appeared to have arrived as a College Football Playoff contender. Following a 43-37 win at Alabama, the Rebels’ second consecutive win over the Crimson Tide, Hugh Freeze’s group rose to No. 3 nationally and looked to be on a perfect course to build on 2014’s nine-win season and Peach Bowl appearance.
Four weeks later, however, that big win looks far more like an anomaly than a trend. An ugly 38-10 loss at Florida exposed the Rebels on both sides of the ball, and Saturday’s 37-24 loss at Memphis only further underscored the point: Freeze’s team simply isn’t ready to compete for a College Football Playoff berth, much less the SEC West title.