Ole Miss loses chance at playoff and SEC West with loss to Arkansas

Entering Saturday's game at Arkansas, Ole Miss' SEC West-winning scenario wasn't farfetched. If the Rebels beat Arkansas and Mississippi State while Alabama lost to Auburn, Ole Miss would be the SEC West winner.

Plus, the Rebels' standing in the College Football Playoff rankings would be boosted as well. If the Rebels won the SEC Championship Game, a playoff spot would be likely.

Instead, those possibilities are gone. And my, how they disappeared as Ole Miss played its worst game of the season against the Razorbacks in Fayetteville in a 30-0 loss.

The Rebels were never in the game. After a three-and-out on Ole Miss' first possession, Arkansas efficiently drove down the field for a touchdown. Then Bo Wallace fumbled on the next possession. Arkansas kicked a field goal. The Rebels were down 10-0 less than halfway through the first quarter and things spiraled out of control from there.

Wallace's fumble on the second drive was his first of four turnovers. On his second, he was tackled awkwardly and his ankle twisted under the pile. As he was torqued, he dropped the football and Arkansas recovered.

After departing for a short time, Wallace returned to attempt to play through the pain but was ineffective. And the two second-half interceptions he threw were brutal. Both were towards the left pylon at the goal line and involved no awareness of a deep safety waiting and baiting Wallace to make the throw. Quite frankly, they resembled the interception he threw late in the game against LSU to seal Ole Miss' first loss of the season.

On the first interception, which happened on Ole Miss' first drive of the second half, Wallace had his receiver wide open but threw the ball too late. The second was a pick six, as Wallace simply floated a ball that was an easy interception for Rohan Gaines, who returned the ball 100 yards for a touchdown.

As the loss was Ole Miss' third in four games, the win was Arkansas' second-straight in the SEC after a win over LSU last week. Plus, the Razorbacks are now bowl eligible no matter what happens against Missouri on Friday. It's the first time in SEC history that all teams from a division are bowl eligible. Arkansas was the final SEC West team to secure eligibility.

And it happened without the services of QB Brandon Allen in the second half. After receiving a knee to the back on a hit in the first half, Allen didn't return and was replaced by brother Austin Allen for the remainder of the game.

For more Arkansas news, visit HawgSports.com.

For more Ole Miss news, visit RebelGrove.com.

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Nick Bromberg is the assistant editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!

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