Mississippi

Mississippi blows opportunity at making the College Football Playoff with Florida loss

Published

1 year ago

November 23, 2024

Mississippi blows opportunity at making the College Football Playoff with Florida loss

Anyone pushing for Mississippi to be in the College Football Playoff at this point is either on the payroll of the Southeastern Conference or wants to be at some point in the future.

That’s the truth, as plain and simple as it can be after the Rebels choked away the best opportunity in the history of their program Saturday, losing 24-17 at Florida.

No SEC championship game.

No playoff.

No nothin’, other than a New Year’s trip to Orlando or some such place that will force everyone in the program to pretend they’re honored and happy to be there.

And given the vaunted name, image and likeness payroll Lane Kiffin had to work with this year, it’s nothing less than a massive program-wide choke job. You want to play with the big boys after all these years? Fine, go ahead.

But you better take care of business. Instead, Ole Miss messed around and put together one of the most disappointing and confounding seasons they’ve ever had.

With all the hype, all the talent, all the momentum behind Kiffin after they dominated Georgia two weeks ago, are you really going to tell me the Rebels couldn’t do better than 5-for-18 on third and fourth down against a Florida team left for dead weeks ago?

We can break down all the mistakes Ole Miss made in this game from Kiffin’s hard-headedness in handing the ball to defensive tackle JJ Pegues in short yardage to a missed 34-yard field goal to a muffed punt return that handed Florida three points to quarterback Jaxson Dart refusing to tighten his chin strap. There are a lot of things Kiffin will regret.

But the bottom line is pretty straightforward. No team with losses to Florida, LSU and Kentucky should be within a mile of the playoff. And the worst part for Kiffin is that it was so avoidable.

Yeah, the SEC is tough. So what? We’re in a new era here with the 12-team playoff. In a league like the SEC, you can survive losses, especially if you also have good wins.

There has to be a limit, though. Three is just too many.

Florida’s playing well toward the end of the season, but a real playoff team goes into Gainesville and handles a Florida team that just got its sixth win.

LSU is a big brand name with lots of talent, but the Tigers are 6-4 and just not very good.

Kentucky almost certainly isn’t going to a bowl game.

Had any of those three games gone the other way, it would have almost certainly put Ole Miss in the 12-team field. The Georgia win was that valuable, and beating South Carolina 27-3 is one of the more underrated great performances of the season given how good the Gamecocks have been otherwise.

And at some point, there will be a three-loss team in the expanded playoff. Maybe even this year.

But it shouldn’t be Ole Miss. It can’t be Ole Miss, not when those losses all occurred to average or worse opponents.

You have to point the finger at Kiffin. Yes, he’s elevated the Rebels’ program significantly. But for years, his record in the really important games that define seasons has been questionable. After the Georgia win, that narrative was starting to turn. If Ole Miss had simply beaten Florida and Mississippi State, it would have all but locked up its spot. And Kiffin would have been arguably the most important figure in the modern history of Ole Miss football.

Maybe he will be one day. But it’s not going to be this year.

For Ole Miss to implode and miss the playoff with such a stacked roster, and when most of the hard work had been done, is a crushing disappointment.

It’s also a gift to the likes of Indiana and Tennessee. The manner in which the Hoosiers were beaten 38-15 by Ohio State certainly frames their resurgence a bit differently. They didn’t look the part at all and will end the season without any standout wins. But assuming they beat 1-10 Purdue next week, there’s little chance the committee can drop them below Ole Miss.

The Vols also stand to benefit from the developments in Gainesville. The first team out this week, according to the committee, they are in much better position heading into next Saturday’s game against Vanderbilt.

SEC homers will undoubtedly argue that both the Vols and Rebels should be in. Already this week, commissioner Greg Sankey was on social media sharing some strength of schedule data as he begins his public lobbying effort to stack the bracket with SEC teams.

And while the SEC is probably the best and deepest conference, you’d have to do a lot of mental gymnastics to conclude that the parity we’ve seen is evidence that it’s stacked with great teams. What’s closer to the truth is that the SEC has several pretty good, but deeply flawed teams, whose inconsistencies tend to show up on the road.

The SEC will spend the next couple weeks claiming that the league’s depth means all of them should be in the playoff. The committee shouldn’t — and won’t — fall for it. Sorry, Ole Miss. But you’re out.

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Mississippi

NCAA appeals to Mississippi Supreme Court, seeking to bar Trinidad Chambliss from playing in 2026

Published

4 hours ago

March 9, 2026

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NCAA appeals to Mississippi Supreme Court, seeking to bar Trinidad Chambliss from playing in 2026

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — The NCAA has filed an appeal in the eligibility case of Mississippi quarterback Trinidad Chambliss.

In the appeal, filed Thursday with the Mississippi Supreme Court, the NCAA argues that Chambliss has “exhausted his eligibility” to play Division I football because he has already played four seasons in a five-year period, the maximum allowed under NCAA rules.

A Mississippi judge last month granted Chambliss a preliminary injunction against college athletics’ governing body, giving him an extra year of eligibility that would allow him to play in 2026. The NCAA had previously denied Chambliss’ request for a waiver.

Chambliss began his college career at Ferris State in 2021, redshirted his first season and did not play in 2022 because of medical issues. He played two more seasons at the Division II school in Michigan, leading the Bulldogs to a national championship before transferring to Ole Miss before the start of last season.

The 23-year-old Chambliss led the Rebels to the College Football Playoff semifinals.

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Mississippi

Vicksburg soccer star Amari Johnson signs with East Mississippi CC

Published

16 hours ago

March 8, 2026

Press Room

Vicksburg soccer star Amari Johnson signs with East Mississippi CC

“I’m proud of myself for the work I’ve put in. A lot of people say they want to do stuff but they don’t work on it, so I’m proud that I stuck to stuff like practicing at home. Even when I didn’t want to go to practice I went,” Johnson said. “This year since I was a captain I had to show my leadership skills and step up, especially with our shortage of players. Not every year is the best but you’ve got to make the best of what you’ve got and I’m proud that I’ve been able to adapt to the changes.”

Johnson joined a growing pipeline of Warren County players who are headed to East Mississippi. She’s the fourth player from the county to sign there in the past two years. Johnson said another Vicksburg native is to credit for that.

Ryan Theriot, a former St. Aloysius star, is an assistant coach at East Mississippi. He’s mined his hometown for talent, including recruiting Johnson.

“The assistant coach, Ryan (Theriot), is from Vicksburg so he saw me. He emailed me asking if I was interested in playing soccer, so I said yes, if I get the opportunity I would be happy to,” Johnson said. “It’s very surreal, because honestly I did not think I would be playing soccer at this level. It’s hard to get looked at for soccer, especially in Vicksburg. Sometimes Vicksburg gets overlooked.”

During her high school career Johnson has played nearly every position on the field at one time or another, including keeper. She wasn’t sure where she’d play at East Mississippi, and doesn’t really care as long as she’s in the lineup.

“One time I had to play striker, and the next midfield. One time I had to go to defense. It was stressful. But then I’m kind of happy because when I get to college we’ll have other people to play all these positions. It was good for me to be versatile,” Johnson said. “If I have to change positions to play I definitely will, because I do want to start by the end of my freshman year.”

More than anything, she just wants to play and continue to leave her mark.

“I’m really excited to play at this next level so I can tell my kids I played soccer in college,” Johnson said. “I just want to thank my teammates from soccer, softball and volleyball, my coaches, and my mom and grandmom. I love all of y’all very much.”

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Mississippi Lottery Mississippi Match 5, Cash 3 results for March 7, 2026

Published

1 day ago

March 8, 2026

Press Room

Mississippi Lottery Mississippi Match 5, Cash 3 results for March 7, 2026

The Mississippi Lottery offers several draw games for those aiming to win big.

Here’s a look at March 7, 2026, results for each game:

Winning Mississippi Match 5 numbers from March 7 drawing

08-11-15-23-24

Check Mississippi Match 5 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Cash 3 numbers from March 7 drawing

Midday: 9-6-4, FB: 4

Evening: 4-5-1, FB: 0

Check Cash 3 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Cash 4 numbers from March 7 drawing

Midday: 4-3-0-7, FB: 4

Evening: 2-2-0-8, FB: 0

Check Cash 4 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Cash Pop numbers from March 7 drawing

Midday: 06

Evening: 09

Check Cash Pop payouts and previous drawings here.

Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results

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Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your lottery prize

Winnings of $599 or less can be claimed at any authorized Mississippi Lottery retailer.

Prizes between $600 and $99,999, may be claimed at the Mississippi Lottery Headquarters or by mail. Mississippi Lottery Winner Claim form, proper identification (ID) and the original ticket must be provided for all claims of $600 or more. If mailing, send required documentation to:

Mississippi Lottery Corporation

P.O. Box 321462

Flowood, MS

39232

If your prize is $100,000 or more, the claim must be made in person at the Mississippi Lottery headquarters. Please bring identification, such as a government-issued photo ID and a Social Security card to verify your identity. Winners of large prizes may also have the option of setting up electronic funds transfer (EFT) for direct deposits into a bank account.

Mississippi Lottery Headquarters

1080 River Oaks Drive, Bldg. B-100

Flowood, MS

39232

Mississippi Lottery prizes must be claimed within 180 days of the drawing date. For detailed instructions and necessary forms, please visit the Mississippi Lottery claim page.

When are the Mississippi Lottery drawings held?

Cash 3: Daily at 2:30 p.m. (Midday) and 9:30 p.m. (Evening).
Cash 4: Daily at 2:30 p.m. (Midday) and 9:30 p.m. (Evening).
Match 5: Daily at 9:30 p.m. CT.
Cash Pop: Daily at 2:30 p.m. (Midday) and 9:30 p.m. (Evening).

This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Mississippi editor. You can send feedback using this form.

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