Ole Miss' Embarrassing Peach Bowl Loss Shows Rebels Are Far from Being Elite

ATLANTA — Ole Miss entered the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl matchup with TCU with the No. 9 ranking from the College Football Playoff selection committee.

That is reflective of its rank in all of college football, not the SEC. 

During Wednesday's 42-3 loss to TCU in the Georgia Dome, that ranking looked more like that of a lower-tier SEC team.

The Rebels' "Landshark" defense—the top scoring defense in the country coming into the game—was sliced and diced by TCU quarterback Trevone Boykin, who completed 22 of 31 passes for 188 yards, three touchdowns and gained 65 yards on the ground.

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More problematic for Ole Miss was that all of its offensive problems from the season reappeared at the same time, creating a perfect storm of Horned Frogs domination.

Running between the tackles? That didn't happen. The Rebels gained just nine yards on the ground.

Blocking? That was an issue as well, as quarterback Bo Wallace was sacked five times, four of which came before star offensive tackle Laremy Tunsil left the game with a fractured fibula. ESPN.com's Alex Scarborough reported the news.

"They certainly had a good plan, and we have to go back and make ourselves better in a lot of ways, head coach Hugh Freeze said. "They had a good scheme for us. It felt like they knew when we were passing and when we weren't, and, boy, they won a bunch of one-on-ones."

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Consistency from the quarterback? That was absent, too. Wallace looked confused in the face of the treacherous Horned Frog pass rush, throwing three interceptions and an embarrassing pick-six while trying to avoid a safety late in the first half.

"It's pretty obvious that I didn't want to go out this way," Wallace said. "We had a chance to help our team next season in the preseason ratings, and that was important to me. This program has given me a lot, and I felt like winning this game could be me giving them something—with a Top 5 rating in the preseason next year."

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What's more concerning is that this really wasn't an anomaly. It's Ole Miss' identity.

The Rebels haven't been able to run between the tackles for the better part of Freeze's three-year tenure as head coach, have to pass to set up the run, still are without a consistent offensive line and now have to replace Wallace.

Sure, it's easy to say that Wallace's absence will be a blessing. But he was the best option this year. If he wasn't, DeVante Kincade or Ryan Buchanan would have taken more snaps.

Is junior college standout Chad Kelly going to come into Oxford and set the world on fire? Maybe, as long as he stays out of trouble.

Will Freeze jump feet-first in the quarterback free-agent market, which could include Ohio State quarterback Braxton Miller? Buckeyes coach Urban Meyer told reporters that he expected Miller back next season, but with J.T. Barrett and Cardale Jones also there, that could change once Ohio State's playoff run ends.

"You're going to consider anyone you feel like helps your football team move another step forward," Freeze said.

"I'm anxious to see both of those guys [Kincade and Buchanan] go to work, and whoever else we decided to bring in during the spring...we've got a lot of kids returning too."

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Ole Miss is far from elite.

Its problems on offense have been apparent all year, became exaggerated when wide receivers Laquon Treadwell and Vince Sanders were lost due to injury and culminated with a putrid performance under the big top at the Georgia Dome.

If Freeze catches lightning in a bottle with a new quarterback, that's great. Fixing the offensive line and running game are far more pressing issues.

Until they are fixed, Ole Miss will struggle to break through the glass ceiling and get to Atlanta for the biggest game of each season—the SEC Championship Game.

Barrett Sallee is the lead SEC college football writer and video analyst for Bleacher Report, as well as a co-host of the CFB Hangover on Bleacher Report Radio (Sundays, 9-11 a.m. ET) on Sirius 93, XM 208.

Quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. All stats are courtesy of cfbstats.com, and all recruiting information is courtesy of 247Sports. Follow Barrett on Twitter @BarrettSallee.