As we close the book on this college football season with Alabama's 21-0 thumping of LSU I can only qualify this past fall as a disappointment if you're anything other than an Alabama fan. There's no need to go through the myriad of ways the season was disappointing for Rebel fans. The 2-10 disaster has been well-chronicled and shall not be spoken of here other than to say it was a long, sad autumn. We sought consolation in the hiring of a new head coach and in trying to enjoy competition between other teams. From that perspective, the 2011-2012 bowl season was fairly lacking. There wasn't much joy to be found during bowl season. I blame the anticipation of the rematch between LSU and Alabama for my lack of interest in most of the other games. I was entertained by the Baylor-Washington track meet and the Oklahoma State - Stanford Fiesta Bowl was certainly competitive. But for the most part it was hard to get wrapped up in games that were really meaningless to everyone but the schools, players and fans involved in their particular bowl. For television purposes and for the casual fan, there was no drama and and you could see it in the effort given on the field. Players just don't have much to play for in these bowls where nothing is on the line but a watch that says "Music City Bowl Champions." 

The bowl season is starting to become like the NFL Pro Bowl. It lacks purpose. When games lack purpose they also want for excitement. I know it hasn't always been this way. Maybe it's just the times we live in. We want Champions and Winners, not also-rans and average. That's what you get in 95-percent of the bowls games now - also-rans and average. The bowls this season weren't exciting and they weren't compelling. They were just excuses to veg in front of the TV and that's really about it.

That's why, after years of resisting, Jake's Ole Miss Blog is now changing parties. After years of careful consideration and even stubborn demand for the status quo (Don't take away Ole Miss's chance to go to the Liberty Bowl you elitest ESPN Gameday Playoff proponents!), I have decided to officially endorse an FBS playoff system. It's time and there's really no longer any reason to resist it. 

Look how exciting the NFL Playoffs are. I watched some amazing football last weekend and it was caused by men playing for their football lives. Lose and you go home. Nobody wants to go home. That mentality created drama. It created mystery. There was reason to watch the Texans play the Bengals (not a game I'd usually watch). And if Tebow's overtime win over the Pittsburg Steelers wasn't one of the best moments in football at any level this year I don't know what was.

The bowls are boring now. It's time for more.

It's time for a playoff system in college football. I probably would have stayed awake until the end of that Oklahoma State - Stanford game had I known the winner would meet Alabama for a shot at the title. Without that, the Fiesta Bowl meant incredibly little to me, and that's a shame because it was a good game between two good teams.

If the NCAA wants to make December better, if ESPN wants higher ratings, if the people want exciting football after the regular season is over, it's time for a playoff.

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This morning I'm thankful that I have interests beyond Ole Miss athletics.

Parrish Alford reported a statement released from Oxford Police Chief Michael Martin:

“Nelson was arrested after officers responded to Lafayette Place Apartments in reference to the smell of marijuana coming from an apartment,” Martin said. 

Nelson was then found to be in possession of cigarillos - cigars hollowed out for the purpose of smoking weed.

The Ole Miss Spirit's Ben Garrett reported last night that Dundrecous Nelson was arrested for possession of drug paraphernalia in his apartment on Tuesday night after the 50-48 squeaker over SMU. 

Ole Miss finally met its match in the SMU Mustangs when it comes to woeful shooting, but the Rebels did manage to pull out the 50-48 win, mostly behind a solid performance from the free throw line. Though the Rebels continued to struggle from the field, shooting just 34-percent on the night, they did sink 14-of-17 from the charity stripe. The solid performance from the foul line was definitely a difference in this squeaker between two teams who absolutely could not find the basket. SMU had a 10-minute stretch without a field goal in the first half, but the Rebels were only able to capitalize for a 28-21 halftime lead. SMU was slightly more opportunistic in the 2nd half, taking advantage of Ole Miss' failure to score (the Rebels scored just 22 points in the 2nd half) and nearly getting the win before Terrance Henry sealed it for Ole Miss with two critical free throws in the final minute. Henry led the Rebels with 13 points. He was 2 of 3 from 3-pt range, and 3-for-3 from the free throw line. Reginald Buckner, Jarvis Summers and Maurice Aniefiok each score 8 points for Ole Miss.

Fifty points rarely wins bigtime college basketball games. Ugly though it was, Ole Miss did finally put an end to a three-game losing streak that started in mid-December with a loss to Southern Mississippi. After a loss to Middle Tennessee State and a nine-day Christmas break Ole Miss traveled to Dayton and lost. The Rebels were also playing without injured Murphy Holloway, arguably the teams most valuable player. Holloway's 9 points and 9 rebounds per game were definitely missed in this narrow escape of SMU.

While it's easy to say a win is a win, there was nothing comforting about the team's home performance against the below-average SMU Mustangs in an empty Tad Smith Coliseum. Maybe the win is enough to at least get some badly needed confidence back, but the fact remains these Rebels really have a difficult time shooting the basketball. SEC play at LSU starts Saturday. Holloway should be back, but the Tigers are playing decent ball for Trent Johnson this year. All three of those recent losses for the Rebels were away from Tad Smith Coliseum. A win in Baton Rouge will be hard to come by.  

The win did move Ole Miss to 10-4 on the season. In his five previous seasons coaching the Rebels, Kennedy has never won more than nine SEC games. This does not appear to be his best team. A .500 record in the SEC would surpass my expectations at this point. Translation: Get ready for another NCAA-less year. Eight wins would make Ole Miss 18-12. Those aren't NCAA qualifying numbers and even then .500 in the SEC looks more aspirational than realistic at this point. 

NOTES: Jelan Kendrick didn't play per a "coaching decision." My guess is Kendrick is still having trouble earning the right to play. Whether it's behavior or practice related I don't know, but Kendrick is looking less and less like a player that will be utilized this year, which would be a huge disappointment given his McDonald's All-American pedigree. Then again, Kennedy knew what he was getting into when he convinced Kendrick to transfer to Ole Miss after parting ways with Memphis.

SHOOTING: Ole Miss still lacks for having a go-to shooter. Henry stepped up with 13 points, but Ole Miss needs Summers, Nelson, White or maybe even Aniefiok to become reliable threats from the floor. Summers was 1-for-6 from the field. Nelson was 1-for-8. White was 0-for-4. Aniefiok was 3-for-7 and 2-for-6 from 3-pt range, which sounds refreshing compared to Nelson and Summers, but those numbers are still far from spectacular. Andy Kennedy must find and develop some guards if the Rebels are going to have any chance at a good run through SEC play.  

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As somewhat expected, Ole Miss traveled to Dayton, without injured Murphy Holloway, and lost, 62-50. The Rebels shot just 38-percent from the field, were 1-for-10 from 3-pt range, and 11-for-21 from the free throw line. In short, Ole Miss just didn't play well because, it may be time to face it, they just aren't that good. Ole Miss is now 9-4 and riding a three-game losing streak. If Andy Kennedy can't find some guards who can stroke it then this team is doomed to a sub .500 record in the SEC and may not even make that NIT, not that I aspire for the NIT. I'm just saying even the NIT is starting to look difficult to attain for this basketball team. 

Murphy Holloway wasn't there, but I'm not sure it would have mattered. He would have given the Rebels a couple more points and a few more rebounds, but again, until Kennedy can find some guards who can give quality minutes AND POINTS the outlook for this season looks rather bleak. I suppose it's fitting that the last Ole Miss appearance in the year 2011 should end this way. It's just been that kind of year.

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If you're an Ole Miss recruiting junkie, then get thee to DirectSnap.com's Ole Miss Recruiting Page.

For the most part 2011 was not what anyone would call kind to Ole Miss athletics.