B&S Egg Bowl preview
The Egg Bowl has intrigue this year with a big question facing one sideline.
By: The Waco Kid, The Hammer, Bossman Slim
Is this Lane Kiffin’s last Egg Bowl on the Ole Miss sideline? (Photo via AP)
Will he or won’t he? That’s the big question that hangs over this Egg Bowl: is Lane Kiffin taking the Lane Train to Auburn after this game? Despite his insistence to players that he is not leaving, he seems to keep leaving an out for himself to take the job. And if he’s staying at Ole Miss, why hasn’t he signed the new contract…?
With this cloud hanging over the Ole Miss team, the wonder is if they’ll lay another EGG like they did last week against Arkansas. Will this team be focused with the outside noise surrounding their head coach? We’ll see in short order.
We’ll have the previews for the rest of the games up soon. We hope you enjoyed your Thanksgiving with loved ones…now let’s get to the Egg Bowl previews from the crew.
#14 Ole Miss vs Mississippi State - 7:00 ET on ESPN (Miss -2.5)*
Bossman Slim: (Obama voice) Let me be clear, I like what Mike Leach can do on offense…with this team. But I don’t think Mississippi State has…that Bulldog in them this year. They don’t have a chance in this game.
Just kidding. I won’t make the same mistake I did last week. Mississippi State, while it hasn’t been the year they envisioned in the offseason, has a very real chance to win this game. That’s because the cloud continues to hang over the Ole Miss program with Lane Kiffin - will he or won’t he depart for Auburn after the Egg Bowl? He reportedly told Ole Miss players that he had not taken another job…yet. Can the Rebels get their heads straight to take on their rival and get a victory under less-than-ideal circumstances? I think they can for a few reasons. Last week, turnovers killed them in their loss to Arkansas, and their defense was gashed. I know Mississippi State can be explosive, but they haven’t been what we expected them to be much of the year. Ole Miss torched Arkansas for over 700 yards of total offense last week, but couldn’t get a stop on defense and costly turnovers crushed them, otherwise, it’s a completely different game. I don’t think lightning strikes twice, and I think this rushing attack is too much for Mississippi State in the end. Rebels cover.
#14 Ole Miss 42
Mississippi State 31
The Hammer: The Egg Bowl is one of the best rivalry games in all of college football. Truly one of those games where you “throw out the records” because anything can happen. This cliche saying is more true than ever this season because no one knows what is happening with Lane Kiffin. He’s rumored to be taking the Auburn job, reportedly as soon as Friday after this game. Kiffin has denied these reports in a half-assed manner, and frankly, no one knows the truth. Given this circus, how locked in with the Rebels be? They certainly didn't look locked in last weekend in Fayetteville when they got run over by the Razorbacks. On the Mississippi State side, they have sputtered a bit in the second half of the year, but are very capable of beating Ole Miss if the Rebs are not ready to play. The Bulldogs are also really inconsistent by nature, so it’s possible they come out sloppy and get run over. I’ve got no clue what the future holds for Lane Kiffin and Ole Miss, but I’m backing the Rebs this weekend. I still trust that rushing attack to get yards, and I cannot imagine another defensive performance like we saw last week. I’ll take the Rebels to get a very close win in a lower-scoring game than some may expect.
#14 Ole Miss 27
Mississippi State 23
The Waco Kid: Nothing says Thanksgiving like turkeys and football. The Egg Bowl kicks off a rivalry weekend that should be filled with excitement and some great football. At the helm of this kickoff game is one giant turkey named Lane Kiffin. Kiffin is hosting good ol’ Mike Leach in a Mississippi showdown. This one should prove to be a very close match-up. Besides the obvious in-state rivalry, both teams boast offensive units that are used to scoring a lot of points in most games. And on top of that, both are also used to losing games that they probably should have won. Ole Miss will rely on a duo of backs that may be the best in the nation. Quinshon Judkins and Zach Evans will be the deciding factor, if they can control the game clock and rush for 300-plus yards it should open up the air raid and allow the Rebels to jump out to a significant lead. For Mississippi State, they must play to their advantage, which is quarterback Will Rogers. Early on in the season Rogers was putting up video game-type numbers and has had his moments in every game but to come out victorious he will need to have a 4 touchdown 350-plus yard game to keep the Mississippi offense on the sideline. I think Kiffin continues to have issues and ultimately gives up another loss to the Pirate. Tomorrow will provide the most interesting story for this game when we find out if the Train leaves for the Plains. I think with all of the speculation surrounding his future, it will be a bit of a distraction from the game. Mississippi State covers and wins by 10.
Mississippi State 38
#14 Ole Miss 28