The college football spotlight will shine on the SEC on Thursday as the lone game on the Thanksgiving slate features the Mississippi State Bulldogs (7-4, 3-4 SEC) taking on the Ole Miss Rebels (8-3, 4-3 SEC) under the Oxford lights.
Mississippi State Bulldogs vs. Ole Miss Rebels
Kickoff in the Battle for the Golden Egg from Vaught-Hemingway Stadium is scheduled for 7:00 pm EST and will be broadcast nationally on ESPN. Read on for our Mississippi State vs Ole Miss Best Bets.
Both programs hail from the SEC West and are separated by just a game in the conference when checking NCAAF standings.
The Rebels have a slim edge, but a Bulldogs victory on Thursday night will propel Miss State to leapfrog Ole Miss Rebels into third place in the division. The SEC
The championship is set with Georgia, and LSU locked in for one of the more anticipated remaining NCAAF games on December 3, but the Bulldogs and Rebels have plenty on the line in this one.
Last Game Record
The Bulldogs are coming off their most lopsided win of the season, a 56-7 route of East Tennessee State at home this past Saturday to improve to 7-4.
Ole Miss continued their end-of-season skid by falling to Arkansas in Fayetteville by 15 points, even though it wasn’t even really that close.
The NCAAF schedule purposely closes things out in dramatic fashion for these two schools.
Mississippi State Bulldogs vs. Ole Miss Rebels Analysis
Ole Miss has won two straight in the Golden Egg Bowl, including last year’s regular-season finale by ten despite the game getting out of hand early in the fourth quarter.
Ole Miss Stats
When looking at Ole Miss football stats, the Rebels enter this rivalry game ranked fourth in the country in total yards per game and third overall in rush yards per game.
Only two of the service academies (Army and Air Force) are rushing the football at a better clip than Ole Miss this season.
Not to be outshined, the Bulldogs prefer to air it out and enter this one with the ninth-best aerial attack (in terms of total passing yards and passing yards per game) in the nation.
Their 33 touchdown passes are good for eighth in the entire country.
History Is Important
When making our Mississippi State vs Ole Miss Best Bets, we consider the history.
This rivalry dates all the way back to 1901, with the 2022 version representing the 119th all-time meeting between the two Mississippi schools.
Egg Bowl
It has been heavily rumored that this will be Lane Kiffin’s third and final Egg Bowl, as he is reportedly at the top of Auburn’s wish list to become their new head coach following this season.
Aside from Egg Bowl bragging rights, there is also a Conerly Trophy to be decided, an award given to the best player in the state of Mississippi.
The top contenders for the honor appear to be Emmanuel Forbes of Miss St and the Rebels’ Quinshon Judkins.
Forbes set the SEC and FBS record for most interceptions returned for touchdowns last week with his sixth career pick-six, and he’s just a junior. He’ll likely turn pro rather than shatter the record in a senior season.
Odds Breakdown
Mississippi State Bulldogs
The Bulldogs are getting 2.5 points on Thanksgiving and enter this one 5-5-1 ATS this year and just 1-3 ATS on the road. Mississippi State odds also sees the school at 6-4-1 to the Over.
Ole Miss Rebels
The Rebels are the slight favorites in this rivalry game, laying 2.5 at home, while the posted total is 63.5. Looking at NCAAF odds, Ole Miss is 4-6-1 ATS this year and 6-5 to the Over.
It should be noted that these two teams have not combined for 63 or more points in the last five Egg Bowls as the last time they eclipsed it was in 2016, a 55-20 blowout by the Bulldogs. There are no college football injuries to report here.
Mississippi State Bulldogs vs. Ole Miss Rebels Pick and Prediction
This will mark the 24th all-time meeting on Thanksgiving between the two in a rivalry game that divides friendships and families in the state of Mississippi, at least for one night.
In most years, including this one, this outcome is more important than showdowns with SEC powers like Alabama, Georgia, and LSU.
Who to Bet On?
Back in mid-October, Ole Miss had just strung off its seventh straight win to start the season and was nestled comfortably in the Top 10.
But they’ve dropped three of four since and will fall even further when the College Football Playoff rankings are revealed on Tuesday night.
If Kiffin has one leg out the door already, Mike Leach will give him that final push, and we will gladly take the points with our Mississippi State vs Ole Miss Best Bets.
NCAAF Pick: Mississippi State +2.5 (-100)
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