Ole Miss is nearing 10 wins for the second time in three football seasons and looking forward to another bowl game.
Mississippi State is seeking postseason eligibility, though the broader focus in Starkville is on who will be the next head coach of the Bulldogs.
Those are the goals in play between the Magnolia State rivals in their Thanksgiving meeting on Thursday night, in addition to earning bragging rights in the annual Battle for the Golden Egg. A victory offers some revenge for the No. 12 Rebels (9-2, 5-2 Southeastern Conference), especially after a failed 2-point conversion kept them from tying in last year’s soggy showdown the Bulldogs won 24-22 in Oxford.
“That game has ate at me ever since we walked off the field,” Rebels quarterback Jaxson Dart said. “It’s a game that I really want back. I know the other guys on the team feel the exact same way about it. We can’t wait for the opportunity to play in it.”
Ole Miss has won six of its past seven games this season, including last Saturday’s 35-3 nonconference rout of the University of Louisiana at Monroe. The Rebels are only a win away from just their second 10-win regular season under head coach Lane Kiffin and a possible New Year’s Six bowl appearance, some consolation for falling short of winning the SEC West Division title. Kiffin, in his fourth season in Oxford, can join John Vaught as the only Rebels coaches with multiple 10-win seasons.