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Magnolia State braces for highest-stakes Egg Bowl in history
By Ethan Levine
Published:
Ole Miss and Mississippi State will meet for the 111th time since 1901 Saturday in the Battle for the Golden Egg, now known as the Egg Bowl.
The historic rivalry has produced some fantastic games over the years, even as recently as last year’s overtime thriller in Starkville (Mississippi State won 17-10). But never has the game involved stakes like this year’s showdown in Oxford.
On one side you have the No. 4 Mississippi State Bulldogs, who enter this game having won four of the last five Egg Bowls. Mississippi State will be playing for a potential SEC West title and the right to compete for its first SEC championship in 73 years. It will also be playing to preserve a spot in the College Football Playoff selection committee’s top 4, even if it doesn’t win the division.
On the other side you have Ole Miss, the host with the nation’s No. 1 scoring defense that will be seeking revenge for last year’s defeat. The Rebels will be playing for their ninth win of the year, an outside shot at a New Year’s Six Bowl and the opportunity to spoil MSU’s unprecedented chance at a championship.
This year’s game marks just the third time in the history of the rivalry that both teams will be ranked entering the game, and the first time since 1992. Both programs are in the midst of special seasons in their respective histories, but a loss in this rivalry to end the year could invalidate either team’s body of work.
If Mississippi State loses, it will blow its best chance at a national title in more than 50 years with back to back losses in SEC play to end the season. Sure, the Bulldogs’ 2014 campaign would go down as one of its best ever following a 10-2 regular season, but for a team in the thick of the national title discussion for most of the year it would also be remembered as somewhat of a disappointment.
If Ole Miss loses, it would be its fourth straight SEC loss to close the season following a 7-0 start to the year. The season would be defined by missed opportunities and heartbreaking losses, not by a win over Alabama and a major bowl appearance.
Both teams have so much more to lose than just bragging rights in the Magnolia State. This game will define both teams’ seasons, and never before has the Egg Bowl carried so much weight in the direction of these two programs.
The Rebels and the Bulldogs both made tremendous leaps into relevancy this season, but the winner of this game will have a better opportunity at maintaining that relevancy in the coming years.
If Mississippi State wins and reaches the playoff, it could be all MSU needs to prove it is a worthy destination for top-flight recruits down the line. If Ole Miss wins and gets into a New Year’s Six bowl, it will prove Hugh Freeze can capitalize on his already successful recruiting record, which should help his sales pitch to recruits in the future as well.
All of a sudden both teams are not only presented with an opportunity to cash in on a historic season in 2014, but to set up for a successful 2015 as well. That’s never been the case in the illustrious history of this rivalry.
It could also be argued the Egg Bowl has never mattered more to the national landscape of college football than it does this season.
If Ole Miss wins, it opens the door for a number of other teams to swoop in and claim Mississippi State’s spot in the top 4 of the CFP poll, including Ohio State, TCU and Baylor. If Mississippi State wins but doesn’t win the West, it presents the selection committee with a difficult decision between an 11-1 team from the best division of all-time and a one-loss conference champion from another power conference.
It’s safe to say fans of the Buckeyes, Bears and Horned Frogs will have a rooting interest in this game. Since when did the Big 12 ever care about the state of Mississippi? Trick question, it’s never cared about the Magnolia State, which is why this year’s game is so interesting.
Ole Miss and Mississippi State don’t need any extra motivation to get hyped for the Egg Bowl, but this year’s stakes are higher than ever before. The Egg Bowl may not mean quite as much as we thought it might a month ago, but it remains one of the most pivotal games across college football this season.
Fans in the state of Mississippi are going to remember the 2014 season for generations to come. How they remember it will be decided on Saturday in Oxford.
A former newspaper reporter who has roamed the southeastern United States for years covering football and eating way too many barbecue ribs, if there is such a thing.