Every Thursday, the hosts of the weekday Supertalk Mississippi show “Head to Head” will answer a question exclusively for Daily Journal readers. Oxford native Richard Cross is also part of the new SEC Network broadcast team, while Matt Wyatt is former MSU quarterback and the color man for Bulldogs’ football broadcasts. Email your questions to DJournalSports@gmail.com
This week’s question: What’s your predicted score for Saturday’s Mississippi State-Ole Miss game … and why?
THE RICHARD CROSS TAKE
About a month ago, the dream of an undefeated Egg Bowl was still alive and well. Ole Miss began the season 7-0 before first losing a game in Baton Rouge to LSU. Mississippi State was also undefeated at 9-0 before dropping a 25-20 decision to Alabama in Tuscaloosa.
Over the past few weeks, both teams took care of their final non-conference foes in ho-hum fashion, but Ole Miss dropped a heartbreaker to Auburn and got drummed at Arkansas while Mississippi State did the drumming against Vanderbilt last weekend.
Most would agree that the fortunes of the Rebels’ season turned on the half-yard line of the south endzone of Vaught Hemingway Stadium when Laquon Treadwell’s season came to a premature end. Ole Miss has been a different team ever since. MSU has avoided major injuries in 2014. The fact that Dak Prescott has remained healthy is the biggest reason the Bulldogs still have plenty to play for.
The results of recent weeks would lead you to believe the egg may spend another year in Starkville, but home field advantage has been hard to overcome recently in this series. Since 2000, both teams have managed just one victory away from home: Ole Miss won in Starkville in 2003; Mississippi State won in Oxford in 2010.
Home field advantage wins the day again.
Ole Miss 27, Mississippi State 24.
THE MATT WYATT TAKE
Which team is playing its best football heading into the Egg Bowl?
The answer is more times than not the team that comes away with the “Golden Egg” trophy.
In 2012, Ole Miss had lost back-to-back games going into the Egg Bowl, but played very good football in a one-point loss to Vandy followed by a near upset in a high scoring game against LSU in Baton Rouge. That same year, State was off to a hot start but played its worst in the month leading up to the Egg Bowl. No surprise Ole Miss took the trophy.
Last season was a role reversal from a year earlier: Ole Miss slumping late, State surging and needing the Trophy in order to go bowling.
The 2014 Battle for the Golden Egg gives you a Bulldog team playing well with a lot to play for – a spot in the college football playoff and possibly the SEC title game. Ole Miss is the slumping team this year, having lost 3 of 4 including 3-straight SEC games.
I think a great equalizer could be Ole Miss playing at home with nothing to lose, and nothing to gain but revenge. For that reason the game should be close, and I think comes down to turnovers. My heart – and my head, in this case – says Mississippi State will squeak out the victory, 24-23.