Greg McElroy breaks down Egg Bowl rivalry matchup on Saturday

For us college football fans, the Egg Bowl has snuck into our Thanksgiving Day traditions. Mississippi State and Ole Miss face off in a truly bitter in-state rivalry on Thursday night where the stakes are high, no matter the two program’s current situation. Nothing is worse than ending your season with a loss on Turkey Day.

“Nothing better than two teams that absolutely hate each other after you stuffed your face with Thanksgiving food,” ESPN’s Greg McElroy said. “It was, at one point, maybe the dirtiest game I’ve ever called. Cheap shots, fights… It’s a crazy game. It’s a really entertaining game, two teams that really loathe each other.”

This year’s edition will take place in Starkville, where Ole Miss is going to be favored. Lane Kiffin is aiming for another 10-win season, while Mississippi State is leaning on interim head coach Greg Knox. While it might be the first and only matchup between the two, getting a win is important to them for different reasons.

Kiffin is looking to bounce back from last year’s loss, his first in the rivalry. It was part of the circus that was the coaching carousel, linking him to the Auburn job. With that behind him, all focus has been on Ole Miss and taking the program to a new level.

As for Knox, this could be his one shot at getting an Egg Bowl win as the head coach. Mississippi State is conducting a national search to replace Zach Arnett but Knox has kept the vibes high. Nothing would be sweeter than winning on Thursday night.

Ole Miss has had plenty of offensive success in recent Egg Bowls

If recent history tells us anything, Ole Miss is going to have a good day offensively. Being a good unit with Jaxson Dart leading the way, the Rebels have not had too much of a challenge performing well in Starkville over the past few years.

“If you look at Ole Miss, how they’ve performed offensively against Mississippi State,” McElroy began. “Since 2015, they have been rolling, offensively. They average 30 points per game, 400-plus yards per game. So, they’ve been really good since 2015. They’ve been 3-1 at Mississippi State. So, they’ve played really well on the road in this setting before and I would anticipate them doing it again.”

If there is anything going in Mississippi State’s favor from McElroy’s perspective, it’s a couple of defensive guys he has a ton of respect for. Not too many teams have been able to slow down Ole Miss on on offense this year but the Bulldogs have some players who have a chance.

“I think Mississippi State does have a couple of defenders that are legit at the second level,” McElroy said.

Truly anything can happen in the Egg Bowl. Tempers are going to flare and players are going to be emotional. Hopefully, another crazy ending is heading our way, adding another incredible chapter to one of college football’s greatest rivalries.