Mississippi State vs. Ole Miss: 2014 Egg Bowl TV Info, Spread, Injury Updates

While no longer the biggest game of the weekend, the 2014 iteration of the Egg Bowl between the Mississippi State Bulldogs and the Ole Miss Rebels has national championship implications swinging in the balance.

Dak Prescott and the Bulldogs are 10-1 and hanging by a thread in the race to the College Football Playoff. A loss at Ole Miss ruins everything, as may an iffy performance in tandem with another contender winning a conference championship.

As ESPN Stats & Info reveals, other things outside of postseason implications make this a historic moment for the epic rivalry:

Ole Miss is ranked, but things have come fully unraveled, as the team has lost three of its last four. Saturday is a chance to play the spoiler in the greatest way imaginable, though—against an in-state rival.

Strengths Collide

This one has a different feel to it than in past years. As ESPN CollegeFootball illustrates, the last five meetings have been mostly comfortable final margins:

At face value, another large victory seems likely for the Bulldogs.

After all, the Rebels have the look of an absolute mess as of late. Mississippi State is still led by Dak Prescott, who owns 2,714 yards and 23 touchdowns through the air and another 891 yards and 12 scores on the ground.

Somewhat lost from the spotlight is junior back Josh Robinson, who has 1,084 yards and 11 touchdowns on a smooth 6.6 per-carry average.

Despite gaudy numbers, recent success and the reeling nature of the opposition, Prescott is not one to take his rivals lightly.

"They're good up front and they're good all the way around," Prescott said, per The Associated Press, via ESPN.com. "We just have to worry about staying sound on offense and taking care of what we've got to do."

It is quite the sage approach. For all of its faults and negative publicity as of late, the Ole Miss defense still ranks tops in the nation with an average of just 13.5 points allowed per game. 

A loss to LSU in Death Valley hurt, but the unit gave up just 10 points. A four-point loss to Auburn is rough but understandable given the level of competition. The only real major complaint on the resume is a 30-0 loss to Arkansas last time out, but the Razorbacks are quietly one of the best teams in the conference.

Really, the struggles of the defense are overexaggerated at best, and it can certainly keep pace with Prescott. In fact, the common theme that should have stuck out more than anything was offensive woes against top competition.

Counterpunch with Efficiency

Danny Johnston/Associated Press

Those woes fall directly on the shoulders of senior quarterback Bo Wallace.

Wallace has completed a career-low 62.8 percent of his passes this year with 22 scores to 10 picks. When he is off, though, it is quite difficult for the Rebels to overcome it.

Take last week's loss to Arkansas for example. Wallace went 16-of-31 for 235 yards and two picks. Really, think back to last year's overtime loss to these very same Bulldogs, when Wallace went 26-of-40 for 182 yards and a trio of interceptions.

Feel free to sprinkle in the fact that Wallace is dealing with an injury to boot, although it sounds as if he will play Saturday regardless, as captured by Hugh Kellenberger of the Jackson Clarion-Ledger:

Wallace has yet to truly overcome the loss of top wideout Laquon Treadwell. Since the season-ending injury to the offense's top weapon, running gaps have shrunk in size and passing lanes have been more clogged with defenses free to apply more resources throughout the field.

The Bulldogs certainly have the talent to make Wallace's life miserable, too. Not only does the defensive unit allow just 18.4 points on average, it has looked great against some of the SEC's best, including limiting Auburn to 23 points and Alabama to 25.

If Wallace is to have a defining moment, it will need to come in the face of unfavorable odds.

When: Saturday, November 29, 3:30 p.m. ET

Where: Vaught-Hemingway Stadium at Hollingsworth Field, Oxford, Mississippi

Television: CBS

Betting Lines (via Odds Shark):

• Over/Under: 49.5

• Spread: Mississippi State (-3)

Team Injury Reports

Player	Pos.	Date	Details	Status	Injury
Shelby Christy	WR	08/31/2014	will miss the entire season	Out	knee
Justin Cox	S	11/21/2014	is suspended indefinitely	Suspended	disciplinary
Dezmond Harris	LB	10/20/2014	will miss the remainder of the season	Out	knee
Cedric Jiles	CB	08/15/2014	is out indefinitely	Out	hamstring
Damien Robinson	T	08/19/2014	will miss the entire season	Out	knee

Player	Pos.	Date	Details	Status	Injury
Anthony Alford	S	10/01/2014	has left the team	Out	personal
Matt Brown	TE	09/08/2014	is out indefinitely	Out	leg
Carlos Davis	CB	08/15/2014	will miss the entire season	Out	knee
Collins Moore	WR	10/22/2014	will miss the remainder of the season	Out	knee
Denzel Nkemdiche	LB	10/27/2014	will miss the remainder of the season	Out	ankle
Tee Shepard	CB	08/15/2014	will miss the entire season	Out	toe
Laquon Treadwell	WR	11/02/2014	will miss the remainder of the season	Out	fibula/ankle

Injury reports per The Sports Network, via USA Today.

Prediction

Normally, it is safe to say prior performances, ranks and the like go out the window in a rivalry such as this.

But right now, it is just too difficult to ignore how much Ole Miss continues to struggle in all facets.

If a defense that was exploited on the ground one week ago cannot forget in a hurry, Prescott, Robinson and others are going to run wild in Oxford. Wallace is not a quarterback the Rebels want to ask to play from behind at the moment, either.

Look for Prescott to get his team an early advantage and then grind this one out. Were the Ole Miss offense fully healthy, this would be a different story. But teams have figured out how to make the Rebels a non-factor with the ball in their hands. Really, the Bulldogs got that started one year ago.

Prediction: Bulldogs 23, Rebels 17

Statistics and info courtesy of ESPN unless otherwise specified.