Egg Bowl Storylines and Prediction

Kiffin to Auburn?

Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin is the subject of rumors that have him going to Auburn; these are rumors, and I read a Sports Illustrated article “Ole Miss and Lane Kiffin Were Never A Long-Term Marriage” by midwit Matt Galatzan that made me laugh a couple of times. The title alone, “Long-Term Marriage” is kind of funny on the face of it as what is the average coaching tenure in the division I college football? My guess is four years. Auburn fired its coach Bryan Harsin on Halloween, mid-season, and I know that these mid-season firings happen, but I have never understood the logic of it. Why? I’m sure it has something to do with having the position open so you can pick off a coach at the end of the season. Lane Kiffin. And here we are.

Galatzan says its a forgone conclusion that Kiffin to going to Auburn, and he then goes on to write this:

Rebel fans might not like to hear it, and most will probably disagree with it, but Ole Miss is not a destination job.

LOL. “Destination Job”. Ask Bryan Harsin if Auburn is a “destination job.” What the fuck does that even mean in this coaching market? Auburn expects, stupidly, to win a national title every season, or barring that, 10 wins and a win over Alabama. In other words, the expectations at Auburn are completely impossible. One bad season, HELL, one bad beginning to a season, and you’re fired. Who would want it? Maybe it is just a take the money are run type situation. Maybe Kiffin is that guy.

Expectations at Ole Miss are unrealistic, too, but more manageable. At best, Ole Miss can expect a good season to have 7 or 8 wins, and that is going to be speckled with 3, 4, and 5 win seasons. It is going to turn in a 10 win season every twenty or so years. It seems to me that an Ole Miss coach that can turn in 8-10 wins every four or five years could keep that job much longer than the average. Eventually delusional Ole Miss fans will get tired of the “mediocrity” and want fresh blood, but still, you might have enough to time to raise a family in Oxford, and it’s a decent place for that.

I don’t like Lane Kiffin, and I don’t dislike him. He seems to be good at the business side of football coaching. His teams don’t really seem to understand “tackling” and “defense”, but who cares? It’s musical chairs, basically. It is stupid to care.

Mike Leach Needs the Victory More

Expectations at Mississippi State are pretty damned realistic if you ask me. Winning seasons at 6-5 with the sixth win including an Egg Bowl trophy will keep a coach in business there interminably. Ask Dan Mullen, who was a notoroius fucktard, but by God he was adored in Starkville, only because he consistently beat Ole Miss. That’s one thing people need to understand about Mississippi State football: A victory over Ole Miss is everything. They get so deliciously butthurt when they lose, and they get to giddy, shiteating grins and all of it, when they win.

Leach, surely, knows this. He hasn’t won an Egg Bowl yet. He’s lost his first two. He needs to win this year or next year they will be gearing up to run him off. He loses this one and then next year and they will fire him.

I can tell you this: If I was Leach and I wanted to continue in Starkville, I’d have my super plan in place for this game. I’d have studied the Ole Miss team and by God I would find a wrinkle to exploit. I’d have plan B and plan C. I’d leave it all on the table, and if they beat me, it would be because they beat me fair and square.

Prediction: Mississippi State 42-23

I just pulled that score out of my ass. No real reasoning is backing it. I could have predicted it would be 2-0. My point is that I think MSU ought to win this game. I am calling for a Mississippi State win because Leach needs the win more than Kiffin, Ole Miss doesn’t tackle, Ole Miss quarterback Jaxson Dart sucks, and Mississippi State has had nothing less than three weeks to prepare for this game, which to them is the Superbowl. If they lose it, I will be surprised. Ole Miss looked terrible at Arkansas last Saturday. No tackling. Arkansas would just chuck the ball downfield for free completions; they didn’t even seem to be trying to complete passes as much as Ole Miss’ secondary defenders didn’t seem to care. MSU quarterback Will Rodgers ought to be able to exploit the Ole Miss tackling aversion. Seems to me MSU ought to defend against the run and dare Jaxson Dart to beat them with his passing prowess.