Staff Predictions for 122nd Egg Bowl: No. 7 Ole Miss at Mississippi State

OXFORD, Miss. — Here we are, the final week of the regular season — it’s rivalry week, and the third-most played rivalry in Division I football is on deck as the No. 7 Ole Miss Rebels travel to Starkville to take on the Mississippi State Bulldogs in the 122nd Egg Bowl.

Ole Miss leads the all-time series, 67-47, with six of them ending in a draw; the Rebels are 26-15-6 when dubbed the away team. Having won the Battle of the Golden Egg the past two years, a win in this one would mark the longest streak in the series since the Bulldogs took three straight from 2009-11.

Despite all the noise surrounding Lane Kiffin and the Ole Miss program, the Rebels have made it clear they’re focused on going 1-0. But that’s the thing — the team with the lesser record in these matchups loves to play spoiler. Mississippi State would love nothing more than to knock the Rebels out of the playoff conversation and secure bowl eligibility with a former Ole Miss staff member as their head coach.

So, buckle up, heat up your Thanksgiving leftovers, and get ready for the first Black Friday Egg Bowl in 16 years — because absolutely nothing can prepare you for what comes next.

With that being said, here is The Rebel Walk staff giving their best shots at predicting the 2025 edition of the Egg Bowl:

Adam Brown

Score prediction: Ole Miss 28, Mississippi State 24

X-Factor player: Trinidad Chambliss and Kewan Lacy

Ole Miss continues to roll on offense this week as the starters only see a half of action. Trinidad Chambliss throws for over 350 yards. While Kewan Lacy runs for over 150 with three touchdowns.

Bold prediction: The Bulldogs make it a nail-biter

Mississippi State has been in close games all season long with a win over Arkansas this season.

The Bulldogs are led at quarterback by Blake Shapen who has thrown for 2,433 yards with 15 touchdowns and eight interceptions. On the ground, Davon Booth has run for 547 yards  with seven touchdowns. This season, Mississippi State averages 394.6 total yards per game in their 11 games and on defense allows 393.2 yards per game.

Billy Kuhl

Score Prediction: Ole Miss 31, Mississippi State 17

X-Factor player: Suntarine Perkins

The Egg Bowl is something every Mississippi kid dreams of playing in and Suntarine Perkins being the former No. 1 recruit in the state I’m sure this game means more to him and I can see Perkins going for a great game against the Bulldogs.

Bold Prediction: Ole Miss won’t be distracted

All the noise surrounding Lane Kiffin’s future and the playoff seeding ahead is seen as a distraction by the media and the fans however I can see the team truly being locked in, knowing the importance of this matchup. With that said I think Ole Miss will come away with a dominant win especially taking in the fact that Mississippi State has not been good in the second half of games.

Daylan Flowers

Score Prediction: Ole Miss 34, Mississippi State 17

The Egg Gowl always deliveries, no matter the heat, no matter the story. Ole Miss will have to be ready to be battled-tested, but should be ready for the fight.

The last time Ole Miss came off a bye week, they underperformed. They cannot do this against a Bulldogs team ready to cause chaos. 

X-Factor player: Dae’Quan Wright

A reliable target all season long for Trinidad Chambliss, the Ole Miss tight end will be huge to open up the long ball for Ole Miss Friday. Wright continues to show league-ready tangibles in every phase, and he will be a crucial mismatch for MSU.

Bold Prediction: The Ole Miss defense will have at least four sacks

The break was needed the most for the defense, and confidence was found in the second half against Florida. I think it will continue in Starkville. Hungry and disciplined, the Ole Miss front will be successful in Starkville.

David Walker

Score prediction: Ole Miss 35, Mississippi State 28

X-Factor Player: Trinidad Chambliss

His maturity and leadership — on and off the field — over the course of these last few weeks have been extraordinary. He has taken over this team in an all-out effort to get them to the promised land. I do not expect the cowbells in Starkville to bother Trinidad in the least. He’s been to Norman and Athens; Starkville won’t phase him.

Bold Prediction: This will be another 4th-quarter, one-score game that comes down to the defense making a big play. 

The Rebels have had eight games this season where it was a one-score game in the fourth quarter. They have won seven of those. In comparison, last year’s team was 1-3 in the same situation. There’s a lot of grit to this Rebel team, and I think we’ll see that again Friday morning in Starkville.

Donna Sprabery

Score Prediction: Ole Miss 35, Mississippi State 18

X-Factor player: Kewan Lacy, Cayden Lee and De’Zhuan Stribling

Kewan Lacy — The explosive back leads the rush attack. His speed, burst, and ability to hit outside or cut inside make him a threat on every carry.

Cayden Lee — As a returning starter, Lee gives the Rebels a dependable and consistent target. His route running and reliability make him a safety‑valve when pressure mounts. 

De’Zhaun Stribling — A newcomer to the receiving corps, Stribling brings fresh speed and playmaking potential that could stretch coverage and open up opportunities downfield. 

Bold Prediction: Rebels’ Depth, Balanced Attack, and Defensive Edge Carry the Day

As game day approaches, the Rebels look stacked — not just with a few playmakers, but with a whole supporting cast ready to assert themselves. This isn’t a one‑or‑two star show: if everything clicks, Ole Miss has enough weapons on both sides of the ball to dominate.

Rivalry games like the Egg Bowl are rarely decided by one player alone. More often they are won by depth, composure, and who executes under pressure. This version of Ole Miss — with a balanced rushing game, a diversified receiving corps, a sturdy line, and a disruptive, athletic defense — has the kind of roster that can grind out four quarters and tilt momentum decisively.

Expect the Rebels to lean on the run early, get their receivers involved to stretch the field, and let the defense dictate terms. With pressure up front and solid tackling behind it, the Bulldogs might find themselves in long down‑and‑distance situations — exactly where a disciplined, deep defense can shine.

Evie Van Pelt

Score Prediction: Ole Miss 45, Mississippi State 20

X-Factor players: Trinidad Chambliss 

Bold Prediction: Kewan Lacy runs for 250+ yards

Kewan Lacy is a finalist for the Doak Walker Award as was announced earlier this week. He has 1,136 yards on 231 attempts and has scored 19 TDs, shattering the previous single-season record at Ole Miss of 16 set by Quinshon Judkins in 2022. Mississippi State is giving up 189 yards per game on the ground — good enough for dead last in the SEC. Look for it to be a long day for the Bulldogs as they try to stop Lacy.

Jacob Quaglino

Score prediction: Ole Miss 51, Mississippi State 35

X-Factor player: The Defensive Line

Upon entering the 122nd Egg Bowl, the only metric where the Bulldogs have a statistical advantage over the Rebels would be State’s running backs against the Ole Miss defensive line (along with possibly trying to get their noise about LSU and/or Florida in the heads of Kiffin’s players via their fans). State falls somewhere in the middle of the pack in the conference in rushing offense, but Ole Miss has given up the fourth-highest amount of rushing yards per game in the SEC at 140.

However, this is a group that has tightened up in recent weeks since a defensive meltdown in Athens in the middle of the season, and if Pete Golding can dial up a plan to shut down the MSU run game, that would effectively take away the most viable path to victory the Bulldogs would have to bring the Golden Egg back to Starkville.

Bold Prediction: More than 80 points are scored

These are two teams that have gotten the wins they’ve gotten through above-average offensive play while nonetheless struggling on defense, with the Rebels’ defensive unit having ushered in a slew of new faces after losing nearly all of their defensive starters from a year ago, while State has given up the second-most points per game of any SEC team.

For this reason, we can realistically expect quite a few points to be scored on Black Friday morning, with a number that could get to within striking distance of 100. In the end though, the Rebels will bring the statistically better offense, averaging 37 points per game to State’s 31, and outperforming all other SEC teams in total yards averaged per game at a staggering 493, which is also the third-most in the entire FBS, giving them the edge in the end. Be expecting Trinidad Chambliss to end the regular season with a bang and a historic eleventh regular season victory for Ole Miss.

Kam Wicker

Score Prediction: Ole Miss 37, Mississippi State 20

X-Factor player: Kewan Lacy

Lacy is coming off a career day two weeks ago when he ran for 224 yards and three scores en route to becoming the new program record holder for single-season touchdowns. That same night, Mississippi State gave up 326 rushing yards (300 from Ahmad Hardy) to the Missouri Tigers.

The Bulldogs are last in the SEC, giving up 189 yards per game on the ground; Lacy is averaging 103 by himself while the Rebels are averaging 188 as a team. I expect the sophomore to have a big day and put his rushing touchdown record in the 20s while also entering the top three of the single-season rushing yards leaders.

Bold Prediction: Mississippi State takes an early lead

The Bulldogs had an early lead in four-straight losses earlier this season against Tennessee, Texas A&M, Florida and Texas — with a chance to win three of those four at the end of the game. Under this Jeff Lebby offense, Mississippi State has continuously found a way to start fast, so I expect nothing short of that is a big game for them.

Again though, the Bulldogs have famously blown leads this season, a few of them being multiple scores. Outside of trailing late in the Georgia game, the Rebels have found ways to brush off early deficits and regain control. I expect Ole Miss to fall behind early, but find their footing as the game ticks away before pulling away.

Parks Burcham

Score Prediction: Ole Miss 33, Mississippi State 21

X-Factor player: Ole Miss Defense

They have to dominate; this Mississippi State team is more than its record. They have played some tough defenses and still almost managed a win, so the Rebel defense is going to have to be great in all aspects this Friday.

Bold Prediction: Ole Miss comes out firing on all cylinders

A lot of people are going to think the ongoing coaching situation is gonna cause issues for the Rebels, which it very well may. However, I see it as fuel to a red hot Ole Miss team that is going to be going out to prove the narrative should be focused on them.

Zach Moreth

Score Prediction: Ole Miss 27, Mississippi State 21

X-Factor player: Kewan Lacy

In this year’s Egg Bowl, I fully expect a Rebel takeover in all forms. I’ll take Ole Miss winning the game 27-21 to secure a home playoff bid, despite the Lane Kiffin drama. Kewan Lacy will absolutely be the X factor and I expect him to score two or more touchdowns.

Bold Prediction: Defensively, I anticipate over 2.5 sacks from the duo of Princewill Umanmielen and Suntarine Perkins

Up next:

The week 14 matchup between Ole Miss and Florida kicks off Friday, Nov. 28 at 11 a.m. CT on ABC. Stay tuned in with The Rebel Walk for all your game coverage.