What Are the Odds?: Bulldogs Slightly Favored in Matchup With Rebels

Mississippi State is expected to defeat Ole Miss in the Egg Bowl by a small margin.

The Mississippi State Bulldogs (7-4) are coming off a strong 55-10 victory over Tennessee State and will cap off the season with its most highly anticipated games of the year -- the Egg Bowl against the visiting Ole Miss Rebels (9-2).

The Rebels have looked strong this year, led by head coach Lane Kiffin and with standout quarterback Matt Corral -- who is still in the conversation for best signal-caller in the country -- taking the snaps.

But Ole Miss has been a bit up and down as of late -- the high points have been high and this is undoubtedly a solid team after all -- the Rebels locked the Vaught this year, winning every single home game on schedule.

But it is hard to ignore how closely Ole Miss played Vanderbilt this past week, securing a 31-17 home win over the Commodores that left a larger margin of victory to be desired. 

So, who is predicted to win the game that marks the regular-season finale for both the Bulldogs and the Rebels?

SI Sportsbook has Mississippi State listed as the one-point favorite, and while this game will be a close and toughly fought one as it has been in some past years, this seems like the right pick.

Things are clicking more than ever for the team on offense as quarterback Will Rogers continues to make his way through the Mississippi State record books, currently second in the nation in total passing yards with 4,113 total yards through the air this season. 

Both of these defenses have had their fair share of inconsistencies this year, but MSU's seems the easiest to bet on, once ranked No. 14 in the nation whereas Ole Miss has relied more on its offense than anything throughout the year.

Looking at both teams as a whole, the Bulldogs are the more complete squad and bettors should feel more confident putting their money on the team with the homefield advantage on Thursday, when the contest kicks off at 6:30 p.m. CT in Davis Wade Stadium.