PhillyGirl
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http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2222191-will-the-egg-bowl-mean-more-than-the-iron-bowl-in-2014
All eyes have been on the 2014 Iron Bowl ever since Auburn cornerback and kick returner Chris Davis took an Alabama field goal attempt back 109 yards the other way as time expired to give the Tigers a 34-28 win over the Crimson Tide and earn a berth in the SEC Championship Game.
Were we focused on the wrong intra-state rivalry game with a clever nickname?
Halfway through the season, it looks like the Egg Bowl between co-No. 3 Mississippi State and co-No. 3 Ole Miss in Oxford has more of the makings to serve as the de facto SEC West title game.
The folks in Mississippi are pumped, as Courtney Cronin of the Jackson (Miss.) Clarion-Ledger points out.
Courtney Cronin ā @CourtneyRCronin
Finally hit me 24 hours later. Like truly, it feels real now. Egg Bowl is gonna go dumb this year. When's the last time we could say that?
8:15 PM - 5 Oct 2014
Is that a realistic possibility or an overreaction based on the Bulldogs big win over Texas A&M and the Rebels' nail-biter over Alabama?
Realistic, sure.
After all, both programs currently share the No. 3 spot in the AP poll and Ole Miss will certainly be out for revenge after quarterback Bo Wallace fumbled in overtime to lose last year's edition.
Don't count out the Iron Bowl from getting back in the mix to become the most important game not just of the SEC's season, but the most important game played this year in all of college football.
Ole Miss still has major flaws like its inability to run between the tackles, quarterback Bo Wallace shouldering too much of the load in the running game after two years of shoulder issues and an offensive line that's shaky at best and mediocre at worst.
As mentioned in the bold predictions article from earlier this week, Texas A&M this weekend in College Station is setting up to be a heartbreaker for the Rebs, and there's still plenty of spots to trip up between then and the end of the regular season.
With a stifling front seven, a wildly-efficient quarterback in Dak Prescott (180.69 passer rating) and an offense that poses a threat to stretch the field and run between the tackles; Mississippi State has much more staying power thanāas head coach Dan Mullen refers to itā"the school up north."
The Bulldogs have to get by Auburn first, and that matchup with the No. 2 Tigers is no easy task.
If that happensāthey're a 3-point underdog right now according to OddsShark.comāthe Bulldogs could certainly do their part to make it a must-win game to play for Atlanta and, thus, bigger than this year's Iron Bowl.
Mullen's crew would still have to spring the upset and then handle life as "the hunted" for the remainder of the season, which isn't the easiest thing to do even for teams who are accustomed to it.
A far more likely scenario would be for Auburn to beat Mississippi State, enter the Iron Bowl undefeated or with one loss and square off against a one-loss Crimson Tide team in Tuscaloosa.
Would that make it bigger than last year's Iron Bowl? Based on record, of course not. But the ramifications in this day and age of the College Football Playoff could be very similar.
Either way, it'd likely be bigger than the Egg Bowl.
Despite Alabama's loss to Ole Miss on Saturday, the SEC West still goes through the Iron Bowl until further notice.
All eyes have been on the 2014 Iron Bowl ever since Auburn cornerback and kick returner Chris Davis took an Alabama field goal attempt back 109 yards the other way as time expired to give the Tigers a 34-28 win over the Crimson Tide and earn a berth in the SEC Championship Game.
Were we focused on the wrong intra-state rivalry game with a clever nickname?
Halfway through the season, it looks like the Egg Bowl between co-No. 3 Mississippi State and co-No. 3 Ole Miss in Oxford has more of the makings to serve as the de facto SEC West title game.
The folks in Mississippi are pumped, as Courtney Cronin of the Jackson (Miss.) Clarion-Ledger points out.
Courtney Cronin ā @CourtneyRCronin
Finally hit me 24 hours later. Like truly, it feels real now. Egg Bowl is gonna go dumb this year. When's the last time we could say that?
8:15 PM - 5 Oct 2014
Is that a realistic possibility or an overreaction based on the Bulldogs big win over Texas A&M and the Rebels' nail-biter over Alabama?
Realistic, sure.
After all, both programs currently share the No. 3 spot in the AP poll and Ole Miss will certainly be out for revenge after quarterback Bo Wallace fumbled in overtime to lose last year's edition.
Don't count out the Iron Bowl from getting back in the mix to become the most important game not just of the SEC's season, but the most important game played this year in all of college football.
Ole Miss still has major flaws like its inability to run between the tackles, quarterback Bo Wallace shouldering too much of the load in the running game after two years of shoulder issues and an offensive line that's shaky at best and mediocre at worst.
As mentioned in the bold predictions article from earlier this week, Texas A&M this weekend in College Station is setting up to be a heartbreaker for the Rebs, and there's still plenty of spots to trip up between then and the end of the regular season.
With a stifling front seven, a wildly-efficient quarterback in Dak Prescott (180.69 passer rating) and an offense that poses a threat to stretch the field and run between the tackles; Mississippi State has much more staying power thanāas head coach Dan Mullen refers to itā"the school up north."
The Bulldogs have to get by Auburn first, and that matchup with the No. 2 Tigers is no easy task.
If that happensāthey're a 3-point underdog right now according to OddsShark.comāthe Bulldogs could certainly do their part to make it a must-win game to play for Atlanta and, thus, bigger than this year's Iron Bowl.
Mullen's crew would still have to spring the upset and then handle life as "the hunted" for the remainder of the season, which isn't the easiest thing to do even for teams who are accustomed to it.
A far more likely scenario would be for Auburn to beat Mississippi State, enter the Iron Bowl undefeated or with one loss and square off against a one-loss Crimson Tide team in Tuscaloosa.
Would that make it bigger than last year's Iron Bowl? Based on record, of course not. But the ramifications in this day and age of the College Football Playoff could be very similar.
Either way, it'd likely be bigger than the Egg Bowl.
Despite Alabama's loss to Ole Miss on Saturday, the SEC West still goes through the Iron Bowl until further notice.
