The Egg Bowl: A Heated In-State Rivalry Between Ole Miss and Mississippi State

Ole Miss and Mississippi State are separated by about 75 miles, but when the Egg Bowl is played each November, the campuses feel like they are in neighboring towns. This is just one example of how college football rivalries are created.

The Ole Miss vs Mississippi State rivalry dates back to 1901 and has been played yearly since 1944. Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin has led the Rebels to wins over Mississippi State in four of his five Egg Bowls. The next meeting between the Rebels and the Bulldogs will be on Nov. 29 in Starkville.

Keep reading to learn more about the Ole Miss vs Mississippi State football rivalry.

The Egg Bowl Is Quite The Annual Spectacle

A Look At The Rivalry

Only three of the first 14 games between Ole Miss and Mississippi State were played in Starkville or Oxford. Tupelo, Greenwood, and Jackson were also sites of some early games in the rivalry.

Mississippi State won 12 consecutive games from 1911 to 1925, and nine of those victories were by at least 13 points.

Ole Miss went 9-0-1 over the next 10 games in the Mississippi State vs Ole Miss rivalry. That was a sign of things to come as the Bulldogs beat Ole Miss just once from 1947 to 1969.

The rivalry has been more competitive recently, with each team winning 10 times over the last 20 meetings.

Ole Miss leads the series 68-47-6. The numbers in Starkville (25-15-3) and Oxford (23-13-3) are almost identical.

Why Do They Call It The Egg Bowl?

When Ole Miss defeated Mississippi State (then called Mississippi A&M) 7-6 on the road in 1926 to end a 13-game losing streak to its rivals, some Ole Miss fans stormed onto the field.

Students from the two schools decided to create a trophy called The Golden Egg, which has gone to the winning team each year since 1927.

It wasn’t until 1979 that the Ole Miss vs Mississippi State game was first known as the “Egg Bowl.” Clarion-Ledger sportswriter Tom Patterson came up with the name, and it stuck.

Not every huge rivalry has a name as eye-popping as the Egg Bowl. Just take a look at the story of the Notre Dame-USC football rivalry.

When Is The Egg Bowl Played?

The Ole Miss vs Mississippi State game is usually the final game of the regular season. The Egg Bowl has been played on Thanksgiving 23 times.

It is just one of the heated rivalries in the SEC. Another was recently added, now that the rivalry between border rivals Texas and Oklahoma is between teams that just played their first season in the SEC.

What Were The Best Egg Bowls?

We will start the look-back at the best Egg Bowls in 1927 since that was the first time the Golden Egg was given to the winning squad. Ole Miss won the game 20-12.

In 1964, Ole Miss suffered its first Egg Bowl loss in 18 years as Mississippi State won 20-17.

One of the most memorable plays came in 1983 when a strong gust of wind kept Mississippi State’s potential game-winning field goal from going through the uprights.

Overtime games were rare in the series, but in 1983, an injured Dak Prescott came into the game to help Mississippi State tie the game late with a field goal and win 17-10 in overtime.

The following year, both teams were ranked in the national polls, with No. 19 Ole Miss defeating No. 4 Mississippi State.

Plenty of Emotions In The Egg Bowl

Looking back, it would be hard to top Mississippi State’s 24-22 win in the 2022 Egg Bowl since it was the final game for popular Mississippi State coach Mike Leach before his unexpected depth.

A brawl occurred in the second half of the 2018 game, resulting in several unsportsmanlike penalties. Ole Miss receiver Elijah Moore’s TD celebration brought a 15-yard penalty that was enforced on what would have been the game-tying extra point. The kick was no good, as Mississippi State won 21-20. Ole Miss coach Matt Luke was fired following the game.

What’s Next For The Egg Bowl?

While Ole Miss is looking to seal the deal and win the SEC title or at least reach the SEC Championship Game, Mississippi State is in a rebuilding mode.

The Bulldogs are 1-15 in the SEC over the last two seasons. Mississippi State hasn’t posted a winning record in SEC play since 2014.

The 21 wins over the last two seasons are the most in a two-year span in the Ole Miss program’s history. While Kiffin has done an outstanding job with the Rebels, he has a way to go to top Johnny Vaught as the best coach in Ole Miss football history. Vaught’s Rebels finished in the top 10 in both national polls 10 times. Ole Miss won five SEC titles in a 10-year span. However, the last championship came in 1963.

Mississippi State’s last SEC title came in 1941.