The day of the Egg Bowl is upon us, and the stakes have never been higher.
It's okay to have the jitters at 7 a.m. This really is the big one.
State supremacy is on the line in a way it's never been before. The hated Dan Mullen has won 4 of 5 against the Rebels. He's never been shy about saying that beating Ole Miss means everything to him. This year, it means even more than that.
The Bulldogs will enter Vaught-Hemingway Stadium needing a win to lock down a spot in the College Football Playoff and possibly even win the SEC West if Auburn can upset Alabama. Ole Miss stands in its path.
For Mullen, this Egg Bowl is about way more than pride. This win could define his coaching career. It's that big. Ole Miss could dash those hopes in just one game.
For Hugh Freeze this one is about finally ending the reign of Mullen once and for all. It's about proving the game means as much to him as it does to Mullen. Ole Miss fans don't like losing to Mississippi State, and that much was made clear to Freeze after the 2013 showing. Freeze has already proven he is a great coach, but if he wants to be beloved he won't lose to Mullen two years in a row.
For Ole Miss fans, losing to Mullen 5 out of 6 years simply will not do. A warm weather bowl game could also be at stake. Win today and that 9-3 (5-3 SEC) record should be enough to take Rebel fans somewhere to the south where mittens and scarves won't be necessary. That would be nice.
But we really aren't thinking about bowl games. We just want to beat Mullen and his maroon cronies.
For record-setting quarterback Bo Wallace, this Egg Bowl is about revenge. He heard the smack talk. He remembers the cheap shot. Wallace has been waiting for this day all year. Wallace also surely knows his legacy as a Rebel will be shaped in large part by his final regular season game. He can be remembered as either the quarterback who won 2 of 3 Egg Bowls or the loser of 2 of 3.
The former is much more memorable.
But back to Mullen. I suspect more Ole Miss fans would rather close the mouth of Dan Mullen than anything else. Only a win can do that. A loss? Perish the thought.
This is it. The day is here. Supremacy is on the line. Pride and so much more hangs in the balance. The winner will take all. It's time.