Mississippi State ought to feast on Nutt, Ole Miss in Egg Bowl

Houston Nutt's era at Mississippi began in dynamic fashion by the school's standards, and the coach was celebrated as a winner.

The Rebels missed the postseason four straight seasons after quarterback Eli Manning graduated in 2003. Although Ed Orgeron recruited well during his three-year tenure in Oxford from 2005 to 2007, Ole Miss had a 10-25 record on his watch. Those miserable results led to Orgeron's dismissal and the arrival of Nutt in 2008.

The former Arkansas coach promptly led the Rebels to back-to-back nine-win seasons and consecutive Cotton Bowl wins. However, Nutt was unable to match the recruiting success of Orgeron, and things began to unravel last year, when Ole Miss went 4-8.

Meanwhile, rival Mississippi State enjoyed a breakout year that concluded with a 9-4 record and a 52-14 blowout victory over Michigan in the Gator Bowl.

More than anything else, the latter development caused consternation for the Ole Miss faithful. So when the Rebels got throttled 30-7 at Vanderbilt on Sept. 17, it didn't take a rocket scientist to see what was coming.

When several key players were suspended before the Alabama game, it was clear the program was falling apart. After a 30-13 loss at Kentucky on Nov. 5, Nutt was forced to resign effective at the end of the season.

Since then, more suspensions have followed. Jeff Scott, the team's leading rusher, and starting quarterback Randall Mackey remain suspended for today's game at Mississippi State.

The Rebels have lost six straight, with five of those defeats coming by margins of 17 points or more. The Bulldogs also have been a disappointment, but there's no better remedy for them than beating up on Ole Miss in the Egg Bowl.

Mississippi State coach Dan Mullen's team has covered the spread at a 4-1 clip in its past five games, and it will become bowl eligible with a win in this spot.

It's a big number, but I'll lay 17 points with the Bulldogs, who I expect to deal woodshed treatment to Nutt in his final game.

Three more plays for today (home team in CAPS):

■ MICHIGAN (-7½) over Ohio State -- Brady Hoke has done a great coaching job in his first season, leading Michigan to a 7-0 straight-up record and a 5-1 ATS mark at home. The Wolverines, fresh off a blowout of Nebraska, are starving to put a beating on the Buckeyes, who have won seven in a row in this bitter rivalry. I like quarterback Denard Robinson and the Wolverines to win by double digits.

■ GEORGIA TECH (+6) over Georgia -- The Bulldogs' nine-game winning streak is misleading. Remember, they did not have to play Alabama, Louisiana State or Arkansas, and they were fortunate to beat Florida and Vanderbilt.

Georgia Tech has won five of its six home games, compiling a 4-2 spread record. I'll go with the home underdog in what I believe to be a toss-up game in terms of who wins outright.

■ STANFORD (-7) over Notre Dame -- After playing the role of a money-making machine most of the season, the Cardinal failed to cover the number in back-to-back games to fall to 9-2 ATS. But I'm expecting a big performance from quarterback Andrew Luck to wrap up his case for the Heisman Trophy.

With the Irish limping to a 1-3 spread record in four road games, lay the single-digit number with Stanford at home.

Last week: 3-2 against the spread

Season: 29-22-2

Brian Edwards of VegasInsider.com and BrianEdwardsSports.com is providing college football analysis for the Las Vegas Review-Journal.