Ole Miss made back-to-back Egg Bowl wins in 2024, beating Mississippi State 26-14. The Bulldogs made it a gritty game, as they usually do, despite new head coach Jeff Lebby expecting to bring a more explosive offense to the program. The win also means Lane Kiffin has won four of the five Egg Bowls.
There was a significant change in the 2024 Egg Bowl compared to recent years. The game is usually played on Thanksgiving Day evening, a traditional spot for the Ole Miss-Mississippi State rivalry for many years. However, that was moved to the day after on Black Friday. That was not taken well by either fanbase, and the time slot made things even worse, being at 2:30 p.m. CT, with Georgia Tech vs Georgia taking the prime time spot on Friday evening.
Well, the 2025 date and time have not gone down well either. The date has stayed the same, with the NCAA sticking with a Black Friday game day. However, it has moved to a noon kickoff time in Starkville. That means there won't be long to get that pre-game feel before kickoff.
It's still a disappointing time, and the NCAA may find themself thankful it's not in Oxford with even more push back from the Ole Miss fans.
There was plenty of chat from Lane Kiffin and others about how many times Ole Miss played in the early windows, with zero games in Oxford being in prime time, not even the Georgia game. They had one game, which was the LSU loss in Baton Rouge.
Near every comment under the post from Ole Miss football, with the date and time, was one of unhappiness, which is saying it politely. Both fans loved the Thanksgiving Day time slot, but maybe the players think differently, spending time on the day with their family and friends. Fans will be hoping it reverts back in 2026.