No lunchtime chat today. I hope to get back on the ball with that next week, but I'm out of pocket mid-day today while used car shopping. Wish me luck.
There's been a lot of talk about gray jerseys or a different Ole Miss uniform for Saturday night's game against Auburn. Officially, the school is being tight-lipped about it which probably means something's up. We'll see.
Ole Miss has become a trendy pick for an upset in this game. If it's going to happen the Rebels will need another big game from quarterback Jeremiah Masoli. An Ole Miss win would shake up the BCS ranking. Auburn currently sits at No. 1 and would be matched against Oregon - where Masoli was 20-6 as a two-year starter - if the season ended today.
Masoli says he's given no thought on how his team might impact his old one.
"I'm not thinking about that at all. It's just us. We're kind of desperate for a win right now, we went 0-2 for our last two games, some games that we had some bad things we regret happened, and now we're trying to knock off the No. 1 team," he said.
The big-game stage is something Masoli experienced with Oregon, so he has a degree of comfort and confidence that will be helpful.
"It's a different feeling. The spotlight's on you. It's more pressure, makes some guys nervous, but it's fun to me, I love it."
One reason this game has become an upset pick for many is not the pressure facing Ole Miss but the pressure facing Auburn. Ole Miss is catching Auburn a week after a very emotional win against LSU, a win that kind of cemented Auburn as the BCS favorite, vaulting it to No. 1.
Auburn still has emotional games still remaining against Georgia and Alabama.
"It's not easy for them. You have to have a mature team. That's where your leaders come in, just being mature about the whole situation and not focusing on what everybody is saying in the media. That's the main key," Masoli said.
The administration is adding seats for this game, but chances are they will be filled with Auburn folks. A crowd surpassing last year's record of 62,657 against Alabama is expected.
The Rebels have surpassed 62,000 at Vaught-Hemingway three times and are 0-3 in those games.
On the injury front, it looks like Ole Miss will be without safety Damien Jackson, a significant loss in the secondary. After early struggles a light came on for Jackson. He's playing free and loose and has developed into a big hitter.
It doesnt matter they will be unique.
I wish I shared the same enthusiam as Bleed does but my gut tells me this is going to be blow out early.
35-16