Washington State heads to Oxford to battle Ole Miss (GAME THREAD)

One of the best things about living in the Pacific Time Zone is that, during college football season, games start at 9 a.m. What a way to start the day. For our Washington State Cougars today, kickoff at 9:45 a.m. allows us to watch the slaughter and then get on with our day by lunchtime. Nobody has it better than us.

Except Ole Miss, probably. The Runnin’ Rebels are ranked no. 4 nationwide and sit atop the mighty SEC. They have a head coach who’s certainly changed the narrative around his name and just knocked off LSU, which was previously ranked no. 4.

They’re 33.5-point favorites today, which means this one could be over by the second quarter.

Nothing about our Cougs has them in the “advantage” column when sizing this one up. The Cougs had a bye week to get healthy (and apparently bond over hot yoga), but nothing this season tells me they have a prayer today. Ole Miss has a dual threat quarterback who’s playing nearly lights out. They like to wear you down with their running game. They like to make you miss tackles, something WSU is prone to do. They have beasts on the defensive line, as all SEC teams seemingly have.

Simply put, the Cougs just don’t have the Jimmys and Joes to compete. But at least they’ll get a solid payday out of this one.

It’s been a while since WSU went into SEC territory. For those at the game, I’m sure the atmosphere is worth the trip, as nearly all SEC venues and tailgate parties are. But this one isn’t going to end pretty.

Talk about the car wreck here!

9:45 a.m. PT, perfect for pancakes and pigskin.

Vaught Hemingway Stadium in Oxford, Mississippi. It holds just over 64,000, which is twice the population of Pullman.

You’ll need the SEC Network for this one. Taylor Zarzour and Matt Stinchcomb on the call. No, I haven’t heard of them, either.

Ole Miss is anywhere from 32.5-point favorites to 33.5-point favorites, depending on where you get your gambling odds. Does it really matter, though?

Remember De’Zhaun Stribling? The former WSU wide receiver transferred from WSU to Oklahoma State and now finds himself at Ole Miss. He has 11 catches for 146 yards and a touchdown thus far for the Rebs.

How about Kapena Gushiken? He spent two seasons at WSU and started 16 games. Gushiken played a big role for the Cougs and now finds himself in an Ole Miss uniform. He has 12 tackles this year on defense.