Navy Nightmare!

Auburn has declared this Saturday's Halloween game against Ole Miss as a Navy Nightmare. But, I have to ask a couple of questions. One, will navy scare a team and fans who wear the color all the time? Also, whose nightmare will this game be?

I suppose some could argue that the nightmare could belong to Houston Nutt. Or Gus Malzahn. Because as most people who follow these teams expected, this game is turning into a grudge match. Don't believe me? Check out here, here and here. For much of this season, my fellow Rebels and I have discussed how Malzahn has been wanting to stick it to Coach Nutt ever since their messy separation in Fayetteville. But what about Coach Nutt? One could argue that Coach Nutt is equally bitter about how Malzahn splintered the fanbase and began Nutt's unfortunate departure from the school he loved. So, don't be surprised if Ole Miss' coaching staff (many of whom were also affected by the feud with Malzahn) has some tricks up their sleeves.

There are a lot of questions in this game. Will Auburn's high octane offense shake off the last three games and return to its early season form? Will Malzahn choose to use different players in order to kickstart "Gus' Bus?" Will Dexter McCluster continue to shine like he did last Saturday? Which Jevan Snead will show up? Can Ole Miss' defense slow down the AU offense and hold them to 20 points or less?

Many Auburn fans I know who have tickets to the game aren't going. They cite Halloween, the weather, Auburn's current three game slide and the fact that Auburn has not played well in early games in recent history. But for weeks now I've had reservations about this game and I still do. I think Ole Miss can win this game, but it is going to be a fight and the Rebels don't historically play well in Auburn.

Bottom line is this - as the "homer" for Ole Miss on this blog I am picking the Rebels to win this one. But it will be close - Ole Miss 27, Auburn 21.

Forward Rebels and Happy Halloween!