A pair of thrilling comeback wins over Auburn and LSU led many to believe, or at least hope, that Ole Miss was finally breaking away from its typical state of hovering around .500 in conference play. Arkansas, a solid team in their own right, had different plans, as they dominated the Rebels in an 18-point win.
Fortunately, they’ll be facing a Mississippi State squad that’s dealing with their own issues, having lost four games in a row and holding the SEC’s third worst in-conference record of 5-9. That doesn’t make Tuesday’s contest any less of a challenge — the Rebels have won just once in Starkville in the past six seasons, the only time coming against a baaaad Rick Ray-coached team from two years ago.