Once again, there has been a change in the SEC schedule. When you think of major college football rivalry games, the first games that generally come up are Michigan vs Ohio State, Texas vs Oklahoma, and Alabama vs Auburn. The Egg Bowl between Ole Miss and Mississippi State is not far down that list. In fact, of all the college football rivalries that aren’t between two national powerhouses, this may be the biggest rivalry game in the sport.
One thing that has made this game so watched and enjoyed over the years is that it is the one college football game on Thanksgiving evening. On a day where the NFL dominates the coverage, the Egg Bowl has made itself a great alternative for college fans who prefer the college game over the NFL.
The Egg Bowl Has Been College Football’s Footprint on a NFL Day
While that is not a majority of fans, it is a nice chunk. But it still drew a nice audience, with 2.29 million views this past year. For reference, that game was the 13th highest-ranked game of the weekend, which is deemed rivalry weekend and includes Black Friday.
These ratings aren’t terrible, but they aren’t great when you consider that Ole Miss was 9-2 coming into the game and Miss State was 5-6 and fighting for bowl eligibility. The reality may be that after watching football all day and eating turkey and mashed potatoes, people may not be as interested as one would assume in watching a primetime college football game. Additionally, many people travel during this time, which surely hurts the ratings.
For that reason, and possibly for other reasons unknown, ESPN and college football have decided to move the game from Thanksgiving to Black Friday. There are no immediate plans or announcements on whether or not ESPN plans on replacing the Egg Bowl with another college football game on Thanksgiving evening.
The 2024 Egg Bowl, between Mississippi State & Ole Miss, is shifting off Thanksgiving and onto Black Friday, sources tell @YahooSports.
The Rebels & Bulldogs kick off at 3:30 pm ET on Nov. 29 & will be televised on ABC – a major viewership spot for deeply rooted hate.
— Ross Dellenger (@RossDellenger) May 30, 2024
SEC Fans May Not Like the Concept in Theory, But it Makes Sense
We live in a day when rivalry weekend isn’t what it used to be. With conference expansion and teams now looking to cash in on rivalry TV ratings throughout the season, there just aren’t as many rivalry games as there were in the past.
For example, this past year, Oregon and Oregon State, Washington and Wash State, and the newly anticipated revival of BYU vs Utah have not occurred during the last week of the regular season. With fewer rivalry games, moving the Egg Bowl to Black Friday makes sense.
In fact, ESPN has announced that the game will be broadcast on ABC at 2:30 PM ET, making it one of the more attractive TV spots for the day.
For reference, this game slot was taken by UTSA vs Tulane last year, which drew in 1.72 million viewers. Ole Miss vs Miss State will be competing with other big games, but it’s not unrealistic to believe that the viewership numbers will double in that same time slot. In fact, aside from Iowa vs Nebraska, it may end up being the highest-rated game of the entire day.
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