Dec. 31--TV: 7:30 p.m. Friday; ESPN.
Line: Mississippi by 7.5.
Records: Mississippi 9-3; Oklahoma State 10-2.
Last meeting: Mississippi won 21-7 in the Cotton Bowl on Jan. 2, 2010, in Arlington, Texas.
On the offensive: Ole Miss' Chad Kelly led the SEC with 3,740 passing yards, 10th nationally, while completing 65.2 percent with 27 touchdowns. Eight landed in the hands of Crete-Monee grad Laquon Treadwell. The Cowboys are seventh nationally in passing (357.3 ypg) thanks to the duo of Mason Rudolph and J.W. Walsh, who probably will play a lot thanks to Rudolph's foot injury.
Getting defensive: When the going got tough, OSU's defense didn't, allowing 642 yards and 53 points in a win over Texas Tech, 663 yards in a win against TCU and 700 yards in a loss to Baylor. They allowed 574.5 yards per game in November and finished 96th nationally (429.5). Not having DL Robert Nkemdiche (suspension) could hurt Ole Miss.
The number: 3.69. Average yards per rush by OSU, which ranks 112th among 128 FBS teams.
The talk: How healthy and game-ready will Rudolph be after attempting just three passes since having foot surgery? And how are the Cowboys expected to slow the Rebels, who scored 43 on Alabama in a six-point win?
Paul Skrbina's pick: Rudolph's injury and the Cowboys' leaky defense will allow Treadwell and Kelly to go wild.
Mississippi 42, Oklahoma State 28.
