A scheduling note here. I’ll be on the blog for a lunchtime chat tomorrow at noon. Maybe even with Masoli news by then. Grab and sandwich and join in.

Not much good came from the Egg Bowl for Ole Miss last year, but here’s something. The 317 rushing yards by the Bulldogs heightened the awareness of the option for defensive coordinator Tyrone Nix. That’s not a formation teams see often, and the Rebels didn’t handle it well against Mississippi State. They were much better against Oklahoma State in the Cotton Bowl and don’t intend to be caught off guard by the option again. Stopping the option

A neat event here coming up in downtown Tupelo in October. The key words to look for in this link are jumbotron and free. Pigskins in the park

Take a look at the NEMS360.com pick ’em contest that has more prizes (like a big screen TV) than our own Pigskin Picks that will appear in thie Game Day section this season.

Greetings and welcome to the first predictions post of 2010.

Predictions for Saturday’s season opener against Jacksonville State seem almost secondary to the predictions most people would like to know about, Jeremiah Masoli’s NCAA appeal and Kentrell Lockett’s health.

It was encouraging from a life standpoint more than from football to see Lockett upbeat on Twitter yesterday apparently while waiting at the Cleveland Clinic. He proclaimed his heart “fine,” and hopefully this week of tests will do the same thing.

As far as Masoli, I’m not thinking this is about to be reversed on appeal. The NCAA has a high-profile case it is using to make a statement, and a subcommittee of the same body that has already rejected the waiver request isn’t likely to turn it over.

And then there’s the game, a laugher, the Division I-AA buyout opponent, right?

I don’t think Jax State is about to spring an Appalachian State-style upset, but there’s a perfect storm of events brewing that work against Ole Miss.

First of all, the Gamecocks are a very talented team. What that means at I-AA is the starters are pretty good, and there are starters that could play at the D-I level. There is not D-I level talent at all positions and certainly not among the reserves.

Jax State is ranked No. 17 in both I-AA polls and is the preseason pick to win the Ohio Valley Conference. The Gamecocks were 9-3 last year, 6-1 in the OVC. In addition to their own talent at running back, at linebacker and in the secondary, their strongest spots, the Gamecocks have the advantage of off-field issues at Ole Miss.

Houston Nutt contends the Masoli and Lockett stories will not impact the Rebels’ focus when they tee it up Saturday at 2:30. I agree, but it does give teeth to the idea that this could be a trap game for Ole Miss.

Of greater concern against a solid run-oriented team is how the Rebels will hold up on the ends. With Lockett in the game there’s a veteran at one side, an All-SEC candidate. Without him there’s a talented redshirt sophomore, but it’s unknown how Gerald Rivers will respond when you turn on the lights.

On the other side, Wayne Dorsey is making his first start at end too. While he’s a highly touted junior college transfer some facts remain, and everyone has an acclimation period.

There is a wealth of inexperience along the offensive line, and question marks over the frame of mind of the Rebels’ most talented interior player, guard Rishaw Johnson.

Two quarterbacks will play. They have a combined five games of college experience to claim, all five of those games by Nathan Stanley – four of them mop-up time – who will be making his first start.

Ultimately, talent will take over.

Brandon Bolden or Enrique Davis will emerge at running back; Jesse Grandy and Randall Mackey will make something happen in the open field.

Defensively, Rivers will win his match-up against an OVC lineman. There’s more than enough reason to see this as a trap game, but ultimately I think the trap shuts down on the Gamecocks.

Prediction: Ole Miss 29, Jacksonville State 12

Rushing out the door on a Thursday morning, but doing so with the knowledge that today is Game Day, and that brings a certain feel with it, especially when so much of the preseason has been spent covering off-the-field issues.

Those issues remain unsettled. Those of you on Twitter likely saw Kentrell Lockett’s many posts from the waiting room at the Cleveland Clinic yesterday, one in which he proclaimed himself fine. Hopefully that is the case. We were told that tests were scheduled for Lockett throughout this week. He is out for Saturday’s game against Jacksonville State, and his status for the remainder of the season remains unclear.

The Rebels could hear on Jeremiah Masoli’s appeal tomorrow, but it could just as likely be next week. They’re working in the NCAA time zone on this thing.

South Carolina has had its share of off-field issues, and that’s one reason I think Southern Miss has a decent shot at an upset tonight.

More to come later this morning including the first predictions post of the season.