The NCAA is reportedly set to announce ‘major’ infractions for Mississippi State. (Stacy Revere/Getty Images)

By Zac Ellis

The NCAA is set to announce “major” infractions for Mississippi State’s football program, according to Brett McMurphy of ESPN.com.

The NCAA scheduled a conference call for Friday morning to address the infractions. In August, Mississippi State confirmed an ongoing NCAA investigation into the school’s recruiting practices, and former wide receivers coach Angelo Mirando is reportedly a key element in the upcoming infractions. Mirando resigned last August, a move ESPN reported to be related to an investigation into his recruitment of at least one player on the Bulldogs’ roster. Mississippi State said in a statement that Mirando resigned for “unforeseen personal issues.”

Head coach Dan Mullen is not expect to be implicated in Friday’s infractions. “That’s been going on for the last several months,” Mullen said Thursday of the investigation. “I’m not able to comment on any of that.”

By Holly Anderson

Coach Mullen signing an ultrasound. That’s a new one. #RoadDawgs13 http://t.co/hvPnxhSljH—
Joe Galbraith (@joestate) May 07, 2013

Dan Mullen, ever on the bleeding edge of the recruiting game, takes the practice of autographing a pregnant woman’s belly to its furthest rational conclusion.

After deciding to transfer from PSU, Steven Bench is considering Mississippi State. (Matthew Holst/Getty Images)

By Zac Ellis

A former Penn State quarterback could be making his way to the SEC. Steven Bench, who announced his decision to transfer from Penn State on April 24, is considering heading to Mississippi State, The Dispatch in Columbus, Miss., reports.

Last week, ESPN reported Bench was looking into a handful of destinations, particularly USF and Mississippi State. But national reports have since focused on the Bulldogs, and Bench told The Dispatch that speculation surrounding his interest in Mississippi State is “very accurate.”

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Rebel and the Golden Egg trophy, returning to your TV this Thanksgiving. (Fred Brooks/Icon SMI)

By Zac Ellis

Fans of Mississippi football can expect a holiday treat this fall: The Egg Bowl will return to ESPN’s Thanksgiving lineup. The network announced Wednesday that the 110th in-state clash between Mississippi State and Ole Miss will once again take place on Thanksgiving, which this year falls on Nov. 28.

The matchup previously took place on ESPN on Thanksgiving from 1998-2003 before moving to Saturdays. But thanks to joint interest from Ole Miss athletic director Ross Bjork and Mississippi State athletic director Scott Stricklin, the game will return as a proper dessert following football fans’ Thanksgiving feasts.

Ole Miss won last year’s game 41-24 to extend its all-time series lead to 61-42-6.

Michael Ferns is a four-star class of 2014 linebacker prospect from Saint Clairsville, Ohio, who has been offered by such programs as Alabama, Notre Dame, Ohio State and Stanford. He’s currently committed to Michigan. But via intrepid reader Jane, we were alerted to a curious piece of recruiting literature he appears to have received:

Ummm.. Thanks Coach instagram.com/p/XmhmUZSqhs/—
Michael Ferns (@M_Ferns10) April 02, 2013

We say “appeared to receive” because without seeing the thing in our actual hands there’s no way to verify that this actually did come from Mississippi State. Will that stop us from having an impromptu afternoon Laff Riot? It will not:

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Following Tim Brewster’s abrupt departure from Mississippi State to join Jimbo Fisher’s staff in Tallahassee, Bulldog bloggers at For Whom The Cowbell Tolls are taking a look back at Brewster’s effusive social media antics:

Just got back from a beautiful Christmas Eve service. So blessed and thankful! Merry Christmas to all!—
Tim Brewster (@TimBrewster) December 25, 2012

How we viewed before: Man! That Tim Brewster is not only the best coach around, he’s a down home family man! I knew I liked the cut of his cloth. He’s the kind of example and man we need associated with our program.

How we view now: I kind of imagine him typing this with a huge grin on his face — like one so big it hurts. Then his wife asks him what he’s typing, and he yells the sentences back to her. I only remember him by his tweets, and since he used a lot of exclamation points, I assume he yells a lot, like Dave Chappelle in the Sam Jackson beer commercial.

It’s comforting to know that there’ll be somebody capable of filling that James Coley-shaped Twitter void in Tallahassee, no?

The logo on the cap changes, but Tim Brewster appears content to keep his services with reddish-colored teams.

Big week for unceremoniously ousted former FBS head coaches: First Neil Callaway catches on with Bobby Petrino’s merry band to coach the O-line at Western Kentucky; now Tim Brewster is leaving Mississippi State to coach tight ends for Jimbo Fisher at Florida State. This is sorta funny, because if you’ll recall, Brewster has a very recent history of suggesting a rival’s assistant may not be long for his current position:

Why yes, that’s Mississippi State receivers coach Tim Brewster, formerly of the University of Minnesota, speculating on the future of Ole Miss assistant coach Chris Kiffin, who is rumored to be taking a job with the Dallas Cowboys.

Chris Kiffin has yet to publicly respond to this latest development. But really, T-Brew — may we call you T-Brew? — take a page from what you tell your players every time they leave your care for even the shortest span of time: Never say anything on the Internet. Unlike your attachment to Starkville, it sticks forever.

We have at least three weeks’ worth of Sebastian photos on hand, in case this Miami story keeps dragging on. (AP)

Assorted newsy bits — of varying degrees of importance — you might have missed over the long weekend:

• Didn’t we already do this headline a week ago? ”Imminent” can mean a lot of things! In the cosmic sense, the NCAA’s investigation of Miami has spanned less than a fraction of an eyeblink, but here we are, riding on a human-speed space-time wave, just twiddling our bloggy thumbs until the ‘Canes’ notice of allegations drops. The latest rumblings, per Bruce Feldman, involve a very large book being thrown at ex-Miami and current Louisville assistant Clint Hurtt and other former ‘Canes colleagues. We’ll have more on this when we actually see the notice of allegations, unless we don’t see this notice of allegations, in which case we’ll be right back here next Monday writing a third variation on this same headline.

• And speaking of the NCAA: On the final day of the annual NCAA convention, the latest raft of changes — touted as an effort to streamline NCAA regulations — were unveiled. Your friendly neighborhood Bylaw Blogger takes a look at one proposal, regarding recruiting start dates, that was left out of the bundle.

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The story of one afternoon in college football’s postseason, as told through social media:

Our remedy is SMASH MOUTH FOOTBALL. But also try some CARROT JUICE. RT @optoloper: I need your best hangover remedy. It’s for a friend.

— Capital One Bowl (@CapitalOneBowl) January 1, 2013

Recipe for attendance disaster at the Heart of Dallas Bowl. 11 a.m. New Year’s kick. Lopsided matchup. Big OSU hoops game on Mon. Then rain.

— David Ubben (@davidubben) January 1, 2013

Depends, what time does it start? RT @lakebuenavista: Will you be watching the @capitalonebowl today? bit.ly/TKn0TC

— Capital One Bowl (@CapitalOneBowl) January 1, 2013

First mistake of the day by Boilers RT @carminjc: #Purdue wins the toss and defers to 2nd half. Cowboys to receive.

— Ralph D. Russo (@ralphDrussoAP) January 1, 2013

The tax staggered into the street, bleeding from his chest, as the Taxslayer threw a bloody knife into the gutter and ran.

— Bobby Big Wheel (@BobbyBigWheel) January 1, 2013

@andy_staples I KNOW WE’RE DOOMED WHY EVEN PLAY THE GAME

— mgoblog (@mgoblog) January 1, 2013

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We can’t believe Rick Catlett said that either, girls. (AP)

The 2012 Gator Bowl is just hours away. We’re sure you have so many questions. We’re here to help. (For an X’s and O’s breakdown, click through to Stewart Mandel’s game preview.)

• What’s all this, then? The Taxslayer.com Gator Bowl is one of only two current college football postseason contests named after a dot-com. Once sponsored by Outback Steakhouse, it is not the Outback Bowl. What an awkward and weird name to append to an old and proud postseason contest. Nonsense. What’s mightier than an alligator, except an alligator that can find you deductions on your return?

• Where will this game be played? Jacksonville’s EverBank Field, home of the Jacksonville Jaguars and the World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail party game.

• When is it on television? Coverage begins at noon ET on ESPN2 with Bob Wischusen, Danny Kanell and Allison Williams. The game will also be streamed on WatchESPN.

• Whom does it feature? SEC versus Big Ten.

• What about this year? Having the 9-3 Northwestern Wildcats and the 8-4 Mississippi State Bulldogs occupying the same bit of real estate has made for some memorable cross-cultural encounters this week:

“Hey! How are you? Looking forward to the game?”"CLANGA CLANGA CLANGA”"I see.”

— Tom McGrath (@TCMcG) December 31, 2012

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