Manager Walter Smith made four changes from Tynecastle with Sasa Papac, Steve Davis, DaMarcus Beasley and Kenny Miller replacing Kirk Broadfoot, Charlie Adam, Kyle Lafferty and Jean-Claude Darcheville.
Rangers 7 (Boyd 3 [27, 50 Pen, 61], Miller 10, Lafferty 79, Novo 87, Davis 89) Hamilton Accies 1 (McArthur 2)
Attendance 48,282
Rangers got off to the worst possible start when Allan McGregor was badly at fault with a weak punch-out from a Chris Swailes cross that was lobbed back into the net by James McArthur for the opening goal in just two minutes.
Rangers wasted little time in responding - seven minutes later a Davis cross, dummied by Barry Ferguson, found Miller whose twenty-yard drive was parried by Accies goalkeeper Tomas Cerny, the ball eventually being returned into the danger area by Steven Whittaker for Miller again to rifle home a Ferguson lay-off.
The visitors remained dangerous however - Joel Thomas breaking through in twelve minutes only to be crowded out by Madjid Bougherra in twelve minutes.
Six minutes later Miller was inches away from a second goal from a Beasley pass.
Rangers were well on top - and took the lead in 27 minutes when Boyd swivelled on a Miller pass to fire home from fifteen yards.
Four minutes later a Davis free-kick to the far post was headed down by Bougherra only for Ferguson's weak effort to be straight at Cerny, then soon afterwards Boyd struck the underside of the crossbar from the edge of the box.
Despite the Light Blues' overwhelming superiority there was great concern over a weakness in the air in defence from set-pieces in particular Chris Swailes shooting over in 36 minutes following a Trent McClenahan free-kick.
Nevertheless Rangers ended the half on top - Miller, through on a Boyd flick, saw Cerny block his first effort before his second slid inches wide of the target.
The game changed irrevocably five minutes after the restart when Boyd, released on goal by McGregor's long kick-out, was hauled back by Martin Canning. It was a stonewall penalty and a certain red card, both administered by Referee Calum Murray, and the striker did the needful from the spot.
Boyd might - perhaps should - have completed his hat-trick in 55 minutes when he sliced Beasley's cross over, but it was merely delayed for the centre had the easiest of tasks in turning the ball home six minutes later after Ferguson had released Davis down the right, the Ulsterman's cutback across the face of goal providing a simple task for Boyd.
it was one-way traffic - a Bougherra - Steven Whittaker move in 66 minutes finding Miller whose shot was twice blocked on the line.
Sixty seconds later Miller was replaced by Nacho Novo - and there was a whole host of substitutions over the next ten minutes as firstly Accies Boss Billy Reid introduced no fewer than THREE replacements in seventy minutes before Lafferty came on for Boyd then there was a debut for Spanish youngster Aaron in place of the ineffective Beasley.
Lafferty wasted no time in making an impact in 79 minutes when he had the simplest of tasks in turning home a Novo cutback.
Rangers were in the mood for more - five minutes later Pedro Mendes' eighteen-yard chip from a Lafferty lay-off was touched over by Cerny who shortly afterwards held Lafferty's turn-and-shot from a David Weir pass.
Aaron had certainly made an impact since his introduction - and he laid on the sixth goal for Novo in 87 minutes.
There was still no letting-up, and in the final minute Davis completed the rout when he hooked the ball home after Whittaker's cross had been headed down by Lafferty.
Afterwards Walter Smith commented:
"We were disappointed to lose an early goal, but the bad start upset us. We put in a very good performance overall. The ordering-off changed the game. We have been playing well enough over the course of the season but have lacked consistency"
RANGERS McGregor; Whittaker, Weir, Bougherra, Papac; Davis, Mendes, Ferguson, Beasley (Aaron 78); Boyd (Lafferty 75), Miller (Novo 67)
UNUSED SUBS Alexander, Edu, Broadfoot, Little
HAMILTON ACCIES Cerny; McClenahan (Graham 70), McLaughlin, Canning, Swailes, Easton; Mensing, McArthur, Neil, McCarthy (Gibson 70); Thomas (Lyle 70)
UNUSED SUBS Ettien, Murdoch, Elebert, Akins
REFEREE Calum Murray