Mississippi….with its rolling hills, flat Delta
farmland, down home Blues, sun kissed
coastal waters….and two nationally recognized football programs. Say what??? Yep, it’s football season folks and
Mississippi has caught the eye and captured the heart of people from all over
the country. Whether you bleed red and
blue or maroon and white…All eyes have been on the Magnolia State and
rightfully so. We have had ESPN Gameday
come to Mississippi twice this season. I
really thought it was a true sign of the apocalypse. There have been more people in church since
September than probably the past 50 years on record.
As a diehard Ole Miss fan, I am usually praying for
a 6 win season at this point so we can go to our usual customary bowl
game. Mississippi State fans are
generally doing the same. But this year,
we have two Top 10 teams….with Mississippi State being number one (right
now). You see, I have to say “right now”
because any self-respecting Rebel can’t be too proud of the Dawgs. It goes against everything football rivalries
stand for. I mean they wear maroon with
camo?? For the love of all things good
and fashionable, that does not work on any level.
Earlier this season, both of our programs were tops
in the nation and everyone was lovey dovey and “we’re so proud of both teams”. Me, I knew it wouldn’t last. We each want OUR team to succeed and the
other to fail miserably. Hey, I’m just
being honest. So, Ole Miss had two heart
breaking losses to LSU and Auburn and the fangs come out (I’m talking Cujo dawg
fangs people). There is no more “we love
both teams”. There is “This is OUR State”
and “we’re all about that State, no Rebels” parodies……and cowbells. Cowbells that wake the dead. “Clanga Clanga…ugh……..”
But, whether either of us wins or loses, Mississippi
is a winner. We are seen as a state with
friendly people, great food, awesome music, birth land of hundreds of
musicians, actors, authors and elite athletes.
We aren’t number 50….We are
number 1. We are seen as a state
with great leadership—with two football coaches and athletic directors that had
a vision and an unrelenting faith in what those young boys could do, in what
OUR state could do.
So, this Saturday…I will cheer for the Dawgs against
Alabama even though it goes against every fiber of my being. In the words of Bear Bryant, “Winning isn’t everything, but it beats anything that
comes in second.”
And then I will go back to hating cow
college in time for the Egg Bowl…... The
battle of Culture –vs- Agriculture. And
2014 guarantees to be one for the ages. Because as we all know………all’s fair in
love and football…………
