Everyone talks about how great the SEC is and how the West is the premier division within the conference at the present time. All of this is true and yet we continue to laud the Alabama reign and now celebrate Mississippi State and Ole Miss as they embark on an adventure that has been many years in the making. Both the Bulldogs and Rebels are founding members of the SEC, which started in 1932, and both have an interesting history within the football ranks of that conference. So let’s take a quick look at the two Mississippi schools and give you a little background on their role as SEC competitors
Mississippi has finally made a return to power since the John Vaught days. The Rebels were the powerhouse of SEC football during the 1950s and early 1960s winning a total of five SEC titles from 1952 until 1963 and finishing undefeated and ranked number two in 1963. In 1960 Ole Miss was undefeated, while Minnesota actually had two losses but were top-ranked prior to their loss in the Rose Bowl. It was not uncommon for the Rebels to be ranked in the top ten of all the major polls of the day and in 1964 Mississippi was listed as the pre-season number one. That unfortunately is where the story took a bit of a turn.
Mississippi has not won another SEC title, although it was co-champion of the SEC West in 2003. That is as close as Ole Miss has come in over 50 years. Archie Manning (father of Peyton and Eli) brought some life to the program from 1969-71, but otherwise the Rebels have been unable to achieve anything of record. Mississippi, like their in-state brethren are not exactly doormats of the Conference, but they’re not considered heavyweights either.
Then came the past few seasons under the tutelage of Hugh Freeze, where these Rebels have recruited aggressively and are just now starting to reap the results of those two fantastic freshman classes. Their natural all-time rivals are Vanderbilt who is their annual cross over SEC East opponent, with Mississippi holding a healthy 49-38-2 record, although Vanderbilt did win the initial 18 contests. Alabama is another fierce rival, with the Crimson Tide holding the all time record at 46-9-2 (.157) . This puts the Rebels in the same area as Mississippi State in regards to the juggernaut from Tuscaloosa.
The other notable rival is the Memphis Tigers who have met and mostly lost to the Rebels over 60 contests with Memphis only winning ten of those games with two ties. Interesting note for curious fans everywhere is that the Rebels are the first collegiate football team to ever fly to another game in 1937 when they traveled to face Temple and that was from the Memphis, TN airport. Mississippi has a respectable 23-12 record in bowl games as well.
Looking across the state at Starkville we see maroon and white on every corner. Mississippi State was actually once called the Aggies as the school was initially called Mississippi State A&M. You can only imagine what that would do to a conference that already has three Tigers. Actually Mississippi State has only won the SEC once, in 1941. The glory years of Bulldog football were in the 1940s. Under coach Allyn McKeen, the Bulldogs achieved their only undefeated season in 1940. The following year MSU captured their lone SEC Championship.
Coach Jackie Sherrill enjoyed the longest run of fame from 1991-2003. His 75 wins are the most by any coach in Starkville, although his final record was 75-75-2. In 1999, the Bulldogs went a respectable 10-2 under Sherrill and finished 12th in the polls, which was the highest ranking for any Mississippi school in 30 years.
They have four natural rivals, Mississippi, Alabama, LSU and Kentucky with Ole Miss being the obvious favorite. Historically Mississippi State has a losing record against all four of those rivals. The Bulldogs are lifetime 34-71-3 against LSU (.314). The record against Alabama is even worse at 18-76-3 (.185) and Ole Miss holds a respectable 61-43-6 (.554) overall record against their Egg Bowl rivals. If the Bulldogs can win this week’s game with Kentucky, it would tie the all-time series at 21-21 to put to rest any misgivings of Mississippi State being a bona fide SEC rival.
Coach Dan Mullen has taught patience to anyone who will listen, and right now he has positioned Mississippi State to start a whole new set of glory years. Trying to keep his players grounded week to week is a daunting task, as this particular group may never be involved in something so special again, and they want it to last through every challenge.
Finally is the passion that is known only as The Game. They affectionately call it the Egg Bowl and it is a time when the Magnolia State goes football crazy. The game is actually called the Battle for the Golden Egg and it its history has resonated since 1901. It is the last game of the season for both teams and whether they’re 2-10 or 10-2, this is considered the game of the year.
No state rivalry holds its bragging rights to a higher standard than the people of Mississippi. The last two years the winner has qualified for a bowl game by virtue of beating their in-state rival. This game is right up there with the Iron Bowl or the Little Brown Jug. Now wouldn’t 2014 be really special if the Egg Bowl decided the SEC West Champion and who might, just might be going to the College Football Playoff?
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