By Jacob Horton
By a show of hands, who predicted Ole Miss and Mississippi State would both be ranked in the top three spots in the AP poll by week seven? Well, here we are, and that is the scenario that we find ourselves in.
In a state that has been plagued by mediocre football for decades, the fans of Mississippi are waking up this morning sitting atop the throne of college football. The Rebels of Ole Miss University currently rank number three in the AP poll, while the Mississippi State Bulldogs hold down the number one spot. There hasn’t been this much hype in the state since the birth of Elvis Presley.
It wasn’t that long ago when a neighboring state ruled the ranks of college football, was it? From 2009 to 2012, the National Championship trophy resided in the facilities of an Alabama school. Needless to say, both Alabama and Auburn are still among the best college football programs in the country, but with both schools suffering tough road losses these past two weeks in Mississippi, all signs are pointing to a possible national championship season from the Magnolia State.
This season also has extra incentive due to the fact that this is the inaugural season of the four-team playoff. People will remember the winner, the loser and the teams that got snubbed out of a chance to play in the first four team playoff.
When you’ve been bad at something for so long, people expect you to fail at any given point. This is the first time the Bulldogs have ever been ranked number one in any poll in college football history. It only took the Bulldogs five weeks to go from unranked to number one in the AP poll. The previous record was six weeks by Ohio State in 1954.
As for the Ole Miss Rebels, they have looked equally impressive in back-to-back wins against powerful SEC West opponents. They took down the mighty Alabama Crimson Tide, and dominated an inferior Texas A&M program that seems to be fizzling out as the season progresses. Both wins showcased how potent this team could be.
With that being said, all signs this year are pointing to an Egg Bowl of the century Come Nov. 29, which SEC West rivalry game will have more on the line regarding admission to the four-team playoff? Will the Iron Bowl serve as the “opening act” to the more important Egg Bowl? At the rate we’re going, the first round of the four-team playoff may as well be played at Vaught-Hemmingway Stadium on Nov. 29.
The question regarding both Mississippi schools is this: When will the “real” Mississippi State and Ole Miss teams show up? When will the former punching bag of the SEC West finally appear and give leeway to the superior football programs? From the looks of it, I’d say were going to be waiting for a while.
Contact the writer: jhorton4@aum.edu
