The element of surprise has always been part of college football. Never, though, like this.
The polls are out and it's official: Mississippi State is at the top of the college football world, with in-state rival Ole Miss sitting two spots down at number three. It's as impressive a feat as the Magnolia State as produced in the annals of sports history.
It's also locked up one award. No, not the Heisman (though Dak Prescott is in the driver's seat). Dan Mullen should be the Coach of the Year this year, without question.
I've been to Starkville, Mississippi. It's a small town; an agriculture school in a rural agricultural setting. The local airport has two flights daily to Atlanta. When their bookstore opened, it was said to have the first escalator in the county. It's really that small.
Mississippi State draws the smallest revenues of the 13 public SEC universities (Vanderbilt does not release their information). Alabama makes more than double the revenue that MSU makes, while spending almost double, as well. By the way, the team with the second smallest revenue stream in the SEC? None other than Katy Perry's beloved Ole Miss Rebels.
The Bulldogs have just one SEC title, won in 1941. They have one SEC West title. They've lost more games in their history than they've won. In fact, Mississippi State leads only two series against SEC teams: Vanderbilt (12-7) and Texas A&M (5-4). The top high school players in the Magnolia State usually found their way to Alabama or LSU, leaving Ole Miss, MSU, and Southern Miss to fight for the remaining talent.
Starkville lacks the big city life of Nashville, or the tradition of Tuscaloosa. Davis Wade Stadium is only larger than two other stadiums; known to be hostile through its sea of cowbells. To think of Starkville as the current capital of college football is simply astounding. But make no mistake, it's legit. Mullen quietly took everything against him, tore the old foundation down, recruited talent to a place that lacked what others had and rebuilt a program that now stands at the top of college football halfway through the 2014 season.
Barring miracles, Florida will likely be making a call come December. Don't doubt for a second the folks at Michigan aren't trying to figure out how to get to Starkville as well. There's going to be a bidding war. Speaking of, what school isn't going to take a quick glance at AD Scott Stricklin, as well? He has a smaller budget than most SEC schools, yet his Bulldogs were in the College World Series title game two years ago and now this. Again, is anyone in Ann Arbor getting this? That's for another day, though.
As for Ole Miss, it's an incredible story too. It wasn't that long ago when FCS member Jacksonville State rolled into town and left with an upset victory. Hugh Freeze took over the program and led it from the lowest of lows to the highest of highs in very short time. Granted, the Rebels have some history behind them. Johnny Vaught led Ole Miss to prominence in the 50s and 60s and the eras of both Archie and Eli Manning were successful times in Oxford. Recruits know about the legendary tailgates at the Grove. The town is small, but it has its own charms and a bit of history and tradition to offer. Yet, the Rebels still have a stadium that's among the smallest in the SEC and an operating budget that's amongst the smallest in the conference as well.
This year, it doesn't seem to matter. The Rebels took out Alabama. They took out Texas A&M. They're sitting undefeated in the toughest division of the toughest conference in America. Bo Wallace has grown into his position. The Ole Miss defense is physical and nasty, with Robert Nkemdiche and Senquez Golson becoming household names. They only have two road games and two ranked opponents left on the schedule. The road to a College Football Playoff berth seems pretty reasonable, even if it's the SEC West.
They'll meet in November. The Iron Bowl, the king of college football games for the last several years, is about to get upstaged by the Battle for the Golden Egg. They may not spend the money, nor draw the revenue. It may have been a tougher sell for recruits. But now, to be king of the Magnolia State carries national significance. And that alone says that maybe this isn't just a fluke in another crazy year of college football.
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