This game, this year, means way more than any other rivalry game we have on the schedule. So many people, on all three sites, seem to be focusing too much attention to an in-state team, who has no relevancy in any form or fashion outside of its own local radius. Look, I get it if you live among the necks, it can be hard to avoid the trap of paying attention to them. That being said, Ole Miss & LSU are both playing for national recognition, rankings, playoff positioning, etc... That is why this game means so much more now than it has in the modern era. It is an awesome thing to be relevant again and to have a once very relevant and big time rivalry back to being important and played on a national stage with big time players and big time implications.
In the modern era, we haven't necessarily done what it takes to keep this rivalry relevant. Now, more than other time in my history with Ole Miss (freshman back in 1988}, we have in place the necessary infrastructure, to take this game to the next level and continue to do so in the coming years. (Personally this has always been the game I've felt the most joy in winning and the most frustrated when losing. It's always been the game I look most forward to every year.) Again, when we continue to handle business on a regular basis in this game, the Egg Bowl IMO, while still a rivalry game, won't be near as important other than we need to win to make sure we guarantee our spot in the playoffs, have a good seed and hopefully get to host a first round game on campus.
With everything we have in place currently and the direction we are heading, this should become the most important and biggest game on the schedule as it relates to our three permanent opponents. It's a great time to be an Ole Miss Rebel!!!
Thoughts??
