Ole Miss v. Memphis: Tiger fans weigh in.

Update: I stopped by a couple of Memphis message boards to ask questions about Ole Miss and thoughts about the upcoming game. I've added comments from the MemphisTigers.org messageboard.
Here is what I found:

(1) What do you guys think of our upcoming game this year?

"Should be as competitive as the last three, with hopefully more points." --BrianJ


"More so I am looking to see if the 2-10 season was a fluke. Lots of challenges occured for Memphis last year that took away from possibly a good season. There were so many bad things that happened that its tough to really know where we stood." --griffin


"Memphis 26-Mississippi 18" --memphismojo

"a typical game between the 2. one or two plays tilt the outcome one way or the other" --tigerjeb

"The usual battle between Memphis and Ole Miss. The days of Rebel blowouts are long gone in this series. As mentioned, it will come down to one or two plays."--HornLakeTiger

"I love the game against Mississippi. Love the game against Tennessee. However, Mississippi is a BCS opponent on the schedule that Memphis always has a real chance of beating. I don't really get that feeling about Tennessee. " --Tigers2B1

"It will be a pick 'em game" --Bill83

"I ALWAYS look forward to this game" --Tigerjedi

"it'll either be close or you'll run through us like butter. i can't decide which, i want to believe the hype about our improved defense, but i have to see it first." --Dylan


(2) What are your strengths and weaknesses this year?

"Strengths - offensive line and defensive lines, experience at QB and RB.Weaknesses - Unless they make dramatic improvements from last year - linebackers. And maybe special teams." --Brian J


"Without question - our biggest strength is our punter and possibly the wide receiver position, closely followed by the offensive line. After that it is as big a question as the 2 - 10 season. The QB, RB, DL, LB, DB are all a big question mark at this time." --griffin


"DLine and WRsPunter and ?s in secondary." --memphismojo

"strengths are depth and experience. weakness is at linebacker position" --tigerjeb

"Strength is plenty of on field experience to go around. Weakness may come down to attempting to get a load of new coaches to gel together." --HornLakeTiger

"This year and every year -- our strength is Tommy West. Not just coaching - but he's a great PR guy for the school. Just hard to notice West sometimes because of the national shadow cast by John Calipari. "Our weakness is not playing in a BCS conference - this year and every year."
--Tigers2B1

"O-Line and D-line are the strengths, I'll believe the secondary can actually turn and look at a ball in the air when I see it." --Bill83

"Strengths: QB, RB, WR (the DL and OL could be) :) Weakness: Punter is unknown, I am not sure about our DB's and our LB will be good, but how good remains a big question IMO (I guess that is everything, sorry :). " --Tigerjedi

"strengths are receivers and experience. Weakness is that experience went 2-10 last year." --Dylan


(3)What do you think about the Ole Mis v. Memphis series?

"How close the schools are and how much it excites each fan base." --BrianJ


"Grew up with it and loved it - keeps the summer exciting more so than opening up with any other team. The fact that there is history there as the first game, provides a regular path to have some good hearted talk with some rebel fans. Its not as big of a deal anymore to me as it was in the late seventies and early eighties since we won two in a row with Tommy's teams and then were close in the following two - I guess because there was always a point to prove even if its for only one game a season. Probably similar to missisippi and LSU. We've opened with Miss St. before and while I looked forward to the game, the overall excitment was not there. Just fun to know there is a possobility to knock off mississippi and to know how that "ruins" so many Sunday mornings for rebels fans....you know..the walk to get the paper at the end of the drive feeling...yeah, that probably puts it best...knowing that walk to the paper on Sunday morning is potentially going to be painful is worth the 2 wins every ten years. Sick I know." --griffin


"Should open every season." --memphismojo

"should be played as the season opener. but greed is a powerful motivator" --tigerjeb

"I like the series. We won't die if it's discontinued, but I enjoy it. It's a great season opener, whether Rebel fans admit it or not."--HornLakeTiger

"Twilight. The tossing and turning and the smell of death is already in the air. I think that the series in both football and basketball are in their last days." --Tigers2B1

"i like it, have a lot of Ole Miss friends, like the fact that it's the first game of the season. Our game last year gave both fan bases a glimmer of hope until we both played the next week, and both looked bad." --Dylan

"I love it, but if they want to end it, we will survive." --Tigerjedi

"I hope it nevers ends but my vote doesn't count." --Bill83


(4) What do you respect most about Ole Miss?


"Traditions in The Grove." --BrianJ


"The fact that they have always been there in the SEC to schedule Memphis at a time when no one would and the fact that when recently when our football facilities burned down about 5 or so years ago, Ole Miss was the first to offer assistance, equipment. Dont forget those types of things. Also, cant forget about this...the women. While they cant hold a candle to the University of Memphis/Mempis St. women, they come in a close second. They always seemed to have a special place in their hearts for Memphis boys for some reason, pity or not - they made Saturday nights more enjoyable for some of us." --griffin


"Chucky Mullins" --memphismojo

"loyalty of its alumni" --tigerjeb


"I like the feeling of old school, traditional southern football around campus on a gameday Saturday." --HornLakeTiger

"Women. That and that they were able to pull themselves out of the attitudes of 1950s and early 60s --- by no later than the 1990s --Tigers2B1

"William Faulkner" --Bill83

"Some of the fans are ok and the grove is cool. The chicks are HOT!!!" --Tigerjedi

"fanbase and alumni, and the fact that a huge majority of the fanbase is alumni." --Dylan

(5) What do you dislike most about Ole Miss?

"The "holier-than-thou" attitude that many of the fans seem have. It's not all of them, but for those that do, it's quite obnoxious. " --BrianJ


"Really only one thing - to still see the rebel flag from fans. All of the smack talk etc. is at all schools to some extent...but seeing a flag that you know bothers other folks just sends the wrong message no matter how you position it. Outside of that, no problem what so ever...pretty campus, easy drive, good food, fun games....great way to start the season off - even if we are only going to win 2 out of every ten - still worth a summer of suspense." --griffin


"Pete Boone" --memphismojo

"the total unjustifiable arrogance " --tigerjeb

"As mentioned by jeb, unjustified arrogance. That is the main reason why I'm looking forward to playing State in a couple of years. Their fans are much easier to get along with. "
--HornLakeTiger


"They make fun of our mullets --- or my mullet. Some of the fans can take it a little too far, especially when the liquor flows." --Tigers2B1

"when they are around memphis fans, they act like Alabama fans. When they are around Alabama fans, they act like the red headed stepchild." --Dylan

"It would be easier to ask what I like about Ole Miss, but if I had to pick one dislike, I would say the drunk fans. Rednecks get REALLY mad when they lose. " --Tigerjedi

"Their grads and undergrads really believe an Ole Miss diploma makes them more sophisticated as compared to UofM. Harvard of the South? try Vandy, Rice, Rhodes , Sewanee or Emory." --Bill83

Thanks to the fans of Memphistigers.org & YourMemphisTigers.com.