How we are perceived: West Virginia & Syracuse

The last two football universities from the Big East, West Virginia and Syracuse, share their thoughts on Ole Miss.

West Virginia:

(1) What is the first thing that comes to mind when you think of Ole Miss?

Khori Ivy and Antonio Brown breaking the ankles of Ken Lucas and Wes Ours rumbling down the sideline. 49-38 on a cold December day in Nashville.-wvu8893

Hot women-doc-

Watching Archie Manning as QB when I was a kid.-DDT Farnsworth

Good-looking women (how many Miss Americas came out of Ole Miss?) followed closely by the weird old white-haired Rebel who looks as if he needs to come out of the closet.-43rd Parallel

My uncle went there for a year or so back in the 50's.....extremely pleasant campus atmosphere.....a FAR wealthier University than most people realize.....I know about the school's reputation for THE most beautiful women in the South, but I've honestly never seen any unusual evidence of it on my couple or three visits to Oxford.-COOL MAN

I have a customer who went to Ole Miss. All he talks about is The Grove and the beautiful women. I asked a friend of mine, who works for ESPN, what is one of the best places for a college gameday experience and he said without question, at Ole Miss. One of these days I'll get down there for a game with my customer so I can experience it. -Stone_Cold

The stars and bars.-coaldigger

I have neutral feelings about Ole Miss since I am not affiliated with any school that considers them a rival-Mounta...oo1005

Antebellum days; the rebel cross (good and bad); cotillions for young ladies; mint julips-Mtneer001

Loyal patient fans who are starving to compete with the SEC's Big 6 ( UGA, UF, UT, LSU, Auburn, Alabama and to a lesser extent Arkansas and South Carolina. The memory of have of Ole Miss that stays with me is Bryce drew hitting a miracle shot at the buzzer to advance Valpo past Ole Miss in the first round of the NCAA tourney.-ATLMountainEER

Good folks, all the way around. It struck how you dress up for a football game. Personally, I get way to worked up to wear anything special. But if I ever get to Oxford, I'll do as the Romans do anyhow. I guess from an Ole Miss perspective, I remember being there to see Eli Manning turn a laugher into, well, a lot less of a laugher. If I recall correctly, that was his coming out party of sorts. I'm glad the coach didn't put him in sooner. I don't know that I would have guess he would have had a Super Bowl ring as a strarting QB by now though!-EnginEER 89

Beautiful Women. I know that Ole Miss has produced the most Miss Americas and I dated an Ole Miss grad and she was very nice.-Cheers

First thought was James Meredith...-Robert...Jacobs

Our bowl victory ove Ole Miss-inner_...ection

Eli Manning wasn't the starter in the 2000 Music City Bowl, and Donald EUGENE Nehlen last win was probably because of that. Well, that and the fact that Man Coverage bump and run defense allowed Brad Lewis to use Antonio Brown and to look like Steve Young / Dan Fouts / Joe Montana / EVERY OTHER NFL HALL OF FAME QB for an entire half and build an insurmountable Lead.-3xWVUenginEER

(2) What are your feelings about Ole Miss?

I think Ole Miss screwed David Cutcliffe and has paid for it dearly. Orgeron was a decent hire but now Houston Nutt, a fine coach in his own right, will have moderately quick success because of what Orgeron left. Ole Miss will get stronger but the Cutcliffe firing is still one of the dumbest college football decisions in recent memory. Oh, and bring back the rebel flags on gamedays. Screw the PC crowd.-wvu8893

Great town, average FB and BB programs-doc-

A likable team and school but also a team/school that seems to have "the cards stacked" against it. Trying to compete in the SEC and make that next step up but just can't seem to get it done due to "something". That "something" could be a lot of things (money, facilities, economy, etc.) but I have a feeling that it's more of a "perception" problem that Ole Miss has to constantly battle more than anything both in and out of the SEC. [kinda like WVU in many ways]-DDT Farnsworth

Ambivalence tempered by not giving a damn.-43rd Parallel

An underdog, and I always pull for underdogs.....few alumni groups in the country overrate their alma mater's ability to CONSISTENTLY compete for a league football title quite as much as Ole Miss alums......still can't figure out how you fire Dave Cutcliffe in favor of Ed Orgeron (even though I know your focus was really on Denny Erickson before he said no).-COOL MAN

Southern school.-coaldigger

Neutral.-Mtneer001

Ole Miss should be the only university from Mississippi in the SEC. The state's population and resources is more suited to support one major university. Because of this, Ole Miss and more frequently Miss State place 10th, 11th, or 12th along with Vandy ( a private university) in the SEC athletic department budget where Ole Miss and Miss State are failing in the arms race to keep speed with The Big 6, South Carolina, Arkansas, and Kentucky.-ATLMountainEER

I like Ole Miss. Don't think of Ole Miss much but when I do it is always positive. I hear it is a great place to go to a game.-Cheers

The past is the past, and I have generally positive feelings about Ole Miss, the flagship university of a small, poor state, a la WVU... -Robert...Jacobs

It's pretty presumptuous to think that I have any feelings toward Ole Miss, which I don't.-inner_...ection

Don't really have any feelings about them. The school is in MS and don't deal much with the state. I know the folks at Mississippi State don't care much for you, and I thought those fans were the friendliest I've ever encountered.-3xWVUenginEER

(3) Would you like to play us in football or basketball in the future?

Sure. Ole Miss would be a good win on our ledger. Just get bowl eligible the year we play you because we don't need an out-of-conference costing us valuable computer points in the BCS. We have Marshall handling that.-wvu8893

will be in BB next year-doc-

Definitely yes. Basketball is supposed to happen next year or two I believe.-DDT Farnsworth

I believe our basketball team goes to Oxford this year. So, yes.-43rd Parallel

Yes and yes.....a good and beneficial matchup for both schools-COOL MAN

Yes and yes.-coaldigger

Yes and Yes-Mounta...oo1005

Yes, a home and home for football would be fun.-Mtneer001

Basketball - YES Aside from Evans couple seasons of good basketball, Ole Miss has lacked stability with coaching firings and resignations. Kenedey is on the verge of changing the basketball climate at Ole Miss. WVU and Ole Miss would be a terrific series allowing for tough hard noses OOC matchuYes..apparently wep that will be a great baramoter for each coach before conference play. Football- Absolutely NOT. It's not good enough that WVU is suppose to beat Ole Miss. What's comical is WVU has to beat a team like Ole Miss by 21-24 points and show a lot of flare amd dominate from 1st quarter until end. Forget if Ole Miss beats a couple good SEC teams or is beating UF in 4th quarter or was beating Alabama at halftime. WVU seems to be held to a different set of rules when playing mid or lower tier teams from BCS and NON BCS conferences. If WVU destorys Ole Miss, it hardly gets a pack on the back ( see Miss State) even if Florida, LSU, or Georgia need heroics and last plays to beat Ole Miss, WVU won't get it's credit, yet Auburn, UGA, UGA, LSU and so forth are patted on the back and reminded anything can happen at any time in the SEC. If WVU and Ole Miss were a tough game with WVU pulling out a win late, WVU would most likely drop in rankings ( while a SEC school wouldn't), lose sex appeal and be regulated to the end of the line of National Championship contenders.
WVU playing Ole Miss is a lose lose. If we don't destory Ole Miss, it will be used against us. If we blow them out, It will be barely mentioned as significant. Hell, Miss State was 8-4 this year and we killed them. Only LSU Put a whoop down on the Bulldogs like WVU did, but WVU's thrashing was hardly noteworthy and because the perception is Miss State football is a bottom SEC program even though Miss State was better than Kentucky, South Carolina, Alabama, and Auburn last year, it hardly registered WVU was beating an upper echelon SEC team by 31 points in the 1st quarter. Instead, it was dismissed as being " Miss State". The same would happen with a series with Ole Miss.-ATLMountainEER

Yes, I had a great time with your fans at the Music City Bowl in 2000. Would Love to play you.-Cheers

Yes, would like to play Ole Miss in football and basketball...-Robert...Jacobs

I don't know. It is a long road trip and I've already been to MS 2 years ago. I'd kind of like to play a SEC School a little closer (such as TN, FL, SC, GA, or even VANDY).-3xWVUenginEER

(4)What do you think about the SEC in general?

Nation's most talented conference, nation's deepest conference, and responsible for perennial nationally televised reaming of Ohio State for the last two years. Well played.-wvu8893

Arrogant, fans who have no respect for any other conference. It's no surprise most of them are Southern Baptists.-doc-

SEC is a tough conference but I do think it thinks a little more highly of itself than it should. I believe there are many teams across this country who could compete in the SEC on a weekly basis just fine. Great football fans.-DDT Farnsworth

Was truly surprised at how slow Georgia and Mississippi State played, but then they were both faster than Oklahoma.-43rd Parallel

Biggest, best, most demanding, and dirtiest league in the universe.....THE dictionary definition of a nuclear war masquerading as an athletic conference-COOL MAN

Attitude towards college football is over the top (I love it!). Beautiful girls, lots of bourbon, football and rabid fandom. What am I missing? -coaldigger

I think the SEC is a solid athletic conference-Mounta...oo1005

Arrogant. But it is the best conference for football. Many of my friends from the SEC are proud (sometimes overly so) of being the best.-Mtneer001

1) Most passionate fans in any American sport.2) Most ignorant fans on college football outside their own conference3) Most exciting games week in and week out.4) The best atmopsheres of any conference on gameday5) Best food 6) Doesn't travel North to play football games ( couple exceptions)-ATLMountainEER

As for the SEC as a whole. Excellent conference, no doubt, but you have to understand that your bowl games are virtually home games. Folks born on third base think they hit a triple. Would LSU have beaten OSU in Cincinnati? Maybe, maybe not-EnginEER 89

SEC is a great conference that gets the benefit of the doubt regardless of actual performance. Still, top to bottom it is probably the best conference in america for all sports. Great, very supportive fans.-Cheers

I get tired of hearing how great SEC football is, allegedly. I think SEC fans are full of themselves and their football. I loved seeing the stunned faces of UGA fans during the Sugar Bowl loss to WVU...-Robert...Jacobs

The SEC is overrated and the fans in general blow donkey d*ck.-inner_...ection

Some of the SEC Schools are pretty good, but other schools and conferences play good football too. The SEC doesn't have a stranglehold on SPEED either. I don't think the conference has been as dominant as CBS has made it out to be either.-3xWVUenginEER

(5) Have you ever visited Oxford on game day? If yes, what was your experience? If no, what have you heard about our gameday experience?

I haven't been but I'd like to. I've heard it's a fun atmosphere and beautiful women are everywhere. Hope to visit soon.-wvu8893

Not on gameday but I've visited there many times back in the day. Hung out at a place called The Gin. Oxford is a fun place.-doc-

Never been to the state in my life. And one final unsolicited thought......more than once us West Virginians have said "Thank God for Mississippi"-DDT Farnsworth

Next time I go to Mississippi will be the first time. It's a trip I need to make. Have met several people from Mississippi and have liked them all. They're as self-deprecating as West Virginians, if that's possible.-43rd Parallel

Though I have business in the area, and therefore travel to north Mississippi several times a year.....the answer is NO, and likely never will. But I've have long suspected it to be among THE most pleasant Football Saturday experiences in the South.-COOL MAN

I would love to visit Oxford on gameday. Prior to the Music City Bowl we heard a lot of good things about it and The Grove.-coaldigger

Never been, but I've heard it is heaven on earth with all the Southern Belles in sundresses you have walking around.-Mounta...oo1005

I've heard it was fun. Not the best; of course the georgia and lsu folks think their tailgating is better-Mtneer001

Oxford- This passionate humble fan base makes up for on field results with Great food in one of the SEC's best tailgating venues.-ATLMountainEER

No, never been to Oxford for any occassion. Would love to come for a game. I have heard your gameday experience is top notch. Great tailgating and again....lots of beautiful women. What more do you need. Well, a few more victories would help. Let's schedule a game.-Cheers

No, I have never been to Oxford, and I have not heard how gameday is at Ole Miss.-Robert...Jacobs

No, I haven't visited and haven't heard anything about the gameday experience.-inner_...ection

Never been there and don't know much about it other than ESPN's exploitations of it. I've heard Ole Miss is the only school that curses in their fight song (ie "Are you ready? Hell, yeah, Damn right, Hotty Toddy All Night, etc)-3xWVUenginEER

Posters from WV.com (Scout)

Syracuse:

(1) What is the first thing that comes to mind when you think of Ole Miss?

Not sure, this is the first time I have ever thought about Ole Miss-sufan4eva13

Eli Manning, quarterback for my world champion Giants.-boog7

I think about tailgating excesses that make UVa tailgates look like a bunch of redneck wannabes. And generally a pretty mediocre football team.-Cusefan95

I've heard it has a seriously beautiful campus. The other thing that comes to mind when I hear Ole Miss is the southern bells. I worked with a lady that went to Ole Miss and she was an extremely nice lady.-SURules

Lynchings-TheRealOrangello

Archie Manning - "The Legend of Archie Who"-OrangePA

I have attended a few games at Ole Miss and loved the atmosphere and especially The Grove for tailgaiting. It's amazing that people start showing up at the crack of dawn for an afternoon kickoff. The amount of tailgating is crazy, with all of the different displays of food. It was interesting to see many of the ladies in dresses though. The highlight was actually meeting and tailgating with John Grisham.-WhitesboroOrange

The South...and "Manning"-OrangeNirvana

Eli Manning-Swish7

Eli Manning-All11Star5

Been to Ole Miss several times: Very pretty campus and enjoyed Oxford.Gloria Swanson or someone said that they have the most beautiful coeds (I think she's right}-wardo2

that Yosemite Sam lookin mascot and rebel flags-OrangeMojo

The Mannings-orangetradition44

My Grandmother-STORANGE

The State of Mississippi - really. Don't know much about the school or its history.-javadoc

The Mannings-kirbivore

MVP-li Manning and Mark Twain is the mascot.-KaiserUEO

(2) What are your feelings about Ole Miss?
I have none-sufan4eva13

I have none.-boog7

Mostly apathy since no school I follow plays them.-Cusefan95

I like Ole Miss overall and think it is an good old southern school that has an extremely good amount of resources to draw upon. Unfortunately, Ole Miss is not looked at as being a top sports school in the SEC like Florida, Georgia, and some others are.-SURules

See #1-TheRealOrangello

reat Football tradition - Johnny Vaught-OrangePA

None-OrangeNirvana

empty-Swish7

Indifferent-All11Star5

I recently lived in Atlanta and met some nice Ole Miss grads - so generally positive-OrangeMojo

Nothing in particular. They have nice uniforms.-orangetradition44

Currently second tier SEC football program.-javadoc

Underachieving sports teams and hot southern belles-kirbivore

none. but Elvis was born in Miss, so the state in general has that going for it.-KaiserUEO

(3) Would you like to play us in football or basketball in the future?

Not on my life-sufan4eva13

Could care less.-boog7

I would like to see a 1-for-1 football series, I go to most of the non-conference games so I can see football stadiums and experience gameday around the country. Basketball I couldn't care less - if it happened fine but I wouldn't jump for joy.-Cusefan95

Could be fun to play Ole Miss.-SURules

Nope-TheRealOrangello

Yes-OrangePA

Sure, why not-OrangeNirvana

yes, both-Swish7

Yes-All11Star5

Would be fun to play a home and home with the Rebels-wardo2

Football - yes; Basketball - don't have strong feelings either way-OrangeMojo

Sure, we'll play anyone.-orangetradition44

Why Not ?-STORANGE

No objection, no real motivation either. We're kind of overscheduled in football as is so not likely
to happen.-javadoc

Football yes basketball no-kirbivore

football??.... sure why not. basketball??....not on your life.-KaiserUEO

(4)What do you think about the SEC in general?

Hell of a football conference.-sufan4eva13

Great conference; football is king in the south.-boog7

Torn between feeling it is the best run conference as a business model and the worst collection of rogue academic institutions regarding NCAA rules violations. -Cusefan95

My general impression of the SEC is that those schools will do anything and I mean anything to win. Academics are not even a consideration to the SEC schools for their atheletes. SEC schools have one of the best if not the best atmosphere's in college football game day. The next runner up might be the Big 10/11.-SURules

Schools Engaged in Cheating-TheRealOrangello

Great Football Conference - probably the best-OrangePA

Overrated, but still good. The passion of the fans makes it what it is.-OrangeNirvana

bunch of cheating arse pole smokers-Swish7

Strongest football conference in the country. Over-rated basketball.-All11Star5

Having lived and worked in Knoxville and Nashville, its hard to argue with the SEC ,toughness, etc. though they invest a considerable amount of money in athletics.-wardo2

great football conference - although not as great as their fans think -OrangeMojo

Great football, deep south.-orangetradition44

Clearly the best conference in strength from top to bottom, and most likely the dirtiest -STORANGE

Cheating is the first thing that comes to mind, a tail-wagging-the-dog athletic mentality at the university. Having seen games at Auburn and Georgia tho, the gameday atmosphere is fantastic.-javadoc

Do whatever it takes to win-kirbivore

Triple AAA NFL-KaiserUEO

(5) Have you ever visited Oxford on game day? If yes, what was your experience? If no, what have you heard about our gameday experience?

Didnt know Oxford had a football team, but Im sure the players are the worlds smartest.-sufan4eva13

Never heard of Oxford. Thought it was in England.-boog7

Never been to Oxford, but would love to make it - especially for the pre-game. Would love to be there for the Egg Bowl rivalry game some year.-Cusefan95

I've never been to Oxford.-SURules

Guys in button downs and bermudas throwing up on their dates-TheRealOrangello

No, but I have heard that Oxford is beautiful, there is a great football environment on game day and that the football facilities are first rate.-OrangePA

No - Nothing, but I'm sure it's solid as it's part of the SEC-OrangeNirvana

no. overdone southern belles in skirts, and a bunch of semi-hetero dudes in khakis with 1980s surfer haircuts-Swish7

No-All11Star5

haven't been, but have heard that the gameday experience is second to none - would love to check it out some day-OrangeMojo

No, but from my experience, all southern schools in Big Conferences know how celebrate football.-orangetradition44

Don't really know anything about it.-javadoc

No. I have heard about the grove and the abundance of hot sorority girls-kirbivore

never been, but have heard its legendary.-KaiserUEO

Posters from SyracuseFan.com (Scout)