SEC Sat.

There will not be a Rebel game tomorrow but there will be a multitude of SEC games that span the length of the day.

I'll start by watching some UK v. Miami of Ohio, which is being played here in Cincinnati but it isn't exciting enough for me to drag myself to the game. (especially with all the other games going on). I'll flip over occasionally to the UT game. Won't be much of a game but I want to see how they look. Then it's on to the Georgia game. I'll flip to the MSU game during commercials. Finally to cap it off I'll catch the Alabama, VTU game. Oh and I guess I'll catch some of the LSU game.

My favorite Egg Bowl

I've lived through a lot of Egg Bowls. (34) I have several favorite games. My first year at Ole Miss was an exciting game. MSU had numerous attempts within our 10 yard line in the last few moments to tie us in 1992. They failed. Then there was the immaculate deflection. I am not sure what year that was, but I don't remember the game.
My favorite game however was in 1997 when TT , with a gutsy call, went for two to beat MSU 15-14 in Starkville. Both teams were decent that year and the winner had the upper hand in going to a bowl game. We went on to beat Marshall in the Motor City Bowl.

What is your favorite Egg Bowl?

Egg Bowl Week

It's Egg Bowl week again. No bowl game for us but we can keep the Dogs from going as well. If I am not mistaken in order to get an at large bid a team has to have at least 7 wins. No matter it's nice to beat State.

The LSU game was interesting for a while. It was nice to see the Rebs on National TV and in HD for the first time this year. Every football fan watched part of the game. All my friends up here in Ohio saw part of it. So it was good exposure.

Congrats to the University for getting the Presidential debate in 2008.

Win 3

It was great to get another W. It was a bit depressing to have NWS rack up 400 or so yards of offense and score 31 points. It was also sad to have only 23K at a game. Perhaps this is the low point and it will only get better from here.

The rest of the season should be about spoiling our rivals seasons. We can keep LSU out of the National Championship. We can keep Miss. St. from going to a bowl game. So there is a lot still to play for. Win the next two and it can propel us into 2008.

Loss #7

Ole Miss v. Auburn = boring game.
I was glad to see the Rebels stay in the game until the end. But, as usual, we lost. And let's face it, Auburn isn't so hot this year. So it's official, even though it was pretty much assumed, another losing season. Four in a row. I am tired of losing. Our next home game against Northwestern State will probably be our smallest crowd at Ole Miss in 10 years of so. But it's hard not to blame folks.
So where do we go from here. Basketball? Baseball? With LSU & State still to go on our schedule, we could prove spoiler and make ourselves feel a bit better. LSU will probably play for the NC, unless they lose again. Either Ohio State or BC will lose and that will open the door for a one loss team. We could keep LSU from playing in the NC. State is sitting at 5 wins. They will likely have to beat us to become bowl eligible. What a better way to end the season than to keep the dogs out of a bowl game? So it's time to circle the wagons and beat out two biggest rivals if for nothing else, pride.

SEC Power Poll: Week 1

The Hotty Toddy Blog takes part in the SEC Power Poll hosted by Garnet and Black Attack. Over 20 bloggers rank the SEC teams each week. Here are the rankings for this week: Here is the break down:


1.LSU (13 out of 19 potential first-place votes), 219
2.Florida (3), 209
3.Georgia (2), 188
4.Auburn (1), 152
5.Tennessee, 144
6.Arkansas, 142
7.Alabama, 123
8.South Carolina, 99
9.Kentucky, 81
10.Vanderbilt, 60
11.Ole Miss, 44
12.Mississippi State, 24

Are you Ready?

It's Football Eve. We've been waiting a long time for tomorrow and it's almost here. The possibilities, the what if's, the chest pounding and the expectations will soon be replaced with reality.

There has been a lot of discussion on the message boards on how the Rebels will do this year. Many feel that with our tough schedule we will yet again be bowless at season end. Others, myself included ,see us as being a bit underrated. Will this be the year we win 6 and head back to Shreveport? I say YES.

Win 6, against who, you ask. Well let me tell you.

We will beat Memphis, Vandy, Louisiana Tech, Northwestern St & Miss. State. We will also beat at least one of the following teams at home: Missouri, Florida, Alabama, Arkansas or yes even LSU.

That's my Football Eve Prediction.

**Disclaimer: I have the write to change my prediction if and when we don't win 6 this year.

Ole Miss fans talk about MSU and the Egg Bowl

(1)What are your predictions on our game?

tough fight but OM by 10 points--sampath


Rebs win 28-17 by using a strong rushing attack and Henig cries on TV again.--UM_golf


winner goes to the independance bowl..--jbird0021


Another streetfight. Too early in the season to call the winner or the score.--PiedmontRebel


OM 24 State 10-- starters not much of a difference early in the season, but by the end of the season our depth is finally a big difference.--msmafia


23-14 Ole Miss--cabebanes


28-7 Ole Miss--wckOLEMISSREBS


30 - 10 Ole Miss--electricreb


Ole Miss will win.--TheVaught


Ole Miss 24-12 2. --HightowerReb

Low-scoring affair, with an Ole Miss victory, similar to last year.--TGRebTpt1

Rebels win something like 24-19 --shaunp38


(2)What do you respect about MSU?


their campus.j/k. Have a lot of friends from MSU who are very smart and professional.--sampath


Stansbury--UM_golf


good looking grass on the field, cheese.--jbird0021


They have a good veterinary program.--PiedmontRebel


It is a Mississippi school!--msmafia


To quote Michael Henig, "....umm, I guess the cheese is good"--cabebanes


Nothing--wckOLEMISSREBS


Most of the State grads are efficient fast food employees.--electricreb


I cannot think of anything.--TheVaught


think their cheese is good (man, what a claim to fame that is). I also dated a couple of young ladies from M$U (if you must know who they were just look for the ones not grazing). I couldn't date them any more, not because they didn't look half way decent, rather because they were, err, how shall I say it, dumb as a load of bricks? (Grad students -- go figure.)--HightowerReb

The cheese made on campus.-- TGRebTpt1

They do have a sweet mascot....--shaunp38


(3) What do you dislike most about MSU?


Jackie Sherrill era , Larry Templeton, Melvin Smith, lax discipline, Starkville, cowbells, and OM gets confused with MSU. Some national writers think OM castrates animals before games.--sampath


Football uniforms, cowbells, the junction b/c it is a knockoff of the grove.--UM_golf


jealousy--jbird0021


Really, really ugly campus. Their fans have a massive inferiority complex when it comes to Ole Miss. Thoroughly dishonest athletic programs under Templeton -- definitely the Oklahoma of the southeast (minus the wins.) Probably more than anything else it's the cheating. If they'd clean their act up even a little, I'd like them a lot more. The comments their fans made about Powe shows just how ignorant they are about most things that involve OM. State fans talking about academic integrity or the character of their players is like Teddy Kennedy bragging about his sense of responsibility and accountability.--PiedmontRebel


Croom and his double talk on discipline. The crimnal incidents with MSU athletes is growing at a faster rate now than during the Sherril era(that is scary)--msmafia


Their campus --cabebanes


Cowbells--wckOLEMISSREBS


There fans thinking they are the biggest rival for Ole Miss, Starkville, the campus, cowbells.--electricreb


Their inferiority complex toward Ole Miss--TheVaught


Since I don't have all night I shall attempt to limit my response. A.) What on earth would possess someone to want to clang a cow bell as a rally cry? A bugle or something or maybe a drum, but a a cowbell? Perhaps it started as a mating ritual or something. B.) Let's see, hmm, Starkville. STARK - 1. a sense of dreariness. 2. Bland; plain; lacking any discernible flavor. Vile - 1. substance of disgust. 2. to disdain; dread. C.) The campus looks like it was thrown together on top of a soy bean field. D.) I grow very tired of being told we are snobs by a bunch of uncivilized rednecks. It isn't our fault we are just better than they are. E.) Favoritism toward M$U by such groups such as PETA. Had Ole Miss performed a sex change operation to a poor bull for kicks and giggles such as the "Kang" did, we would never heard the end of it. (Did they really cut a hole in the side of a cows stomach and install a plate glass window? Now that's just freaky!) F.) Did I mention I hate they are a leach on the state's resources, resources that could go to THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSISSIPPI? G.) I grow tired of all the envy smack. It is like all my friends from Canada, except one, that without fail possessed the strongest internal drive to state in numerous ways why Canada was better than the US. I suppose the $1 health care insurance is so great that all those people wait till they retire to Florida or something to have their surgeries done.--HightowerReb

(a) Ignorant fans who won't taunt you to your face, only as you make it a block or so down the road. (b) Violation of the artificial noise-maker rule is never enforced (c) The band playing that song with only 4 notes over, and over, and over..and over and over and over and over and over and over and over. There are only so many times everyone around us can yell "Eat %^* and DIE!" (d) Your colors (poo brown and white) (e) Melvin Smith (f) Dontae Jones (g) Traveling to Starkhole for games every other year--TGRebTpt1

Fans, Starkville as a town, school colors, rednecks at the game trying to start fights with their cowbells, the fact that they even have cowbells in there.--shaunp38

(4) What is your most memorable Ole Miss v. MSU game and why?


1997 Eggbowl --sampath


1997-Some of my state friends harassed me as they left with 3:00 minutes left so they could beat the crowd. --UM_golf


1997... jackie blew it--jbird0021


Sadly, the eggbowl is always memorable. The loss in 2005 stands out. As does 31-0 in 2003. --PiedmontRebel


don't really remember the date, but it was my first State OM game Forcade was the QB. I was probably 8 or 9. Ole Miss Won --msmafia


The shutout in 2003--cabebanes


31-0 Shutout of MSU in Jackie's last game, 15-14 2pt Conversion win--wckOLEMISSREBS


The wind blown fieldgoal attempt. It proved God is a Rebel fan!--electricreb


1997 -- Patridge to Peterson for two!--TheVaught


My most memorable game is either the two point conversion in Starkville. I was sitting among a bunch of drunk M$U fans ( I hope they were drunk the way they were acting). I had been heckled and taunted the entire game to the point when OM missed the field goal attempt and it appeared we were going to lose, the glass objects became airborn toward your truly and I felt it necessary to leave (perhaps would have unsafe to stay after the two point conversion. The other option is "THE STAND" in the '92 Egg Bowl. I had a great seat down on the twenty-five or so. I about froze my rear end off, but it was well worth it.--HightowerReb

This is a tie: (a) 1997- 2 point conversion in Starkhole 15-14 Rebels (b) Jackie Sherrills farewell to college ball 31-0 Rebels (c) 1983, "Immaculate Deflection"--TGRebTpt1

Tie between Jackie's last game and Croom's first. As much as we sucked in 04, Croom just looked clueless out there.--shaunp38


(5)Do you live in a divided Ole Miss/MSU family or household? If so, do you avoid each other or harass each other the week of the Egg Bowl?
My brother-in-laws, MSU grads, are indifferent. They think there should only one school with one football team and they don't care which uniform or team name is picked.--sampathMy wife graduated from State but after a season of the grove, she told me she was ready to convert b/c she loved our traditions.--UM_golf


State fans are like anyone else's...get them one on one and you can have a decent discussion about college sports. In groups, it's better to just move along. I had some good friends that attended MS A&M. I try not to hold it against them.--PiedmontRebel


Divided???, my wife holds an MSU masters degree, but has joined the good guys. She only wears Ole Miss, buys the kids Ole Miss, and keeps our Grove tent full of food. Her family was MSU only, but with the hire of Croom and the direction of the program they rarely even speak of it. Her father said he might watch again when the fire Croom.(HOPE THAT DOESN'T HAPPEN!!!)--msmafia


Technically, I do have a mixed marriage. My wife started at OM, but had to transfer to M$U due to a change in majors. She hated every minute of it and not only roots for Ole Miss to win who ever they play against, she roots for M$U to lose who ever they play against. I think her diploma is in a box in the closet--HightowerReb

I grew up in a divided house. It was more like an entire year of pure hatred between both sides. The plus was growing up in the 80's and early 90's...Ole Miss rarely lost.--TGRebTpt1

Well, everyone on my mother's side went to Ole Miss but that changed a few weeks ago when I had a cousin enroll at State. He'll be a freshman, wants to be an architect. Whatever. He's still a Rebel deep down and won't support MSU after he graduates from there.--shaunp38

Miss St. fans talk about Ole Miss and this year's Egg Bowl.

(1)What are your predictions on our game?

MSU wins over uM--msujan

State over OM this year. We're at home.--BADDOG

MSU 31 UM 13--Bulldog Backer

Toss-up. Rebs by 1 at this time but this pick is destined to change.--kcmagnolia

I'll go with the home field.--zombiedawg

One team will win and one will be victory challenged--robobo

State wins. Home field advantage.--maroonmadman

state by 3 something like 24 to 21--jjnem

Close game, could go either way. I do think that the home field may help us this year.--WayneBullock

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

Strengths: players and coaches; weaknesses: schedule--msujan

LB, OL, TE, RB are strengths. DL and stopping the run is a concern. Young secondary is a concern and QB/WR play is a concern. --BADDOG

OL, WR, RB, TE, LB, DE are all strengths. Depth at all these positions is the greatest weakness.--Bulldog Backer

Strengths: Offense, LB Weakness: PK, DL--kcmagnolia

Dixon, linebackers, Titus Brown intterrupting off the edge.--zombiedawg

Basketball and Baseball, weakness Football--robobo

Strengths , o line and defensive secondary , weaknesses , special teams.--maroonmadman

strengths: ol, rb, wr, de, lb weaknesses: dt, cb's, depth, special teams(again)--jjnem

LB and RB are strengths. Kickers and offense are weaknesses. The fact that we finally are getting some depth at most positions may also prove to be a strength as time goes by.--WayneBullock

(3)What do you respect about Ole Miss?

Respect and uM are usually not mentioned in the same sentence, but I'll try: I respect MSU's ability to beat uM when they play football.--msujan

Very hard question. I hate ole miss. Being perfectly objective, I have two very good om friends. One is an alumnus, one is not. Both are great folks, but other than those two, the rest of ya'll ain't worth two cents. Snooty, conceited and arrogant are the words that come to mind....and for what??? A beautiful campus? A great tennis team? Your football team sucks, your law school and med school are mediocre in terms of national prominance. All vestiges of academic integrity went out the window with the enrollment of Oher and Powe. Here's all you need to know about ole miss. There is a long list of Mississippi governors that are graduates of UM. So you might say that we've had a lot of UM leadership in this state over the years. Well where exactly has Mississippi ranked in every conceivable economic catagory for the last 100 years? Dead last. Yes, that's what UM leadership will do for you. --BADDOG

Respectable, not great, medical school. Good Shylock training. Cute girls. Decent, not great, Fine Arts School.--Bulldog Backer

I've met many nice Rebel fans (friends with none)--kcmagnolia

I have several cousins who went to OMS and I love and respect them, other than that I can't think of anything associated with OMS that I respect--zombiedawg

Your Tobacco Money--robobo

My late dad went to ole miss but all his brothers went to State , that's how I became a Bulldog fan. My family name is on one of the buildings at om.--maroonmadman

)ummm.........you know........yea and........help me out here........ i can't think of anything right now but i do hope they beat bama, which by the way will be the first time i've ever pulled for them.--jjnem

Tough question. To be perfectly honest, I used to respect the fact that your school took pride in its academics, as is reflected by the fact that you managed to charter a Phi Beta Kappa chapter there. However, one has to wonder what is going on these days with your Chancellor's policy of admitting students (football players) who can't even read. At a time when most schools are trying to raise the academic standing of their athletes, Mississippi seems to be heading in the opposite direction. "Dumbing down" the standards for football players will reflect upon your student body as a whole.--WayneBullock
(4) What do you dislike most about Ole Miss?

The attitude of most of their fans--msujan

I guess I don't like the folks that look down their noses at MSU. If they were being objective, they would admit that we've accomplished more in athletics (Big 3 sports) in the past 10-15 years, got a pretty good academic reputation, beautiful campus, and pretty girls in our own right. --BADDOG

The Sound and the Fury. It's posturing. The blatant academic fraud it uses to qualify marginal athletes at the sacrifice of it's academic integrity.--Bulldog Backer

Pompas, arrogance--kcmagnolia

It's an institution based on folly. A bunch of psuedo southern aristocrats who've, over time drained the State of Mississippi of it's competitive chances alst while preserving the vestiges of it's faded charms. To whom much is given, much is expected. Well, so much for expectations right ? Just pour another bourbon and make sure Daddy understands the direct deposit arrangement. --zombiedawg

If the Taliban played Mississippi I would more than likely pull for the Muslims--robobo

Arrogance towards us State folks and our university.--maroonmadman

i think they actually believe that they are the national champs every year their just the only ones that know about it--jjnem

Your fans. Oh, I have some good friends who are Mississippi alumni, and they are fine people. I'm not talking about them. I'm talking about the group of fans who feel that they are somehow better than everyone else. The ones who refer to us as "rednecks". This has always been laughable at best, as I have been to games in Oxford and have seen as many "rednecks" at your games as I've seen anywhere else. I also find in conversations with alumni of other schools that they feel the same way about Mississippi fans-they also pick up on the "air of superiority" that many Mississippi fans seem to project. It is amusing, even if it isn't factual.--WayneBullock

(5) What is your most memorable Ole Miss v. MSU game and why?

The game at uM where they wouldn't allow me to park in handicapped parking with a federally approved handicapped parking decal in my car and I had to walk on crutches for over a quarter of a mile just for the honor of climbing into the bleachers in the end zone.--msujan

1999. Throw Romaro throw.--BADDOG

Sitting in the V-H, and watching the FG to win the game get blown back, AFTER it had passed through the uprights. We won that game! The ball went through the uprights.--Bulldog Backer

Too many to choose just one. A great rival series that is hardly reconized on a national scale. The competition is fierce between the teams and fans. Some say we're tearing ourselves down by the hatred but I get up early many days just to avoid the rush of hating Ole Miss.--kcmagnolia

Pass, tip, kick, score. Then... "He has a man wide open at the 15..."--zombiedawg

CJ Sermones is wide open--robobo

1999 Egg Bowl , the pass , the pick , the kick.--maroonmadman

eli's first game to start against us. after listening to so much crap about him i enjoyed watching him hit his back numerous times while getting spanked by the dawgs--jjnem

Without question, "C.J. Sirmones is wide open at the 15 yard-line!" I believe that was the 1999 game--WayneBullock

(6)Do you live in a divided Ole Miss/MSU family or household? If so, do you avoid each other or harass each other the week of the Egg Bowl?

I used to; my dad, who passed away in 2003, loved uM as a young adult, even though his brother played football at MSU. For years, dad was a fan of both schools. However, he saw the error of his ways in his senior citizen years and became a true Bulldog. And, no, we didn't avoid each other or harass each other - he was a Bulldog at heart and wouldn't have done that to us.--msujan

No. My wife has a degree from Auburn.--BADDOG

No, although in the past I have had "girlfriends" who went to Ole Miss. ;-) --Bulldog Backer

No division in my family (some USM support, however). I grew up a Reb fan (Archie Manning, ya know) but changed the day I first visited the MSU campus and decided to become a student. What a great decision!--kcmagnolia

Well, I mentioned the cousins. We don't talk all that frequently some months so the last e-mail I recieved was some playful teasing about y'all being Omaha Bound.--zombiedawg

Divided, mostly respectful harassment --robobo

Yes , see no. 3. Also my younger brother went to ole miss , my sister went to Millsaps and married a huge usm (former player) supporter. Thanksgiving dinner at my family gets REAL interesting sometimes. The women of the family ended our annual game of backyard football one year when my younger brother got his shoulder seperated in a game of "touch" football. All my Dads' brothers went to State and one of them retired as a professor at State and has a chair in the engineering dept. named for him. --maroonmadman

Well, there are certainly graduates of both institutions in our family, although the State folks outnumber them about 80% to 20%. It is pretty good-natured-we are family, after all. My sister is a graduate of the University Medical Center. She did her undergraduate work at MSU. She graduated in 1975, and still refuses to this day to hang that diploma on her office wall. There has never been any doubt as to where her allegiances lie.......--WayneBullock

ScheduleTidbits

It's time Rebel fans. Game week is upon us. Before we hit the field and take on those Tigers, I thought I would take a look at our schedule for some interesting tidbits.

This year if you are not sure who we play, your best bet is to guess either a bulldog or a tiger and you will probably be right. We face off against four tiger teams and three bulldog teams. We also play some Demons, Commodores, Gators, Elephants and Pigs.

Our overall record against all the teams we play this year is W259 L 272 T 16. We've played Mississippi State the most at 103 times and Northeastern State the least at one game. We've played Memphis more times than we've played Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Arkansas or Auburn.

We play seven game at home and five away. Our closest away game is at Memphis (81 miles)while the greatest distance we will travel is to Athens, GA (409 miles).

Below is a breakdown of how many times we've played each team.

Miss State (103)

LSU (95)

Vandy (81)

Memphis (56)

Alabama(54)

Arkansas (53)

Georgia (42)

Auburn (31)

Florida (21)

LA Tech (8)

Missouri(5)

Northwestern State (1)

Forward Rebels: The Pride of the South begins practice this week

Football season is just around the corner and soon the sounds of the Pride of the South will be flowing through campus. Parts of the Band reported to Oxford yesterday with the new members reporting tomorrow.

Band Camp at Ole Miss lasts for one week. A typical day's schedule includes practice from 9-11:30 outside, 2:30-4:00 inside and 6:00- 8:30 outside. When classes start on August 20th, the band will practice for 2-3 hours in the afternoon each day. They will learn 3-5 different shows each year.

This year the full band will travel to Memphis and Mississippi State. The pep-band will make trips to Vandy and Auburn. The band will not attend the Georgia game. It has been rumored for years that Georgia does not invite our band because of some of the songs we play. I have never confirmed that rumor. The band also marches in the Oxford Christmas Parade.

The band is a vital part of the game day experience at Ole Miss. They work hard and deserve our respect and money.

Visit the "Friends of Note" website to donate to the band.

E-mail the band with words of support or if you would like more information about the Pride of the South

I have contacted the band with more questions. When I receive responses, I will post them.

Ole Miss: How do we compare?

This is the first part of a series entitled : Ole Miss: How do we compare?. I thought it might be interesting to see how we stack up against the top programs in the country. I am going to start with attendance.

Ole Miss ranked 37 last year in average attendance. The average attendance for 2006 was 53,801. Thirty-seven percent is respectable considering our record last year and the previous two years. However, this ranking is based solely on attendance average. To truly see how we are doing, we should also consider our attendance average weighed against the state population.

So how do we compare with the top 5? Below is a list of the top 5 universities along with other BCS universities in the state. I've added all the BCS schools from each state and weighed their attendance with the state population. This is based on the NCAA Average Attendance leaders for 2006.

(1) Michigan:
Michigan 110,819
Mich. St 70,819
Total: 180,845
Population: 10,112,620
Percent: 1.8

(2) Pennsylvania:
Penn State: 107,567
Pitt: 43,305
Total: 150,872
Population: 12,429,616
Percent:1.2

(3) Tennessee
Tennessee: 105,789
Vanderbilt: 34,816
Total: 140,685
Population: 5,962,959
Percent: 2.4

(4) Ohio:
Ohio State 105,096
Population: 11,464,042
Percent 0.9

(5) Georgia:
Georgia: 92,746
Georgia Tech: 50,617
Total:143,363
Population: 9,072,576
Percent: 1.6

Now, below is Mississippi:

Mississippi:
Ole Miss 53,801
Miss St 41,527
Total: 95328
Population:2,910,540
Percent: 3.3

So you see, based on our records, state population and percentage, we as Ole Miss fans, as fans of a Mississippi school have nothing to hang our heads about. In fact we just about double each of the top 5 universities. What is the percentage for Ole Miss by itself? 1.8

I have an Ohio State friend who says that this is misleading because it is based on capacity and that it is impossible to build a bigger stadiums. It is true that Ohio State and teams like Ohio State have 100% capacity. This is a valid point so I wanted to bring it up. How big of a stadium would Ohio State need to have 3.3 percent of it's population? 378,313. Could they fill a stadium that big, maybe. Could they average that many fans with three straight years of losing records, doubtful.

Click here to see the NCAA list of Attendance Team Leaders for 2006