Opinion: Mississippi's Biggest Rivalry Has Become More Intense for Baseball than Football
If you hear the word "rival" and you're a Mississippi State fan, you probably think of the red and blue neighbors to the northwest.
For decades, Mississippi State and Ole Miss have had a rivalry towards each other that is arguably the most intense in the entire nation. Unlike with some schools, this rivalry spans every sport, regardless of how big or small it is.
The Egg Bowl football game has always been considered the biggest and most important battle between the two universities, and it definitely is intense. However, with the growth of other sports, times might be changing. Baseball is becoming an extremely relevant sport for both schools-- Mississippi State even won the 2021 National Championship-- and a rise in animosity between everyone involved has been evident. Let's face it: the teams' annual baseball series is close to becoming more important than any game played between the two universities in any other sport.
Does this sound crazy, considering how much pride the South has for its incredible football teams? The Egg Bowl will always be one of the biggest football games of the year for fans on both sides, but it doesn't have the stakes that baseball has. Each football program has had the occasional good year, but neither has reached championship level. The Egg Bowl has become nothing but a show of in-state dominance; the winner gets bragging rights, but no closer to winning the biggest prize.
The rivalry simply means more on the baseball field because both teams are usually playing for an RPI boost and with postseason seeding on the line. Over the past few years, Mississippi State and Ole Miss have consistently been considered among the top teams in the SEC, and all eyes are on them once again this year. In the past, the series has usually fallen near the middle of SEC play, when programs are beginning to separate and true contenders emerge. Whichever team claims the series victory usually goes on to jump in the rankings and ends the season on a better note.
Plus, why limit a rivalry to one or two games per sport when there can be at least four? The Bulldogs and Rebels get to face off once a year in a three-game series and play for the Governor's Cup at Trustmark Park in Pearl afterward. That's four entire games filled with tension that is likely felt by the entire state of Mississippi because of how insane it is. Let's not think about what would happen if the teams met in the SEC Tournament or, even worse, the postseason.
Lastly, the fans are what make the rivalries work. Baseball fans take things to a different level. They take more pride in winning than just about anyone else involved, even if they've never played an inning of baseball. When the two teams are playing completely different opponents, fans are quick to check up on how their rival team is doing and hope for its downfall. We're only a week into this season-- and not close to SEC play-- social media wars are already erupting, with each side constantly berating the other. Things won't slow down until the season ends, if then.
As frustrating as rivalries can be, they make for good fun. At the end of the day, if Mississippi State and Ole Miss never played each other, then something would feel missing. It's never fun for the team on the losing end, but that's why every year provides new opportunities for growth, entertainment and a whole lot more bitterness.