College GameDay’s Rece Davis reveals best southern city to live in

During Saturday's Week 2 edition of ESPN's College GameDay ahead of a Saturday stocked full of college footbal action, show host Rece Davis casually mentioned alerted fans to a stunning fact about the city of Starkville, MS, home of the Mississippi State Bulldogs.

The city of Starkville garnered headlines all week long ahead of State's home matchup against No. 12 Arizona State. The Sun Devils are a rare ranked non-SEC foe to touch down in Davis Wade Stadium, but the chippiness began long before either team entered the stadium, with ASU coach Kenny Dillingham commenting on the lack of hotel options around the Mississippi State stadium, forcing the Sun Devils to stay more than an hour away from the town.

According to Rece Davis, though, that's because the small town is one of America's best. He mentioned during GameDay that Starkville has been named best the city to live in the south.

"The Bulldogs have taken umbrage with some of the things that have been said about hotel accommodations and dining options in the greater Starkville area, which I'm told has been voted the best city in which to live in the south two years running now," Davis shared on GameDay. "So there you go. It's going to be electric there tonight for sure."

The list Davis is referring to comes from USA Today, who annually publishes a top-10 ranking of the best small towns of the south. Starkville, Mississippi, topped the list in 2024 and made a return to the No. 1 spot in the 2025 edition of the list as well.

"Though it's home to Mississippi State University, Starkville is much more than just a college town," USA Today wrote about Starkville. "You'll find a thriving arts scene, multiple historic districts, many opportunities for birdwatching, and plenty of great food. Be sure to check out the Ulysses S. Grant Presidential Library, a treasure trove of artifacts and correspondence."

Starkville often gets beat on for lack of hotels or perhaps restaurant choices, as Rece Davis noted, but USA Today is a champion of the city, clearly, and went as far as to name it the best southern small town in the United States of America. That's some high praise.

Show that to Kenny Dillingham, Missippi State fans. Maybe he's just upset that he and the team have to stay an hour away from Starkville instead of spending the week in the middle of the best southern small town in America.