For whatever reason, I'm really tired but can't seem to get motivated to get up and go to bed. It's also that time of year when SEC basketball is getting fired up and high school prospects all over the country are taking visits to decide where they are going to spend the next four to five years playing college football. Both of these have something in common - I've sworn them off a million times, yet continue to come back. I say "man, I can't stand to watch Ole Miss play basketball anymore" but then I know they're on TV or I know there's a big game in Oxford and I remember how much I love the game and how much I love my school and I'm watching. Same with recruiting. Every year, I say "man, I'm not following this stuff" but on the biggest recruiting weekends of the year, I'm right back online, reading articles and message boards trying to get a feel for who will be suiting up for the red and blue come September. Signing day, sometimes, is a great day and sometimes, it really sucks. But that's the beauty of sports, I guess. There's always next year.
But recruiting is interesting for another reason, especially in the state of Mississippi. It's funny, really, because everything gets so absurd. Accusations about cheating start to fly, crazy conspiracy theories get started, and grown men hang on every word 16 and 17 year old kids say. Absurd really and truly is the only word I can think of to describe it.
That said, the most common theme I've seen (on both sides of the fence - this year and years previous) is the whole "how could any recruit want to go to (insert school name here)." State fans ask themselves "how could any recruit go to TSUN? (or the plantation, ole myth, ole piss, ole mrs...) It's obvious Nutt is on his way out, their fans suck, the Grove is overrated, and everyone is a liar." Ole Miss fans ask themselves "how could any recruit go to Starkpatch? (or Starkghanistan, or the Land that Fun Forgot, or MissStake...) It's obvious Dan Mullen just wants to take the next available job once he gets a real offer, their stadium is small, Starkville sucks, or they have no tradition and everyone is a redneck." And the obvious conclusion, on both sides, is that the other is cheating. Now, I don't deny that a lot of cheating goes on in college football all over the place. And I think the notion that Ole Miss or State cheats more than the other is laughable. So, where does that leave us?
To me, it's a ridiculous discussion for a couple of reason.
1. The whole "one program is on the rise" argument is dumb. Think back 3 years ago. I have never seen a fanbase more deflated than State was after a loss to a rival when State lost to Ole Miss 45- on the way to a second place SEC West finish and a victory over nationally ranked Texas Tech. I remember leaving that game thinking "yep, we've buried them for good." Then they went out and hired a new coach, and the tables turned. Mullen proclaimed Mississippi State was a "program on the rise" and was the only such program due to a 5-7 season and a victory over Ole Miss (regardless of the fact he still hasn't backed that claim up). Then, this year, they had a pretty decent year (it wasn't great by any stretch) but it was a step in the right direction and resulted in a bowl win. The funny thing about it is the people who want to run around beating their chest as if they've turned some kind of corner. Just a year ago, things were still looking pretty rough. So I don't say this to say that one program is on the rise or anything like that, but just to remember how quickly things can change. All it takes is an injury here, a random turnover there, or an assistant coach leaving and the tides have totally turned.
2. The whole "I don't see how anyone could choose (insert name here)." Obviously, if I were a recruit, I would seriously consider Ole Miss and I wouldn't give Mississippi State a second thought. There are a lot of other people who would do it the same. There are also a lot of other people who would do it differently. Not everybody thinks the same way I do about anything. Some places fit different people better. More people need to understand this about...well...everything.
3. If Ole Miss wins the recruiting war, or if State wins the recruiting war, who really cares? One recruiting class does not define a program, and the reason Alabama and LSU are good every year is because they have stellar recruiting classes every year. They don't have a few top 20 finishes, they have top 5 finishes. And when you look at it, the gap is so wide between Ole Miss and State and the rest of the country it's not even funny. Yeah, a few years here and there we'll beat Florida and Georgia, Alabama or LSU, but as far as program stability, it's not even close. I was watching the BCS games this year thinking about how badly most of those teams would beat any of the Mississippi teams. Can you imagine how ugly TCU/Ole Miss would have gotten this year? Stanford/Mississippi State?
I don't say any of this to put anyone down, just to try to keep stuff in perspective. Sometimes, you just get beat. It's not that anyone cheated, sometimes people just work harder than you. Momentum swings back and forth.
I wish I could be a sportswriter.
-chanchan
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