RELENTESS OR REJECTD?!

[Clarence Boddicker]

Mississippi has only two major schools, but for people who are 50 and older, there were three major schools when they were growing up, and obviously a lot of your older crowd is affluent, so we are still missing some of that crowd.

In contrast, UAB started its football (as Div. III) in 1991 and didn't become Div-I until 1996, and even then University of Alabama Board continually hamstrung it just to make sure it never presented a threat. Troy didn't become Div I until 2001.

I remember them as our equals too, but I'm trying to purge that from my mind. It's not because I don't respect them. It's that I want the best for MSU and unfortunately, Ole Miss is simply not going away unless they off themselves SMU style (I'm not that lucky).

I get the reality. I'm just trying to change it. South Mississippi is where the economy of MS will likely grow as well, we need it to be Bulldog Country.

 

[Mafiadawg]

I’ve gone to 90 percent of home games the last 15 years. But I now have 2 small kids. I make a decent living but it’s the hotels that are starting to keep me at home last season and this one. I just can’t drop $700 on a 2 night minimum. I’d like to do up and back trips but night games make those hard. Driving back 2 hours with traffic with 2 kids at midnight just doesn’t work either. If I could get a one night for $300 or less at a decent place we wouldn’t miss a game.

 

[Go Budaw]

No it's not. Who can't afford to go to 1-2 games per year? If you wanted to tell me not everyone can afford club level season tickets with a parking pass, I'd believe you

Potentially anyone in one or more of the below categories:

1) Live further than 2.5-3 hours away
2) Have one or more children
3) Have student loan debt
4) Have pets (boarding for dogs / cats is usually $30-$40 per animal per day)
5) Have a gas guzzling vehicle
6) Just incurred large expenditure somewhere else (home repair or renovation for example)
7) Have low income and or other high monthly expenses.

Just to name a few

 

[Seinfeld]

In Mississippi, having kids makes things more difficult to go

In Alabama, having kids gives folks something to sell to upgrade their seats. Don’t tell me it’s never been done either

 

[NWADog]

I live 8 hours away but still do everything I can to make it to atleast one game a year. I would love to more but the 2 night minimum stay at hotels in Starkville for 300$ a night is just ridiculous to me when I’m already paying ~$150-$200 for tickets for my wife and I. Counting food and gas to get there it’s $1,000 a weekend. Luckily we found a deal on Airbnb this year. Might start doing that for now on. We just booked 3 nights at Omni NYC in the heart of Manhattan for Christmas time plus our plane tickets and that came out to be $1500... pretty crazy to compare cost of a trip counting flights to NYC and a trip to Starkville being in the same ballpark.

 

[Dawgg]

And as far as 2014 is concerned, we were soundly beaten by Bama, regardless of the late TD.

The rest of this is conjecture, so it's pointless to debate and I know we're way off topic here, but I do take issue with the idea that 'we were soundly beaten by Bama' in 2014. For some reason, a lot of State fans find solace in this idea that we never had a chance in this game over the idea that it was another opportunity lost.

Going back and looking at that game, it's a hell of a lot closer than anybody wants to admit. It was a 6 point game at the BEGINNING of the 4th quarter. State drove the ball down the field on Bama multiple times and game up either empty or with a field goal. 100 more yards of offense, longer time of possession, more first downs.... State actually outplayed Alabama... Bama just made bigger plays.

The first half was really sloppy and Alabama got spotted 19 points to start the game, but it's not like our guys were just getting beaten pillar to post.

At the end of the 1st half, a 1st and goal from the Alabama 1... False start, and 3 plays that go nowhere ends up in a field goal. If that's a touchdown, it's 19-7 at the half instead of 19-3.
Opening drive of the 2nd half, get down to the Alabama 19... incomplete, short run, was it a tip? I can't remember... anyways... Field Goal. If that's touchdown, it's 19-10 instead of 19-6.
End of the 3rd quarter... down to the Alabama 14... interception in the end zone. If that's a touchdown or a field goal, it's 19-9 or 19-13. There's a TD on the next drive, but scoring here means possibly one last possession.
Even after Bama scored in the fourth... another drive down to the Bama 20... then an interception.
That last touchdown drive... Dan had given up on the team... that wasn't a play to win drive... that was a 'let's go home' drive...
3 minutes is a lifetime in college football with the clock stopping on first downs... no reason that drive had to take up 3 minutes.... not with 2 timeouts.


There aren't a hell of a lot of years where Mississippi State put a better football team on the field than Alabama... in 2014, though, it did.

 

[RocketDawg]

Driving to a game and staying in Tupelo sounds 17ing miserable. If I were going to drive an hour after the game, I could go ahead and drive three or four hours if it's after a night game or longer if it's after a day game. At the very least, I'd honestly just as soon drive to Memphis or Birmingham or Jackson, depending on which direction was home.

We've stayed in Tupelo when there was nothing else available (usually stay in Columbus). But it's a 60 mile trip to Starkville and the traffic is generally quite heavy going to the games. I like it OK, but probably should just as well stay at home and make it a day trip ... close to 4 hours each way from my house.

 

[RocketDawg]

I've always considered USM sorta major in football, much moreso than Troy, UAB, and the like. At any rate, it doesn't change the fact that Alabama is close to twice the population and both major schools are usually nationally competitive. And saying that about UAT is a vast understatement.

 

[Clarence Boddicker]

We've stayed in Tupelo when there was nothing else available (usually stay in Columbus). But it's a 60 mile trip to Starkville and the traffic is generally quite heavy going to the games. I like it OK, but probably should just as well stay at home and make it a day trip ... close to 4 hours each way from my house.

You're in Madison? You should be making that trip in under 3.5 hours. AL 24 goes around Red Bay now, and you can hit MS 23 to Tremont and onto 22. Hopefully in a few years they'll connect 24 to MS 25, which has to be the plan.

 

[johnson86-1]

If they ever start to dial back all the government backed student loans the house of cards is really gonna start to crumble.
That’s the real crux of a lot of the extra cost of college is that it’s “free” for way too many folks. If the next generation doesn’t find a huge value in an education, enrollment will tank... and there will be quite a lot of great parking, and plenty of dorm rooms. I’ll hang up and listen.

ETA <twitter>https://twitter.com/mikelevinca/status/1034529706865963008</twitter>

I think state will be a beneficiary of this. We already provide a pretty affordable education. The first people who get hammered will be all the private schools without huge endowments to let them be competitive and that don't have a student body that's rich enough that it doesn't matter. So Milsaps, Hendrix, those type places. I think even places like Rice and Vandy may be in big trouble. Places like state are going to lose some potential students, but a lot of the people abandoning the private schools will end up at places like MSU.

 

[RocketDawg]

You're in Madison? You should be making that trip in under 3.5 hours. AL 24 goes around Red Bay now, and you can hit MS 23 to Tremont and onto 22. Hopefully in a few years they'll connect 24 to MS 25, which has to be the plan.

We get off 24 at Russelville, go through Hamilton, Sulligent, then on to Columbus. We stay in Columbus. Time depends on stops and for how long ... never in a huge hurry. I think that's the closest route anyway.

 

[RocketDawg]

Would be good to meet up ... I've never been to the Sixpack tailgate so all here are just strangers in person.

 

[RocketDawg]

No it's not. Who can't afford to go to 1-2 games per year? If you wanted to tell me not everyone can afford club level season tickets with a parking pass, I'd believe you.

If we want results, we as fans need to do our part. That's why, again (if you read my first post in this thread), I often go to the cheaper games.

I just see this in a different light. I'm all about the greater good for MSU (and thus, us as fans), not JUST my own selfish entertainment.

I like to help the school too but there are times when we just can't make a game. In those cases, I just give my tickets away instead of selling them. Does that count? Admittedly, they're almost always the "minor" games. But we'll be there this weekend to see how Joe and the team do, "minor" or not.

 

[RocketDawg]

That's a pretty good deal. And yes, you can get a somewhat reasonable hotel. The Quality Inn in Columbus usually has rooms, and for game weekends they're around $100 ... that's a lot of money for that hotel, but the new ones are about 3 times that much, and some of them require a 2-night minimum. We usually stay in the Hyatt Columbus but I waited too long this year (my fault) and had to go with the Quality on a couple of game weekends. It's not bad, just not luxurious.

 

[RocketDawg]

No doubt true.

 

[RocketDawg]

Don't know where you live, but you can probably get such a hotel in Louisville, Columbus (try Quality Inn if you come from that direction), or Tupelo. Not sure about on the west side of Starkville. I've driven down and back in one day many times, but I was younger then and it still wiped me out.

 

[Go Budaw]

The rest of this is conjecture, so it's pointless to debate and I know we're way off topic here, but I do take issue with the idea that 'we were soundly beaten by Bama' in 2014. For some reason, a lot of State fans find solace in this idea that we never had a chance in this game over the idea that it was another opportunity lost.

Going back and looking at that game, it's a hell of a lot closer than anybody wants to admit. It was a 6 point game at the BEGINNING of the 4th quarter. State drove the ball down the field on Bama multiple times and game up either empty or with a field goal. 100 more yards of offense, longer time of possession, more first downs.... State actually outplayed Alabama... Bama just made bigger plays.

The first half was really sloppy and Alabama got spotted 19 points to start the game, but it's not like our guys were just getting beaten pillar to post.

At the end of the 1st half, a 1st and goal from the Alabama 1... False start, and 3 plays that go nowhere ends up in a field goal. If that's a touchdown, it's 19-7 at the half instead of 19-3.
Opening drive of the 2nd half, get down to the Alabama 19... incomplete, short run, was it a tip? I can't remember... anyways... Field Goal. If that's touchdown, it's 19-10 instead of 19-6.
End of the 3rd quarter... down to the Alabama 14... interception in the end zone. If that's a touchdown or a field goal, it's 19-9 or 19-13. There's a TD on the next drive, but scoring here means possibly one last possession.
Even after Bama scored in the fourth... another drive down to the Bama 20... then an interception.
That last touchdown drive... Dan had given up on the team... that wasn't a play to win drive... that was a 'let's go home' drive...
3 minutes is a lifetime in college football with the clock stopping on first downs... no reason that drive had to take up 3 minutes.... not with 2 timeouts.


There aren't a hell of a lot of years where Mississippi State put a better football team on the field than Alabama... in 2014, though, it did.

Long story short, the better team made plays to win the game and the worse team didn’t. Rinse / repeat. Same thing happened in Starkville last year. I’m not going to argue the what-ifs about that game. Whenever Bama needed a play, they got it. Whenever we needed a play, we didn’t get it. That’s what usually happens in games where one team is more talented than the other and winds up winning the game. Funny how that works.

What you don’t realize is that we were a very good, but not elite team in 2014. Our best win was over an 8-4 Auburn team. We were a paper tiger in the rankings due to the bunp from beating 3 straight “Top 10 teams” that weren’t really even Top 20 teams (two weren’t even Top 25 teams at the end of the year). Even if we somehow slid by Bama, we still likely get destroyed by the same Ohio State team that ran all over that same Bama team. We weren’t anywhere close to winning the natty with the 2014 team....sorry to disappoint. And there is no way we were better than Bama over the course of that season or during that game like you state in your last sentence. That’s just silly.

 

[HammerOfTheDogs]

I may make a game next year. My daughter attends the W, and I will have a place to crash.

 

[mstateglfr]

No it's not. Who can't afford to go to 1-2 games per year? If you wanted to tell me not everyone can afford club level season tickets with a parking pass, I'd believe you.

If we want results, we as fans need to do our part. That's why, again (if you read my first post in this thread), I often go to the cheaper games.

I just see this in a different light. I'm all about the greater good for MSU (and thus, us as fans), not JUST my own selfish entertainment.

I live 750mi away and have 2 kids(11 and 7). It would be a huge ordeal to go to a game at this point. Sure we can afford it, but it isnt how I want to spend my money.

This weekend, we will be at a cabin at a 5500acre private land conservancy with my sister's family. 3.5 days of hiking, river canoeing, mountain biking, fishing, and hanging out. Itll cost us about $1200 in total, so $600 per family.

Yeah, I could have taken that $600 and used it to go to an MSU game with my oldest daughter. She visited MSU in the summer 4 years ago and thats the only time she has been there. Itd be incredible to take her since she is convinced she will go to MSU for the equine classes and become a large animal vet.

$600 for 2 of us to travel 12 hours, stay in a hotel an hour from MSU, and watch a football game?
-or-
$600 for 4 of us to travel 1 hour, stay with family in a cabin for 3 days, and do a bunch of outdoor activities?


Not a tough decision. Im comfortable with being called selfish by you.