Within the never-ending arms race that is SEC football are the 365-day-a-year in-state arms races as well. Much like Florida-Florida State and Alabama-Auburn, it’s Mississippi State-Ole Miss in the Magnolia State.
The past six years in Mississippi have seen twists, trends and more turns than on a dusty two-lane back road found in the state.
The 2010 and 2011 seasons saw Mississippi State trending up and Ole Miss trending down, and Bulldogs coach Dan Mullen proclaiming, “We will never lose to the team up north again.”
Then, 2012 brought on the Hugh Freeze era, and between 2012-15, the Rebels won three of four Egg Bowls, landed two top-10 recruiting classes and became a serious contender in the SEC West.