"King City" is a phrase used to describe an area where Mississippian artist "Big K.R.I.T " is from. That phrase should be changed to King State based off of the way Mississippi's major college football programs are playing right now. In a short span of 5 weeks, both Ole Miss and Mississippi State are BOTH top 5 teams.
Road to the Top:
Ole Miss:
Entering into week 6, Ole Miss was 5-0, facing the number 1 Alabama Crimson Tide. Alabama has the won the championship three times out of the past six years. Basically , Alabama has been the ULTIMATE POWERHOUSE of football for the 2010's thus far. Ole Miss on the other hand , has had a losing record two out of the last four seasons. This year, Ole Miss hosted Alabama on their home field: and they would take full advantage. After being down the first three quarters, Ole Miss scored the last 13 points of the game to defeat Alabama 23-17. A win of this magnitude has never been done, as Alabama was the first #1 ranked team that Ole Miss have ever beaten. This week , Ole Miss is the 3rd ranked team in the country.
The Mississippi St. Bulldogs could not have imagined a better start to their season. Led by Heisman hopeful Dak Presscott, the Bulldogs have managed to beat LSU at their house, and a great offense in Texas A&M. In the past two games, the offense has averaged 32.5 points per game. Mississippi St. has finally put everything together to form a great overall team.
Usually , Mississippi St. has one side of the field (offense or defense) that is solid, yet the opposite side of the field would not be on the same level. Therefore, once they were forced to play a well balanced team, they would falter in defeat more times than not. Mississippi is now the number 3 as well in the AP Top 25 Poll.
History of the State:
Although both Ole Miss and Mississippi St. have been playing in the very competitive conference (SEC), the state of Mississippi has NOT had a NCAA champion since 1962(Ole Miss). Mississippi St. has never won a championship. Whether you are fan of either one of these schools or not, it's hard not to admire the fact that these two teams are on a roll. Combined , these two teams have beaten the following teams this year: Alabama, LSU, and Texas A&M. With these two schools currently undefeated, they are both in a great position to reach the college playoffs; and win! But the question is: Will they?
Can they sustain this run?
Ole Miss:
While both they teams are currently in a great position, they still face many other great teams. Ole Miss will travel to an angry Texas A&M team next week. This season, Ole Miss will still have to face LSU (at LSU), Auburn, and their arch rival: Mississippi St. These three games are all potentially make or break games for Ole Miss, since these teams will be in contention for a spot in the college football playoffs. This will not be an easy task, but if Ole Miss can beat Alabama, why couldn't they beat anyone else?
Mississippi St.:
Coming off of back-to-back wins against top SEC foes, Mississippi St. will look to move forward as they face undefeated Auburn in what will be a primetime game this Saturday night. If Mississippi State can defeat Auburn, they will have a good chance at possibly finishing the regular season undefeated. Of course, they still have to get by Ole Miss. However, they have been through the toughest part of their season. Look for them to make a run.
After many years of college football pain, the state of Mississippi has not one, but TWO college teams they can be proud of.
Like us on Facebook! Follow us on Twitter @SportsWatcherss.