Mike Bianchi: Mississippi schools bring nothing to the table, should be dropped by the SEC

quote:

---

The Rebels are at the bottom of the SEC standings, just got smashed 66-3 by Alabama and will get hammered even worse when NCAA nails them for rampant cheating. Then, of course, there’s the embarrassing little issue of forcing coach Hugh Freeze to resign a couple of months ago for allegedly soliciting an escort service.

I don’t elicit any joy from Mississippi’s misery, but it does prove the point I’ve been writing about for years when it comes to the ridiculous inequity in college football. The only reason the Mississippi schools are in the SEC is because they were in the right place at the right time 100 years ago when the major conferences were formed.

In today’s world, they don’t really bring much to the table. They don’t bring TV markets. They don’t bring national interest. They don’t bring much upside and potential.

There’s a reason the last SEC champion to come out of Mississippi was in 1963 when Ole Miss won the title four years before the league even integrated. The fact is, schools such as Ole Miss and Mississippi State are simply taking up a spot that would be better suited for thriving universities in major markets like UCF and USF.

The only reason USF and UCF aren’t in Power Five leagues is because they are relatively new universities that didn’t have a football team a century ago when the leagues were formed. If the major conferences were starting from scratch today and holding a draft; UCF and USF would be in and Ole Miss and Mississippi State would be out.

---