Should We Go Back to Placing an Emphasis on Alabama?

A couple of weeks ago I asked y'all who our 2nd biggest rival was....the answer was Alabama with half the vote. That is certainly understandable since Tuscaloosa and Starkville are on the same road and are the two closest schools in the SEC. Since Dan Mullen has been our head coach there has been a huge emphasis on Ole Miss, but that's not the way it's always been.

Under Jackie Sherrill and Sylvester Croom there were two main rivals: Ole Miss and Alabama. When I was at State, I hated Alabama more than Ole Miss. The slam dunk biggest win in MSU history is 1980 vs. Bama (despite what Justin Sutton thinks about it). Undoubtedly the reason for those coaches talking up the Battle of Hwy 82 was that they went to school and played at Alabama. Those two coaches also had some (relative) success against the Tide....Sherrill: 4-9, Croom: 2-3.

Dan Mullen is 3-0 vs. Ole Miss. The Bears went 2-10 last year and are scraping the bottom of the bucket. Alabama is the exact opposite - coming off a national title, and has two 2 of the last 3 national titles. Is it time to elevate the Alabama game back to the level it was prior to Mullen's arrival? Should we install a countdown clock to our game with Alabama as well?

I don't know about a countdown clock, but I do think Bama should be a higher priority. I know the players want to win that game but they also follow the lead of the coach - and if he really wants to win it - they do too. I hate Ole Miss, no doubt, but we have passed them by. A win this year will mean our entire senior class never lost the Golden Egg. I want Bama.