2 decisions, that actually might could have happened, that would have shaped MS differently......

[OG Goat Holder]

The first: https://vicksburgnews.com/how-vicksburg-almost-became-the-capitol-of-mississippi/

I can't stop thinking about this. Yellow freaking fever deterred it - seems like we could have thought beyond that, but I digress.

Jackson is initially chosen as capital due to central location, Pearl River and Natchez Trace, in 1822 I believe. By the time 1870 comes along, the MS River is a much bigger transportation corridor, and the Trace is obsolete. Man oh man, what an absolutely huge opportunity missed this was. Vicksburg was actually bigger than Jackson at that time too, and not only that, Natchez was the biggest city in MS (I'll come back to that later).

Now, if this happens, I HAVE to believe that would have influenced the location of MSU 8 years later. You're at the bottom of the Delta, for the Ag side. You're on the south side of MS, away from Ole Miss in the north. And geographically, this area is farthest away from all SEC rivals (I know that didn't matter at the time) as a whole. So that's a perk that would come later.

The combination of these two things, combined with the Reconstruction efforts, could have spring-boarded that area. And I'd be willing to bet.....once we start building the interstates in the 60s, 55 would have went to Vicksburg, Port Gibson (too beautiful to burn) down through Natchez, to Baton Rouge. Think about what that would mean for the tourism in this River Region, which is underappreciated, because it's so hard to get to. To me, this would have been transformational. And I guarantee you that with a capital city in an area like that, along with a major college......that city would still be very viable today. I like to compare it to Columbia, SC. Natchez often says that its tourism is tamped down by not being near an interstate.

Some folks may say well it's not in a central location. Maybe so, but it's central enough and why not think outside the box a tad? It's the most populous area of the state at the time. I mean the River WAS and IS Mississippi. And not only that, it keeps a bigger portion of the state available for ag and hunting.

And then....with Starkville remaining a small town, probably gives a better chance for Tupelo to ultimately survive/thrive without diverting a bunch of resources down to the GTR. And maybe we don't spend all that money on the seldom used Tenn-Tom.

Would Louisiana benefit too? Yeah, but so what. The flood-prone area west of Vicksburg would still ensure that most of the development stayed on the MS side. It ain't like Tallulah is booming and taking population away from there nowadays.

Oh well. Been a lot of bad decisions but to me, this may have been one of the worst. Would Mississippi be rivaling Texas today? Of course not. But I bet there would have been a thriving metro area still growing and lessening the brain drain by a long amount. Not to mention the investment and consolidation of resources there, and like I said, Tupelo/GTR.

ETA: Also.....Vicksburg just sounds cool.

 

[MStateDawg]

I've heard that I-20 was originally planned to go thru the Mississippi Delta but the locals there hated that idea and fought to keep it out and thus it makes a large southward swing after Tuscaloosa. Otherwise, the interstate would have likely been constructed where Hwy 82 is today. How much different would Mississippi State & Starkville be if a major interstate ran thru town? We probably would have gotten that Target everyone is always complaining about.

 

[OG Goat Holder]

I've heard that I-20 was originally planned to go thru the Mississippi Delta but the locals there hated that idea and fought to keep it out and thus it makes a large southward swing after Tuscaloosa. Otherwise, the interstate would have likely been constructed where Hwy 82 is today. How much different would Mississippi State & Starkville be if a major interstate ran thru town? We probably would have gotten that Target everyone is always complaining about.

I don't buy that. The interstate was going to go through Jackson, due to it being the capital. Not to mention hitting Shreveport and Monroe.

And even if it happens, you're still 70 miles from Tuscaloosa, where we've always been in their shadow. A location north of Vicksburg puts you well over 2 hours from Ole Miss, Alabama and LSU (well, maybe not if we had an interstate).

Further, USM may not exist. Alcorn State may not exist. Jackson State would have, but it would be Vicksburg State or something. Louisiana Tech and NE Louisiana may not exist. And if they do, not in their current form.

Could have been the economic center of so much right there. I mean shlt if we gotta play second fiddle to NOLA anyway, at least take advantage.

 

[Dawgbite]

The original Mississippi territory which included most of the current states of Mississippi and Alabama didn’t include the coastal counties, they were still part of Florida. These coastal areas were always included in statehood to give each state gulf access for ports. One of the original proposals for state borders was that the western border would follow the Mississippi River all the way to the gulf. This would put most of Baton Rouge and most of New Orleans in Mississippi. This same proposal had the eastern border following the Tombigbee River and then the Mobile River to Mobile Bay thus putting the city of Mobile within the state of Mississippi. This proposal was opposed by many New England states, especially New York, because it would create a single massively wealthy State possibly the wealthiest state in the country at that time. Natchez, New Orleans, and Mobile were three of the wealthiest cities in the country at the time due to cotton exports. Imagine if that had happened!

 

[Maroon13]

I've never been to Vicksburg or Natchez in my life. No reason to. As a kid growing up in the GTR, we rarely went to Jackson. I think 3 times in my childhood. Baseball tournament, 81 egg bowl and 88 v USM. If we went to a city, it was Tuscaloosa or Birmingham, a few times Memphis to see relatives.

The Natchez trace should have been a regular improved highway to link NE MS to Jackson.

Knowing what we know today, State should have been in Hattiesburg with an interstate type highway to Jackson.

 

[OG Goat Holder]

I've never been to Vicksburg or Natchez in my life. No reason to.

You should. They are cool places. But also depressing to me, because of the untapped potential.

Again.....this is something that really could have happened. All these other ideas are just assumptions and opinions. The only other things that might could have happened would have been locating MSU in Jackson or Meridian, but neither as transformational as both being in Vicksburg, which is a wholly better location than Jackson. Mississippi River >>>>> Purrrrl River. Think about what Eagle Lake could be, compared to shltty Ross Barnett. Probably would have an even bigger reservoir lake somewhere, maybe on the Yazoo.

 

[OG Goat Holder]

The original Mississippi territory which included most of the current states of Mississippi and Alabama didn’t include the coastal counties, they were still part of Florida. These coastal areas were always included in statehood to give each state gulf access for ports. One of the original proposals for state borders was that the western border would follow the Mississippi River all the way to the gulf. This would put most of Baton Rouge and most of New Orleans in Mississippi. This same proposal had the eastern border following the Tombigbee River and then the Mobile River to Mobile Bay thus putting the city of Mobile within the state of Mississippi. This proposal was opposed by many New England states, especially New York, because it would create a single massively wealthy State possibly the wealthiest state in the country at that time. Natchez, New Orleans, and Mobile were three of the wealthiest cities in the country at the time due to cotton exports. Imagine if that had happened!

Yeah that would be a different deal altogether. Wouldn't matter where the capital was at that point, kinda like Tallahassee.

 

[dorndawg]

I don't buy that. The interstate was going to go through Jackson, due to it being the capital. Not to mention hitting Shreveport and Monroe.

And Meridian still very much mattered as a city when Interstates were laid out.

 

[Maroon13]

If Vicksburg did become the capital. I imagine it being a smaller Memphis. When cotton trade was huge in the south, Memphis was at its peak.

Speaking of the Pearl River, yeah, I've been to Jackson more as an adult. The view from i55 near downtown jackson feels like you're in a ditch. Very unpleasant looking between the waterworks curve and i20.

But I'll give Jackson metro this, other side of the River, Madison to Brandon seem nice.

 

[mcdawg22]

The first: https://vicksburgnews.com/how-vicksburg-almost-became-the-capitol-of-mississippi/

I can't stop thinking about this. Yellow freaking fever deterred it - seems like we could have thought beyond that, but I digress.

Jackson is initially chosen as capital due to central location, Pearl River and Natchez Trace, in 1822 I believe. By the time 1870 comes along, the MS River is a much bigger transportation corridor, and the Trace is obsolete. Man oh man, what an absolutely huge opportunity missed this was. Vicksburg was actually bigger than Jackson at that time too, and not only that, Natchez was the biggest city in MS (I'll come back to that later).

Now, if this happens, I HAVE to believe that would have influenced the location of MSU 8 years later. You're at the bottom of the Delta, for the Ag side. You're on the south side of MS, away from Ole Miss in the north. And geographically, this area is farthest away from all SEC rivals (I know that didn't matter at the time) as a whole. So that's a perk that would come later.

The combination of these two things, combined with the Reconstruction efforts, could have spring-boarded that area. And I'd be willing to bet.....once we start building the interstates in the 60s, 55 would have went to Vicksburg, Port Gibson (too beautiful to burn) down through Natchez, to Baton Rouge. Think about what that would mean for the tourism in this River Region, which is underappreciated, because it's so hard to get to. To me, this would have been transformational. And I guarantee you that with a capital city in an area like that, along with a major college......that city would still be very viable today. I like to compare it to Columbia, SC. Natchez often says that its tourism is tamped down by not being near an interstate.

Some folks may say well it's not in a central location. Maybe so, but it's central enough and why not think outside the box a tad? It's the most populous area of the state at the time. I mean the River WAS and IS Mississippi. And not only that, it keeps a bigger portion of the state available for ag and hunting.

And then....with Starkville remaining a small town, probably gives a better chance for Tupelo to ultimately survive/thrive without diverting a bunch of resources down to the GTR. And maybe we don't spend all that money on the seldom used Tenn-Tom.

Would Louisiana benefit too? Yeah, but so what. The flood-prone area west of Vicksburg would still ensure that most of the development stayed on the MS side. It ain't like Tallulah is booming and taking population away from there nowadays.

Oh well. Been a lot of bad decisions but to me, this may have been one of the worst. Would Mississippi be rivaling Texas today? Of course not. But I bet there would have been a thriving metro area still growing and lessening the brain drain by a long amount. Not to mention the investment and consolidation of resources there, and like I said, Tupelo/GTR.

ETA: Also.....Vicksburg just sounds cool.

Here’s the thing though. You probably aren’t here posting about the capitol city of Vicksburg. That would be a huge butterfly effect and DS, Hadad, and the rest of us river rats are not born as is. If we are we probably hate Ole Miss a little less because there would be less Ole Miss St Al pricks.

 

[OG Goat Holder]

If Vicksburg did become the capital. I imagine it being a smaller Memphis. When cotton trade was huge in the south, Memphis was at its peak.

I'll take a Memphis all day long, over Jackhole. People are still moving to the Memphis Metro.

Speaking of the Pearl River, yeah, I've been to Jackson more as an adult. The view from i55 near downtown jackson feels like you're in a ditch. Very unpleasant looking between the waterworks curve and i20.

There's a reason Kid Rock made a song about it comparing it to a heroine addiction. I don't know if it's the dirty water or the clay, but something sucks the life out of you in Jackson.

Speaking of clay.....a lot less of that shlt in Vicksburg and Meridian, than Jackson and Starkville.

But I'll give Jackson metro this, other side of the River, Madison to Brandon seem nice.

Eh, that's suburban Anywhere, USA. Would be even better and wealthier with a thriving city to latch onto.

I mean a capital Vicksburg with an MSU nearby would probably still see its share of Democratic leadership, like any city. But there would be an exponential amount of outside investment and people who gave a shlt, compared to Jackson, that would get involved and keep the idiots at bay.

 

[Xenomorph]

There is no rock in MS. There is no port that overcomes the fact that there is no rock.

 

[mcdawg22]

There is no rock in MS. There is no port that overcomes the fact that there is no rock.

Z106 takes great offense to that statement.

 

[DesotoCountyDawg]

The yellow fever epidemic really wrecked many of the cities up and down the river. Memphis would probably be like Atlanta if there was no epidemic.

 

[40 acres and a mule]

I've heard that I-20 was originally planned to go thru the Mississippi Delta but the locals there hated that idea and fought to keep it out and thus it makes a large southward swing after Tuscaloosa. Otherwise, the interstate would have likely been constructed where Hwy 82 is today. How much different would Mississippi State & Starkville be if a major interstate ran thru town? We probably would have gotten that Target everyone is always complaining about.

View attachment 745858

I 20 was always meant to follow closely the path of US 80 from Texas to Alabama.

 

[greenbean.sixpack]

What would MS, and South, be like today if the CW had never happened? Davis had to understand slavery was on its last legs and Lee didn't even believe in slavery. Had common sense prevailed, how different would the South be today? Yes, the CW was about slavery, just read the articles of succession.

 

[Anon1716396143]

The first: https://vicksburgnews.com/how-vicksburg-almost-became-the-capitol-of-mississippi/

I can't stop thinking about this. Yellow freaking fever deterred it - seems like we could have thought beyond that, but I digress.

Jackson is initially chosen as capital due to central location, Pearl River and Natchez Trace, in 1822 I believe. By the time 1870 comes along, the MS River is a much bigger transportation corridor, and the Trace is obsolete. Man oh man, what an absolutely huge opportunity missed this was. Vicksburg was actually bigger than Jackson at that time too, and not only that, Natchez was the biggest city in MS (I'll come back to that later).

Now, if this happens, I HAVE to believe that would have influenced the location of MSU 8 years later. You're at the bottom of the Delta, for the Ag side. You're on the south side of MS, away from Ole Miss in the north. And geographically, this area is farthest away from all SEC rivals (I know that didn't matter at the time) as a whole. So that's a perk that would come later.

The combination of these two things, combined with the Reconstruction efforts, could have spring-boarded that area. And I'd be willing to bet.....once we start building the interstates in the 60s, 55 would have went to Vicksburg, Port Gibson (too beautiful to burn) down through Natchez, to Baton Rouge. Think about what that would mean for the tourism in this River Region, which is underappreciated, because it's so hard to get to. To me, this would have been transformational. And I guarantee you that with a capital city in an area like that, along with a major college......that city would still be very viable today. I like to compare it to Columbia, SC. Natchez often says that its tourism is tamped down by not being near an interstate.

Some folks may say well it's not in a central location. Maybe so, but it's central enough and why not think outside the box a tad? It's the most populous area of the state at the time. I mean the River WAS and IS Mississippi. And not only that, it keeps a bigger portion of the state available for ag and hunting.

And then....with Starkville remaining a small town, probably gives a better chance for Tupelo to ultimately survive/thrive without diverting a bunch of resources down to the GTR. And maybe we don't spend all that money on the seldom used Tenn-Tom.

Would Louisiana benefit too? Yeah, but so what. The flood-prone area west of Vicksburg would still ensure that most of the development stayed on the MS side. It ain't like Tallulah is booming and taking population away from there nowadays.

Oh well. Been a lot of bad decisions but to me, this may have been one of the worst. Would Mississippi be rivaling Texas today? Of course not. But I bet there would have been a thriving metro area still growing and lessening the brain drain by a long amount. Not to mention the investment and consolidation of resources there, and like I said, Tupelo/GTR.

ETA: Also.....Vicksburg just sounds cool.

Very interesting concept. I still enjoy visiting Vicksburg.

 

[thatsbaseball]

What would MS, and South, be like today if the CW had never happened? Davis had to understand slavery was on its last legs and Lee didn't even believe in slavery. Had common sense prevailed, how different would the South be today? Yes, the CW was about slavery, just read the articles of succession.

I've always wondered what it would have been like if Lincoln hadn't been killed.

 

[greenbean.sixpack]

I've always wondered what it would have been like if Lincoln hadn't been killed.

The South has more than overcome it now, but the late 1800s up through WW2 were rough.

 

[RocketDawg]

And Meridian still very much mattered as a city when Interstates were laid out.

That's right. Meridian was the 2nd largest town in the state at the time. I believe Greenville was sort of a distant third.

 

[RocketDawg]

If Vicksburg did become the capital. I imagine it being a smaller Memphis. When cotton trade was huge in the south, Memphis was at its peak.

Speaking of the Pearl River, yeah, I've been to Jackson more as an adult. The view from i55 near downtown jackson feels like you're in a ditch. Very unpleasant looking between the waterworks curve and i20.

But I'll give Jackson metro this, other side of the River, Madison to Brandon seem nice.

Capital cities aren't always larger cities, and some are even quite small . For example - Kentucky, New Mexico, Vermont, and maybe several others.

 

[John Deaux VII]

I don't buy that. The interstate was going to go through Jackson, due to it being the capital. Not to mention hitting Shreveport and Monroe.

And even if it happens, you're still 70 miles from Tuscaloosa, where we've always been in their shadow. A location north of Vicksburg puts you well over 2 hours from Ole Miss, Alabama and LSU (well, maybe not if we had an interstate).

Further, USM may not exist. Alcorn State may not exist. Jackson State would have, but it would be Vicksburg State or something. Louisiana Tech and NE Louisiana may not exist. And if they do, not in their current form.

Could have been the economic center of so much right there. I mean shlt if we gotta play second fiddle to NOLA anyway, at least take advantage.

I don't buy that either. I-20 was always going to connect to Dallas - only makes sense that it would run through Shreveport, Monroe, Jackson, etc.

I've heard the same urban legend about I-55 - it was supposed to run through Baton Rouge and up the river - Natchez, Vicksburg, etc - but the blue hairs in those towns would not have it. The route 55 takes is the shortest route to get from New Orleans to Jackson to Memphis. That is why its where it is.

 

[OG Goat Holder]

Capital cities aren't always larger cities, and some are even quite small . For example - Kentucky, New Mexico, Vermont, and maybe several others.

That’s true, but not for MS, which was/is a rural state. So the capital was always going to be the business and governmental center of the state. And if had been in Vicksburg, a better area, with less Yazoo clay, and a major university? Yeah, it’d probably be nearing a million in population right now and would certainly had tempered the brain drain quite a bit.

Would it rival New Orleans, Memphis, Birmingham…..maybe maybe not. Probably a tad behind that. But it would be viable and that’s all we want. And that area from Warren to Adams County would have substantially more tourist traffic.

 

[PirateBay]

From an economical point of view the capitol should have been as far north as possible, on the river, or both. There is no logistical advantage for being in the middle of the state.

 

[OG Goat Holder]

From an economical point of view the capitol should have been as far north as possible, on the river, or both. There is no logistical advantage for being in the middle of the state.

I’ve often thought about Tupelo, which looks good in hindsight. It was on the Trace, but back in the old days, there was just nobody there. Wasn’t even founded until 1860 so not really realistic.

 

[40 acres and a mule]

Here are my two things of what could have been:
1) 1878 - MSU is located in Meridian. It was in the running but a local politician from Starkville basically duped a committee into putting it there. The story I read was the Legislature wanted to something for east central Mississippi, as it was a neglected area of the state for any state financial support. A committee was formed. Sensing that each member of the committee would vote for his own town first, he went to each member privately and asked them to list Starkville as their second choice. I guess it was some sort of ranked choice voting. Sure enough, everyone voted their own town first, and Starkville second. Starkville won out. Athletic recruiting was not a thing back then.

2) Meridian was the largest and most prosperous city in the state from 1890 to 1930. In 1900, there was a movement in the legislature to move the State capital to Meridian. The Old Capitol building was too small and needed to be replaced anyway. Moving state government wasn't that big a deal back then. Of course, the movement failed and a new capitol building was built in Jackson.

Just think of the difference these two decisions made for MSU and the State of Mississippi.

 

[OG Goat Holder]

Here are my two things of what could have been:
1) 1878 - MSU is located in Meridian. It was in the running but a local politician from Starkville basically duped a committee into putting it there. The story I read was the Legislature wanted to something for east central Mississippi, as it was a neglected area of the state for any state financial support. A committee was formed. Sensing that each member of the committee would vote for his own town first, he went to each member privately and asked them to list Starkville as their second choice. I guess it was some sort of ranked choice voting. Sure enough, everyone voted their own town first, and Starkville second. Starkville won out. Athletic recruiting was not a thing back then.

2) Meridian was the largest and most prosperous city in the state from 1890 to 1930. In 1900, there was a movement in the legislature to move the State capital to Meridian. The Old Capitol building was too small and needed to be replaced anyway. Moving state government wasn't that big a deal back then. Of course, the movement failed and a new capitol building was built in Jackson.

Just think of the difference these two decisions made for MSU and the State of Mississippi.

There was donated land involved too.

 

[tbaydog]

Here’s the thing though. You probably aren’t here posting about the capitol city of Vicksburg. That would be a huge butterfly effect and DS, Hadad, and the rest of us river rats are not born as is. If we are we probably hate Ole Miss a little less because there would be less O

Do you RR know this lady.

 

[mcdawg22]

Do you RR know this lady.

I do not. I also do not know the lady that blew a guy in the middle of The Daquiri Hub while it was open.

 

[skydawg1]

Why isn't Ole Miss in Jackson?

 

[Perd Hapley]

I've heard that I-20 was originally planned to go thru the Mississippi Delta but the locals there hated that idea and fought to keep it out and thus it makes a large southward swing after Tuscaloosa.

Nah. I’m pretty sure it was actually I-20 that hated that idea.

 

[greenbean.sixpack]

I do not. I also do not know the lady that blew a guy in the middle of The Daquiri Hub while it was open.

I think I read on Clay Edwards feed they were from across the river?

 

[skydawg1]

Did y'all know I-10 in New Orleans was supposed to go through the French Quarter along the river path? They built a tunnel for it and everything. (the tunnel now serves as Harrah's Casinah valet parking).

 

[Badon]

The last time a state moved their capitol was in Oklahoma: from Guthrie to Oklahoma City in 1910.

 

[Mr. Cook]

And Meridian still very much mattered as a city when Interstates were laid out.

And Meridian was the original desired site for MSU. But this has been discussed in this chat room before

 

[Mr. Cook]

Here are my two things of what could have been:
1) 1878 - MSU is located in Meridian. It was in the running but a local politician from Starkville basically duped a committee into putting it there. The story I read was the Legislature wanted to something for east central Mississippi, as it was a neglected area of the state for any state financial support. A committee was formed. Sensing that each member of the committee would vote for his own town first, he went to each member privately and asked them to list Starkville as their second choice. I guess it was some sort of ranked choice voting. Sure enough, everyone voted their own town first, and Starkville second. Starkville won out. Athletic recruiting was not a thing back then.

2) Meridian was the largest and most prosperous city in the state from 1890 to 1930. In 1900, there was a movement in the legislature to move the State capital to Meridian. The Old Capitol building was too small and needed to be replaced anyway. Moving state government wasn't that big a deal back then. Of course, the movement failed and a new capitol building was built in Jackson.

Just think of the difference these two decisions made for MSU and the State of Mississippi.

Agreed - I’ve made a similar point on this in years past in this chat room

 

[mcdawg22]

I think I read on Clay Edwards feed they were from across the river?

The shin tattoo should have given that away. Typical Redasses.

 

[preacher_dawg]

The first: https://vicksburgnews.com/how-vicksburg-almost-became-the-capitol-of-mississippi/

I can't stop thinking about this. Yellow freaking fever deterred it - seems like we could have thought beyond that, but I digress.

Jackson is initially chosen as capital due to central location, Pearl River and Natchez Trace, in 1822 I believe. By the time 1870 comes along, the MS River is a much bigger transportation corridor, and the Trace is obsolete. Man oh man, what an absolutely huge opportunity missed this was. Vicksburg was actually bigger than Jackson at that time too, and not only that, Natchez was the biggest city in MS (I'll come back to that later).

Now, if this happens, I HAVE to believe that would have influenced the location of MSU 8 years later. You're at the bottom of the Delta, for the Ag side. You're on the south side of MS, away from Ole Miss in the north. And geographically, this area is farthest away from all SEC rivals (I know that didn't matter at the time) as a whole. So that's a perk that would come later.

The combination of these two things, combined with the Reconstruction efforts, could have spring-boarded that area. And I'd be willing to bet.....once we start building the interstates in the 60s, 55 would have went to Vicksburg, Port Gibson (too beautiful to burn) down through Natchez, to Baton Rouge. Think about what that would mean for the tourism in this River Region, which is underappreciated, because it's so hard to get to. To me, this would have been transformational. And I guarantee you that with a capital city in an area like that, along with a major college......that city would still be very viable today. I like to compare it to Columbia, SC. Natchez often says that its tourism is tamped down by not being near an interstate.

Some folks may say well it's not in a central location. Maybe so, but it's central enough and why not think outside the box a tad? It's the most populous area of the state at the time. I mean the River WAS and IS Mississippi. And not only that, it keeps a bigger portion of the state available for ag and hunting.

And then....with Starkville remaining a small town, probably gives a better chance for Tupelo to ultimately survive/thrive without diverting a bunch of resources down to the GTR. And maybe we don't spend all that money on the seldom used Tenn-Tom.

Would Louisiana benefit too? Yeah, but so what. The flood-prone area west of Vicksburg would still ensure that most of the development stayed on the MS side. It ain't like Tallulah is booming and taking population away from there nowadays.

Oh well. Been a lot of bad decisions but to me, this may have been one of the worst. Would Mississippi be rivaling Texas today? Of course not. But I bet there would have been a thriving metro area still growing and lessening the brain drain by a long amount. Not to mention the investment and consolidation of resources there, and like I said, Tupelo/GTR.

ETA: Also.....Vicksburg just sounds cool.

One huge hope in all of this: If State would have been in south Mississippi, I might have grown up as an Ole Miss fan and that would be totally unacceptable.

 

[Maroon13]

One huge hope in all of this: If State would have been in south Mississippi, I might have grown up as an Ole Miss fan and that would be totally unacceptable.

I would have been an OM or Bama fan and that would be much better on the Bama part