Why Our Opponent Sucks is back. For you newbies, this is a weekly segment that reminds you why the team we are playing this weekend sucks. We'll reminiscence about games past (see 2000 below), we'll talk about the school (see first point below) and you may even learn some things (see Cannon Smith below). We usually do three points, sometimes they'll be a couple more (Ole Miss) and sometimes there isn't enough bandwidth on all the interwebs (Alabama). Because I am not an Alabama fan and actually hold a full time job that I obtained because of my MSU degree, I welcome any assistance. Remind me of something, add your two cents. Just like VH dawg did this week, PM me with anything you may have on Auburn.
<br style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">For years, they have used SEC football teams to fund their thug basketball program</span>
Memphis has never cared about football. Think about it. They have a good location, a larger student body than most of their conference, and one of the largest stadiums in the conference (albeit one that needs to be Suttled). Great family entertainment in Memphis with ticket prices starting at $10 for most games. Unless they are playing an SEC team, and tickets start at $50. They have been doing this to Ole Miss, Tennessee and us for years. Those are the only games that they can get a large crowd, and boy do they take advantage of it. The sad part of all of this is that they have had decent teams. They beat both Mannings in their respective senior years. Then they fired the most successful coach in school history and hired a position coach that no one had ever heard of.
All this money that they make on football (still significantly more than basketball) is funneled into their basketball program. You know, the one that went 0-38 a couple years ago and had to take down their Final Four banner. Even Memphis' professional franchise has taken a hit because for some reason, everyone in the city is a University of Memphis basketball fan. These same fans are Ole Miss, Tennessee, Arkansas or some other team's football fans. I'm sure there are a few MSU football fans that cheer for the Tigers in basketball. 17 them.
All this to say - look at Louisville and Cincy. Similar schools with a basketball mentality that have embraced football and both played in BCS bowls. Memphis should be the dominating force in Conference USA, yet they are coming off a 2-10 season and could be worse this year.
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Two thousand</span>
The 2000 Memphis-MSU game at the Liberty Bowl is one of the most memorable, not because of what happened on the field. It was 113 degrees on the field. I have never been as miserable in my life. People were dropping like flies. And signage that said $3 for bottled water were changed to $4 with some very uncreative "sharpie on a piece of paper" Not to mention that the road signs going into the stadium did not display traffic alerts or a "Be careful, its hot out here" message, you know what they were programmed to say? "NO COWBELLS ALLOWED!" and security came through the MSU section with boxes to collect them. I have never seen that in any other stadium.
And also in 2000, the air conditioner in the visitor's locker room was broken for our game. No heads up was given so that we could prepare with portable units.
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Cannon Smith</span>
The billionaire's son. The only QB in NCAA history to be featured in Forbes magazine (Never mind that it was an article on billionaire heirs gone wild after his drug arrest). This 23 year old sophomore has had a tough life with daddy buying his way into the Miami program (until a new coach came that didn't want to waste a scholarship, hence FedEx dropping their long time sponsorship of the Orange Bowl), to a walk-on role at Ole Miss (until he got caught dealing drugs) and now as the starter at Memphis (where dad is feverishly trying to buy the school a spot in the Big East). But it started way before that.
In high school, Cannon got really sick. He missed something like 100 days of school. Now, he missed spring practice, but never missed a game. He was going to have to go another year of school so he applied for a waiver from the TSSAA. Well, the TSSAA said, Cannon, we're sorry you got sick, but you did not miss any football, you completed your eligibility, we can't give you another year.
So, daddy makes some phone calls and 19 year old Cannon rents an apartment in Olive Branch and takes the starting QB role at OB. But wait, doesn't the MHSAA have medical hardship rules as well. Why yes, they do, but the MHSAA granted this waiver. Very strange because two years prior, they had denied a student-athlete a waiver based on the same criteria. Cannon has a good senior year at Olive Branch and that is that. Olive Branch gets some new field turf courtesy for their trouble.
But wait, there's more. The next year, the MHSAA Football Championships are the FedEx MHSAA Football Championships (a five year deal that continues today). It was the deal maker to get them to grant Cannon a waiver to play a second senior year of football.
Now, four years later, Cannon is getting ready to play his first college game at QB. Too bad daddy bought that spot.
