Fifty-three of the last 54 SEC football titles have been won by only six teams: Alabama, Auburn, Florida, Georgia, LSU and Tennessee. Ole Miss last won an SEC title in 1963 while State last won in 1941.
Lindy’s, one of the most famous pre-season football preview magazines, seems to think Georgia and Alabama will duke it out again for the SEC championship. Alabama is picked to win the West followed by Auburn, Mississippi State, Texas A&M, LSU, Ole Miss and Arkansas, in that order. Georgia tops the East with South Carolina, Florida, Missouri, Kentucky, Tennessee and Vanderbilt to follow.
Overall, Lindy’s has Alabama, Georgia, Auburn, Mississippi State, South Carolina, A&M, Florida, LSU, Missouri, Kentucky, Ole Miss, Tennessee, Vanderbilt and Arkansas, in that order.
ESPN announced some early kickoff dates for both MSU and Ole Miss. State will host Stephen F. Austin on Sept. 1 at home with a 6:30 p.m. kickoff followed by an 11 a.m. kickoff at Kansas State the next Saturday. The Louisiana-Lafayette game on Sept. 15 will also kickoff at 11 a.m.
Ole Miss will open the season at 11 a.m. on Sept. 1 in Houston against Texas Tech followed by a 3 p.m. start on Sept. 8 against Southern Illinois. The Rebels begin SEC action against Alabama at home on Sept. 15 at 6 p.m. on ESPN. The Egg Bowl will be televised on Thanksgiving Night at 6:30 p.m.
MAGNOLIA BASEBALL
The NCAA Baseball Regionals were on the mind of most sports fans in the Magnolia state this past week. Ole Miss and MSU are still alive as I write this column. MSU was down to their final strike when Eli MacNamee hit a three-run homer to oust Florida State from their own Regional, 3-2, and extend their season. Ole Miss was undefeated in the Oxford Regional entering Monday’s play as they downed St. Louis and Tennessee Tech. USM lost out in the Arkansas Regionals falling to the Razorbacks and Dallas Baptist. The Eagles finished the year with a 44-18 mark that featured both the C-USA regular season and conference tournament championships.
IT”S DRAFT TIME
The Major League Baseball Amateur Draft is scheduled for this week. Mississippi will have at least three high school players in J.T. Ginn (Brandon), Joe Gray (Hattiesburg), and Dexter Jordan (Hattiesburg) being selected in the early rounds of the draft. Ole Miss left handed pitcher Ryan Rolison is expected to go in the first round of the draft. USM’s Nick Sandlin, who captured the Boo Ferris Award, and MSU ace Konnor Pilkington along with Jake Mangum are all expected to hear their names called over the course of the draft.
ODDS & ENDS
— The annual Jason Campbell Football Camp will be held at JCJC in Ellisville this Saturday.
— Former Mississippi State quarterback John Bond has been named head coach at Madison St. Joe.
— Hall of Famer John Smoltz of the Atlanta Braves shot a 3-under 69 last Friday to qualify for the 2018 U.S. Senior Open.
