Let me start by saying: Ohio State vs. Michigan. I know. Moving right on along, I’m telling you guys: Football rivalries just hit differently, as the kids say, in the South. Okay. Maybe they don’t say it quite like that, but you get the gist. 

Today is the day for the 2024 Egg Bowl and that has me thinking about all of the great gridiron rivalries around our part of the country. Obviously, being from Alabama, I grew up anxiously awaiting the all-important Iron Bowl between Alabama and Auburn each November. Now, I know the last two decades have seen so many games between those two teams that have had monumental implications for not just Bama and that other team over by the Georgia line, but for college football as a whole. But, even when the winner doesn’t stand to gain anything more than bragging rights, I maintain that the Iron Bowl is one of – if not THE – best and most heated rivalries in college football. 

This year, for instance, Bama has three losses on the year under first-year head coach Kalen DeBoer and is all but eliminated from the first 12-team playoff bracket. Auburn, meanwhile, is sitting on The Plains with six losses and needing a win over Bama to reach bowl eligibility. But really, their motivation will be ruining any shot Bama has at sneaking into the playoff. And it wouldn’t really matter if none of those things were at stake. I again defer to the bragging rights as being all the motivation either team needs. As coach Paul “Bear” Bryant once said: “Sure, I’d like to beat Notre Dame, don’t get me wrong. But nothing matters more than beating that cow college on the other side of the state.” 

And I don’t need to tell any of you about the Egg Bowl. In all honesty, I’m still getting accustomed to it myself. Having lived in this area for about seven years in total, I’ve certainly seen how deep the rivalry goes, but living and working in Vicksburg has allowed me to interact a lot more with fans on both sides of the rivalry, and it is as passionate a matchup as I’ve seen. Someone still needs to explain to me what the whole egg thing is all about, though.

And that’s the case all around the SEC: Teams meet throughout the season – not just at the end – for super-heated matchups. Look no further than Georgia vs. Florida in the World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party; Alabama vs. Tennessee in the Third Saturday in October; or, now, Texas vs. Texas A&M, which I think fits right in with our SEC culture. There are so many great matchups throughout the year, but this final weekend of the regular season is always the most fun to me.

This year, a very good Vanderbilt team beating a very good Tennessee team, A&M upsetting Texas and/or Georgia losing to ACC rivals Georgia Tech could send serious shockwaves through the nation and totally redraw the playoff picture. But, again, even if those things weren’t true, those bragging rights still matter.

And I know they’ll matter tonight when the Bulldogs and Rebels meet. It’s a rebuilding year for MSU, to say the least, but the Rebs have looked less than elite at times this year, and if the 2024 season has shown us anything thus far, it’s that any team can beat any other team on any given Saturday. Trust this Alabama fan when I say that. As I mentioned before, Vandy and Tennessee are pretty good teams. 

So get the popcorn, as Lane Kiffin once advised. We could be in for some surprises this weekend.

Blake Bel is the general manager and executive editor of The Vicksburg Post. He can be reached at blake.bell@vicksburgpost.com.