College football Saturday’s in Mississippi are sacrosanct. The passion, when it comes to our team of choice, is boundless.

At Mississippi State, that passion is expressed through cowbells. It’s a decades-old tradition of causing an opposing team heartaches by having to play in Starkville. With a stadium smaller than most in the league, State fans have used the bells as a home-field-advantage equalizer.

Ringing cowbells at State home games, before June, had been illegal for 36 years. Driving 75 on Interstate 20 is illegal, too, but it doesn’t stop many drivers, and it didn’t stop State fans either. Fans smuggled bells in and security looked the other way.

The SEC in June reached a compromise, allowing State fans to legally carry cowbells into the stadium. The bells, though, could be rung only at certain times — before the game, halftime and during time-outs.

What home-field advantage does that give? Can you tell 100,000 Alabama fans to be silent during an opponents’ play? That many Alabama fans will drown out a few hundred cowbells at Scott Field.

State was told it would face fines and penalties if the rule was violated, which, of course, it was. Can anyone blame a State fan? There is the opponent facing a tough situation, the passion is flowing, the crowd is going crazy. Such a big moment in the game, it’s natural to reach for anything to spur on the home team.

But, no.

The SEC likely will reinstate the ban next year. State already faces thousands of dollars in fines for violations in past home games this season. With two home games left, the SEC has the Bulldogs on a short leash. One last game will decide whether a ban on cowbells will continue.

It is an important game against Arkansas. As much as the fans will want to comply, they likely won’t. The cowbells will ring and the SEC again will ban them. And who is to say an opposing bunch of fans won’t tote cowbells into the stadium to assist with the SEC’s ban?

Bans are only as effective as the level to which those bans will be enforced. Drivers will continue to speed and State fans will continue the cowbell-ringing mayhem at football games.

Fans’ cowbell behavior might cost the university money in fines, but for a successful football season and a bowl berth, does it really matter?

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Sean P. Murphy is web editor. He can be reached at smurphy@vicksburgpost.com