You want to compete with the big boys? Put your money where your mouth is.

[Hasu Dackds]

We all like to get on here and complain about SEC money, this and that....and I'm pretty sure it's easier to do for people who don't live in the south and are far removed from it. It's very easy to complain about what the coaching staff should do, administration should do, etc. Bottom line, if you want to be able to play with the likes of Auburn and Alabama consistently, you have to do what they are doing, which is recruiting well.

The question you must ask is, "How do we get that caliber of player to Starkville consistently?" And I don't mean cheating. That's a short term solution that always ends in disaster.

The only real answer is for the state of Mississippi to improve and grow in good population. We need less people leaving the state. We need more people investing in the state. We need more people in/around/investing/living/playing/working/coming to games in Starkville, and Mississippi. This is it, in its entirety. This creates an attraction situation, a situation where people want to go to school, and a situation where players want to come and play football.

Neither SEC money or decisions made by our AD, nor our coaching staff, can change this. The only thing we're missing is a little bit better baseline of talent....a 'resting pulse'. Right now ours is probably 3*. Georgia's and Auburn's is 4*. Alabama's is 5*. Good coaching can help, it can get you up a notch but over the long haul you are what your talent says you are.

At the end of the day, we're getting there. But more people need to be aware of these facts. Right now our ceiling is probably a consistent 8-4, 9-3 sort of team with a shot at the playoff sometimes. It will stay that way until the above facts come into existence.

[Kyper]

Clemson- population 13K
Starkville- population 25K

[Hasu Dackds]

State of South Carolina - population 4.9 million
State of Mississippi - population 2.9 million

Greenville SC metro area - population 400K
GTR Region - population maybe 130K

Try again Kyper, you're out of your league if you want to go that route, facts are facts

[IMissJack]

Mississippi is never going to organically grow an economy with the education system we have, period. The only way would be if there is some kind of natural resource that is discovered in the future, so that it can change the dynamics of the state like oil did for Texas.

[Kyper]

http://www.clemsontigers.com/SportSe...1&SPSID=657772

Clemson only has 44 players from SC out of the 120 on their roster. Try again Grasshopper. South Carolina will never have the talent Mississippi does

[Hasu Dackds]

That is sort of the point of the post. We better get happy with a consistent 8-4, considering those hard, cold facts. That is why the last 2 weeks really should not shock anyone. We played those 2 teams at the worst possible times. Both teams were jacked up to play us.

[Hasu Dackds]

http://www.clemsontigers.com/SportSe...1&SPSID=657772

Clemson only has 44 players from SC out of the 120 on their roster. Try again Grasshopper. South Carolina will never have the talent Mississippi does

That is by choice. They can attract talent from out of state, where we cannot. But South Carolina also has just as much local talent as we do, that is false. Using 2018 247 metrics, they have 37 3* and above players, we have 40.

Also, while Clemson is probably our best blueprint (which doesn't surprise me that you clued in on them and only them), they play in the ACC, and they are located very close to Charlotte and Atlanta. What are the major cities that feed MSU?

[Bully13]

Mississippi is never going to organically grow an economy with the education system we have, period. The only way would be if there is some kind of natural resource that is discovered in the future, so that it can change the dynamics of the state like oil did for Texas.

Oil sure helped but Texas is very pro bidness with no state income tax. Corporate headquarters galore with out of state bidnesses flocking to here.

MS should consider dropping the income tax . Be like Texas and FL.

[Hasu Dackds]

Oil sure helped but Texas is very pro bidness with no state income tax. Corporate headquarters galore with out of state bidnesses flocking to here.

MS should consider dropping the income tax . Be like Texas and FL.

Well Texas always had oil, and Florida always had tourism. Those came first before the tax. But either way, I like the way you're thinking, that's the other point I was getting at in the post. The success of our football program overall may have very little to do with football itself.

[Bothrops]

Mississippi isn't growing, and it's the only state in the Southeast that isn't. Arkansas is about to overtake MS in population, which will leave MS as the smallest southern state. It's sad that we have so many things that confine our growth, even the national media is a major problem for MS. But until we can successfully recruit software, IT industry, and more manufacturing to come here, nothing will change.

[IMissJack]

Oil sure helped but Texas is very pro bidness with no state income tax. Corporate headquarters galore with out of state bidnesses flocking to here.

MS should consider dropping the income tax . Be like Texas and FL.

The reason that TX does not have an income tax is that they make up for the income tax with severance taxes on oil and high property taxes. MS can't just drop income tax without making up that revenue somehow. However, I agree that to attract business, MS has to make some big incentives to business, because of other shortfalls we have.

[Fred Garvin]

Well Texas always had oil, and Florida always had tourism. Those came first before the tax. But either way, I like the way you're thinking, that's the other point I was getting at in the post. The success of our football program overall may have very little to do with football itself.

I'm all for low taxes, but that is not what is keeping MS back. Mississippi has fallen way back in attracting/building businesses.

SEC state's GDP
4 Florida $926B
9 Georgia $525B
18 Tennessee $328B
22 Missouri $300B
24 Louisiana $235B
26 South Carolina $209B
27 Alabama $204B
28 Kentucky $197B
34 Arkansas $120B
36 Mississippi $107B

The ESPN money has been great for our sports programs. But we don't have the aggregate income our neighbors do, save Arkansas (but they do have the Waltons).

Like our OP stated, we have to dig into our pockets even deeper if we want to consistently run with the big dogs.

[Bothrops]

I'm all for low taxes, but that is not what is keeping MS back. Mississippi has fallen way back in attracting/building businesses.

SEC state's GDP
4 Florida $926B
9 Georgia $525B
18 Tennessee $328B
22 Missouri $300B
24 Louisiana $235B
26 South Carolina $209B
27 Alabama $204B
28 Kentucky $197B
34 Arkansas $120B
36 Mississippi $107B

The ESPN money has been great for our sports programs. But we don't have the aggregate income our neighbors do, save Arkansas (but they do have the Waltons).

Like our OP stated, we have to dig into our pockets even deeper if we want to consistently run with the big dogs.

Given our natural resources, that is pathetic.

[Hasu Dackds]

Given our natural resources, that is pathetic.

Please expound....of what natural resources are we not taking advantage?

[Dawg61]

Tuscaloosa is a shit hole and this is a shit thread.

[IMissJack]

Please expound....of what natural resources are we not taking advantage?

These days, it is more about the educated population, than the natural resources. Companies want to go where there are tax breaks, and a workforce that can handle more high tech jobs.

[Hasu Dackds]

Tuscaloosa is a shit hole and this is a shit thread.

Wrong, asshole. Growth of this state is THE biggest problem facing Mississippi State University right now. In all facets.

[Dawg61]

Wrong, asshole. Growth of this state is THE biggest problem facing Mississippi State University right now. In all facets.

So you don't think Tuscaloosa is a shithole. I disagree. Send your post to the Governor if you wanna fix the state of Mississippi. We just trying to get a decent offensive line and a couple serviceable wide receivers not turn Starkville into Palm Springs.

[Hasu Dackds]

So you don't think Tuscaloosa is a shithole. I disagree. Send your post to the Governor if you wanna fix the state of Mississippi. We just trying to get a decent offensive line and a couple serviceable wide receivers not turn Starkville into Palm Springs.

We've been trying to do that for 20 years. You're clueless. Stay out of a grown up discussion.

[Dawg61]

We've been trying to do that for 20 years. You're clueless. Stay out of a grown up discussion.

That's not going to be a successful way for you to mute me chief. Grown-ups would know that. If we have failed to get a decent offensive line and some serviceable wide receivers for twenty straight years (which is totally false btw, we have had some All-SEC WR's and OL before) it's a whole hell of a lot easier to just hire a better coach in those areas than try to turn Mississippi into some totally new amazing state. Btw I love Mississippi. It's a beautiful unique state filled with lots of wonderful people. What's even easier than getting a new OL/WR coach or turning Mississippi into Beverly Hills would be for you to just start being a fan of Clemson. Can't wait for your grown-up response.