Originally Posted by
the_real_MSU_is_us
If you want to talk about threats best for Starkville and the university, yes pure $$$$ from the SEC is what matters.
If you want to talk about enjoying watching State play, let's take extremes: would you rather go 0-12 playing NFL teams, or be 12-0 playing G5s? Now the reality isn't so extreme, the choice os actually "go 5-7 playing in the SEC/Big10 division, or go 9-3 playing KSUs and other castoff former P5 and G5s".
And recruiting? We aren't going to get studs like Simmons, Cox, Sweat much more. Not now that they can get paid $700,000 out of HS. Not now that other SEC teams continue to pour money into analysts and less "diamond in the rough" players go under the radar. Not now that those diamond in the rough can leave state for NIL the second we develop them into a starter at another SEC school.
I don't know. Maybe I'm not a "real" fan. Maybe I'm wrong about the future.
This debate reminds me of thanksgiving at my family- growing up I always wanted to be at the "adult" table. Now that im an adult and have been there several years, you know what I did? I sat at the kids table. Had a blast talking about hulahoops, building fish stick houses, debating how to build the next bond fire, and playing rock paper scissors. You know what the adult table was talking about? A home insurance agent not covering a freezer that got fried in a lightening strike. And as one of the adults under 40, I'm really not supposed to speak.
Do we really want to be at the "adult" table of the football world so we can be miserable getting our ass beat by $14m rosters? Or do we want to be at the kids table with TCU and Arizona where the games are close?