Gabriel

[Extendedcab]

I can't disagree with the doom and gloom on here.

Ultimately, every offseason is free agency with no salary cap and most of our SEC peers will always spend literally 2-5x the "salary" we can. If we stay in the SEC we will be the punching bag for the big schools. We will be their farm system. Already lost Rara to ride the bench at UGA, would have lost Will Rogers if he was as into money as most kids are.

What do you want to be? the Jets of the NFL, or the UGA of he college world? See UGA would get boatraced by the Jets if they actually played but we all respect UGA more. The jets also spend way more $$$ each year.

Well, I'd rather play real amateur football and compete vs the "have nots" than be the jets of the SEC/Big 10 competition. Id rather be feared by who we play than laughed at.

We've been conditioned to thing more $$$ is good and that being in the same boat as the rich kids will raise our stock. But I see where this boat is going and it isn't what I like. It's NFL lite and we cant win that game

THIS ^^^^ rep given!

[Gutter Cobreh]

I can't disagree with the doom and gloom on here.

Ultimately, every offseason is free agency with no salary cap and most of our SEC peers will always spend literally 2-5x the "salary" we can. If we stay in the SEC we will be the punching bag for the big schools. We will be their farm system. Already lost Rara to ride the bench at UGA, would have lost Will Rogers if he was as into money as most kids are.

What do you want to be? the Jets of the NFL, or the UGA of he college world? See UGA would get boatraced by the Jets if they actually played but we all respect UGA more. The jets also spend way more $$$ each year.

Well, I'd rather play real amateur football and compete vs the "have nots" than be the jets of the SEC/Big 10 competition. Id rather be feared by who we play than laughed at.

We've been conditioned to thing more $$$ is good and that being in the same boat as the rich kids will raise our stock. But I see where this boat is going and it isn't what I like. It's NFL lite and we cant win that game

Some of ya'll can't see the forest for the trees and need to get out of your feelings!

Like it or not, football is the gateway to enrollment. Doesn't matter if you're first or last, just matters what league you compete in. For those of you who want to give up our seat, remind me again what league Sewanee plays in again and if you think they'd like to go back in time and rejoin the SEC??? If you'd like to be D3, go find a team and start rooting for it. In the meantime, some of us will see the bigger picture and look at how the money from being in the SEC helps people stay employed, the economic impact it has on Starkville, and the brand recognition to keep enrollment numbers high.

[CaptainObvious]

I think State needs to be preparing for this. Now is the time while getting the SEC and TV money to go ahead and modify the Stadium. Chairback the lower bowl and copy those special areas in upper deck on each side. Get the Stadium back down to about 52-54,000 seats total. Lease out the concession stands to various area fast food chains. Have Beer Hawks walking the aisles with draft beer JetPacks. Add Kid Zones.

[TrapGame]

Some of ya'll can't see the forest for the trees and need to get out of your feelings!

Like it or not, football is the gateway to enrollment. Doesn't matter if you're first or last, just matters what league you compete in. For those of you who want to give up our seat, remind me again what league Sewanee plays in again and if you think they'd like to go back in time and rejoin the SEC??? If you'd like to be D3, go find a team and start rooting for it. In the meantime, some of us will see the bigger picture and look at how the money from being in the SEC helps people stay employed, the economic impact it has on Starkville, and the brand recognition to keep enrollment numbers high.

Preach. Folks think if we go G5 or D2 we'll still get the caliber of players we get now. That will be gone. No more Chris Jones's, no more Dak's, No more Fletcher Cox's, no more...

I think State needs to be preparing for this. Now is the time while getting the SEC and TV money to go ahead and modify the Stadium. Chairback the lower bowl and copy those special areas in upper deck on each side. Get the Stadium back down to about 52-54,000 seats total. Lease out the concession stands to various area fast food chains. Have Beer Hawks walking the aisles with draft beer JetPacks. Add Kid Zones.

Did you see the swimming pool in Jacksonville's stadium last night?

[CaptainObvious]

Some of ya'll can't see the forest for the trees and need to get out of your feelings!

Like it or not, football is the gateway to enrollment. Doesn't matter if you're first or last, just matters what league you compete in. For those of you who want to give up our seat, remind me again what league Sewanee plays in again and if you think they'd like to go back in time and rejoin the SEC??? If you'd like to be D3, go find a team and start rooting for it. In the meantime, some of us will see the bigger picture and look at how the money from being in the SEC helps people stay employed, the economic impact it has on Starkville, and the brand recognition to keep enrollment numbers high.

If you think the average fan is going to keep paying higher ticket prices, donating to NIL and spending their hard earned money to go watch State lose to Bama, LSU, Oklahoma, Texas, Georgia and Tennessee by 40 every weekend just so our enrollment stays high and a few professors and support staff get to keep their jobs, I have some Beachfront property to sell you in Ackerman!

It is going to spiral down, down, down, until State has no choice but to be left out off the Adult table.

[Turfdawg67]

Some of ya'll can't see the forest for the trees and need to get out of your feelings!

Like it or not, football is the gateway to enrollment. Doesn't matter if you're first or last, just matters what league you compete in. For those of you who want to give up our seat, remind me again what league Sewanee plays in again and if you think they'd like to go back in time and rejoin the SEC??? If you'd like to be D3, go find a team and start rooting for it. In the meantime, some of us will see the bigger picture and look at how the money from being in the SEC helps people stay employed, the economic impact it has on Starkville, and the brand recognition to keep enrollment numbers high.

Yep. In his mind we'll be competing with the "bottom feeders" with SEC money. But that will be gone, as well as the facility improvements, etc... You would become USM overnight. Pass.

[Maroonthirteen]

Nobody is voluntarily leaving the sec. However....

The out of box, huge gamble would be to back room meet with the BigXII and try to get in their conference while the tv money is still there.

A schedule of OkSt, KU, IaSt, KSt, TCU etc sounds better to me than our 2024 schedule that leaves us at 4-8 (assuming we find a QB).

[StarkVegasSteve]

We can win in this conference, we have done it before and we will do it again. You have to get creative at non blue bloods to stay relevant and in the hunt, OM figured this out and went all in. Now is our time. We have the coach, we are about to have the QB, and we have a two year opening without Bama, LSU, or Auburn on our schedule. Add in to that a 12 team playoff and you have the opportunity. Now we see if we will take it.

[Maroonthirteen]

I dnk why everyone automatically relegates us to CUSA or the sunbelt. The leftovers of the pac, Big12, acc and B1G will be looking for partners too when the big reset occurs.

[DownwardDawg]

We can win in this conference, we have done it before and we will do it again. You have to get creative at non blue bloods to stay relevant and in the hunt, OM figured this out and went all in. Now is our time. We have the coach, we are about to have the QB, and we have a two year opening without Bama, LSU, or Auburn on our schedule. Add in to that a 12 team playoff and you have the opportunity. Now we see if we will take it.

This is correct.

Also, there will be major modifications to this whole NIL thing. Anyone with a brain sees where this is headed unless some type of "governance" is put in place. Just like salary caps in the NFL. The product will become less and less interesting if they don't. There are already several AD's, Presidents, coaches, and yes congressmen working on trying to fix this. It's not sustainable at the current state.

[TrapGame]

We can win in this conference, we have done it before and we will do it again. You have to get creative at non blue bloods to stay relevant and in the hunt, OM figured this out and went all in. Now is our time. We have the coach, we are about to have the QB, and we have a two year opening without Bama, LSU, or Auburn on our schedule. Add in to that a 12 team playoff and you have the opportunity. Now we see if we will take it.

We missed a massive opportunity in 2014. With the right marketing, and Dan actually giving a shit about sustaining a program at that level, we could have laid a foundation for the future of the football program.

[DownwardDawg]

We missed a massive opportunity in 2014. With the right marketing, and Dan actually giving a shit about sustaining a program at that level, we could have laid a foundation for the future of the football program.

That and going in the entirely wrong direction with our hires after Mullen. We need to stick with this "spread" type offense from now on. Imagine if we had hired a Mullen type offense guy when he left. We could have kept building on what he already built. Now we're starting over.

[Turfdawg67]

This is correct.

Also, there will be major modifications to this whole NIL thing. Anyone with a brain sees where this is headed unless some type of "governance" is put in place. Just like salary caps in the NFL. The product will become less and less interesting if they don't. There are already several AD's, Presidents, coaches, and yes congressmen working on trying to fix this. It's not sustainable at the current state.

Yes, I agree, but then it's back to under-the-table and paper bag shenanigans, just like before. Nothing will change between the haves and have nots.

[DownwardDawg]

Yes, I agree, but then it's back to under-the-table and paper bag shenanigans, just like before. Nothing will change between the haves and have nots.

This is definitely true. But maybe we can compete better under those circumstances. Like in 2014 and 2018. (What should have been in 2018)

[Coursesuper]

This is correct.

Also, there will be major modifications to this whole NIL thing. Anyone with a brain sees where this is headed unless some type of "governance" is put in place. Just like salary caps in the NFL. The product will become less and less interesting if they don't. There are already several AD's, Presidents, coaches, and yes congressmen working on trying to fix this. It's not sustainable at the current state.

Who is this said governance? That is the question you have to ask.

[Catfish]

Who is this said governance? That is the question you have to ask.

That's the question everyone is waiting on. Still won't stop the 'under the table money' because that's been going on for years.

[Gutter Cobreh]

If you think the average fan is going to keep paying higher ticket prices, donating to NIL and spending their hard earned money to go watch State lose to Bama, LSU, Oklahoma, Texas, Georgia and Tennessee by 40 every weekend just so our enrollment stays high and a few professors and support staff get to keep their jobs, I have some Beachfront property to sell you in Ackerman!

It is going to spiral down, down, down, until State has no choice but to be left out off the Adult table.

Any money the average fan spends is dwarfed by tv revenue from playing in the SEC. We lost to Maine and South Alabama well before NIL, but talent levels won't be as dramatic as you make them seem. At the end of the day, you can only play 11 guys on both sides of the ball.

We may lose more talent than we bring in, but we'll always be able to field a relatively competitive team.

[Bubb Rubb]

If you think the average fan is going to keep paying higher ticket prices, donating to NIL and spending their hard earned money to go watch State lose to Bama, LSU, Oklahoma, Texas, Georgia and Tennessee by 40 every weekend just so our enrollment stays high and a few professors and support staff get to keep their jobs, I have some Beachfront property to sell you in Ackerman!

It is going to spiral down, down, down, until State has no choice but to be left out off the Adult table.

You're acting like it was a level playing field before NIL. We are squarely in the middle of the pack in SEC in wins since 2012. We have been doing more with less for a long time, because geography is the great equalizer. Now guess where our NIL budget is? Squarely in the middle of the pack in the SEC. We're going to be fine.

This take that we're going to be losing by 40 to all those teams every weekend is really stupid. I think Jerry Maguire would call it "galactically stupid."

Man up.

[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?

[Coach34]

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?

The P5 uppers need some lowers to beat on. That will likely be our role as college football transitions into the this next phase. Our role is to compete against SC, Mizzou, Kentucky, UPig, Mississippi, and Vandy for tallest midget