Videocassette tapes. Pong. Post-it notes. The Internet. These are random inventions that have been introduced to the world since a Mississippi team last won the SEC championship in football.

In other words, it’s been far too long since a team in Mississippi captured the South’s most prestigious prize.

So long, in fact, the last time a Mississippi team won the title was in 1963 when Ole Miss captured the SEC championship. I’m not twisting the knife. I’m simply stating the facts.

I understand the pain. As a lifelong Saints fan, I’ve used the phrase — next year — far too many times in my life. Fret not, Ole Miss and Mississippi State fans who have caught themselves muttering those words for roughly half a century, 2014 could bring a championship season, for one fan-base at least.

Have the odds of a Mississippi team winning the SEC West and taking the SEC championship in December ever been so high? I’d like to think not for various reasons.

First, let’s visit the field in the SEC West. The division of giants — composed of recent national champions such as LSU, Auburn and everyone’s favorite, Alabama — will get a major makeover with faces Johnny Manziel, AJ McCarron, Odell Beckham and Jarvis Landry all gone. Their absences open things up for Auburn to follow up nicely after last year’s conference win, but it also gives hopeful division players Ole Miss and Mississippi State an opportunity to take that next step and win the hardest division in football. Quite frankly, both the Rebels and Bulldogs’ 2014 rosters have me believing these labeled pretenders will soon graduate to contenders.

Which brings me to my next point — returning starters. I’m a traditionalist, so naturally, I’ll start where the game is won and lost — the trenches. If you want to know why Ole Miss and Mississippi State have a shot at the SEC title in 2014, look no further than the offensive and defensive lines. Combined starts of returning offensive linemen and defensive linemen for Mississippi State stands at 150, which is the 10th most in the nation. Ole Miss, on the other hand, has a total of 135 starts, which ranks as the 23rd most in the nation. Both the Bulldogs and Rebels rank behind only Auburn in this category in the SEC.

Mississippi State has 17 returning starters from a team that went 7-6 a year ago, while Ole Miss returns every important defensive player except Mike Marry from an 8-5 2013 team. Both schools return a wealth of skill players, as well, including the luxury of having returning starting quarterbacks at their disposal, a luxury LSU, Alabama and Texas A&M do not have.

The Bulldogs return their 2013 team leaders for passing, rushing and receiving — Dak Prescott (passing and rushing) and Jameon Lewis (receiving) — while the Rebels retain 2013 team leaders in tackles, tackles for loss, sacks and interceptions — Serderius Bryant (tackles and tackles for loss), Issac Gross (sacks) and Cody Prewitt (interceptions). Not hard to create a pulse-pounding highlight reel with that list of names.

Combine that with schedules that are conquerable, and 2014 has all the makings to be a special year for Ole Miss and/or Mississippi State.

Will Ole Miss or Mississippi State introduce mass chaos like Pong taught Americans how to become video game addicts? Eh, I’ve seen crazier things happen, like Auburn transforming from a 3-9 squad to a 12-2 SEC championship-winning team.

So to those who said next year at the end of the 2013 season, I hope the year you’ve craved occurs in 2014. Lord knows both fan-bases deserve it.

 

JAKE MARTIN is a sports writer of The Natchez Democrat. He can be reached at 601-445-3633 or jake.martin@natchezdemocrat.com.