The football is in a rut and has been since Eli Manning left town, and the state is the poorest in the union. On Saturdays, however, The Grove is a bastion of hope, the enduring spirit, and civic pride. Oxford, Mississippi, ranks eighth on our Top 100 College Football Towns of America Countdown.
To celebrate 100 days until the start of the college football season, HERO Sports is counting down the Top 100 FBS College Football Towns in America. Each day, through Aug. 24, a new city will be revealed. We will analyze the city, the program, the good and bad of the city as well as the bottom line. If you got a problem, @me on Twitter.
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8. Oxford, Mississippi — Ole Miss
[credit]Barred from bowl consideration for a second straight year, Head Coach Matt Luke has to beat Mississippi State. (Photo: Joshua McCoy/Ole Miss Athletics
Chucky Mullins)[/credit]
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The Program
Ole Miss football technically started in 1893, but the Rebels became the Rebels in 1947. That's when John Vaught took over a program with no real significance. Despite playing in the heart of football country, Mississippi languished in various southern conferences, never winning a conference title. Vaught changed that in his debut season.
In 24 seasons, Vaught had just one losing season. The Rebels won six SEC titles, and three national championships in four years. Ole Miss set a record, playing in 15 consecutive bowl games from 1957 to 1971. For an astounding 13-year period, the Rebels spent at least one week ranked in the top-11. When Vaught stepped down, the program went with him.
After 15 straight bowl games, Ole Miss has been to 17 postseason games over the last 45 years. After finishing inside the top 11 for seven straight years, only twice have they finished the season that high over the last four decades.
Heading into 2018, the Rebels have a long road ahead of them. Under Houston Nutt and Hugh Freeze, Mississippi violated a number of rules, concluding with penalties that will have the Rebels ineligible for a bowl game this season. Matt Luke took over after it was revealed that Freeze called numbers linked to erotic services dating back to at least 2014
On the field, quarterback Jordan Ta'amu has been given the keys to college football Maserati. Wide receiver A.J. Brown is a projected Top-Ten Pick in the 2019 NFL Draft. He leads a group where the top five pass-catchers return. While they will have to replace Indianapolis Colts running back Jordan Wilkins, there is more than enough weapons to make Mississippi a dangerous threat on offense.
With Ole Miss ineligible for the postseason, the season and confidence in Luke will rest on one game. The Egg Bowl. Thanksgiving Night. In Oxford.
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The City
Like most southern college towns, the city is more a reflection of the college rather than the other way around. One only need to look at the speed limit enforced at 18 miles per hour in honor of Archie Manning for confirmation. Oxford is a place onto its own unlike anywhere else in the state–or perhaps the South.
The Square has the look and feel of a classic movie set. If you wanted to find a place that captured the essence of a southern college town you would pick The Square for your location. Stand in the center of The Square and rotate 360 degrees and there are enough restaurants, bars, music venues, bookstores, record shops and retail stores to make you dizzy, outside of the constant spinning I've just directed you to do. The Square is literally a place for people to mingle and continue mingling, only leaving to sleep–and most do that rarely.
There is more to offer, however. Southern Living named Oxford "The South's Best Food Town." There are places like Big Bad Breakfast to fill you up while not draining your bank account. The End of All Music is an independent record store outside the main town center and is a place you could spend an entire day thumbing through the collection of music and kitschy knickknacks.
Oxford truly is a place to discover an authentic college town that is content in who they are and what they represent.
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The Good
The Grove.
We've discussed many different tailgating options, from Tennessee's Vol Navy to Ohio State's Mirror Lake. Nothing compares to the 10-acre plot of land with a university budget. In 2014, the university budgeted $750,000 for fans of both teams to–um–cool off on a hot Mississippi game day. Mississippi is so infatuated with the idea of having a good time that its fight song and/or rallying cry is Hotty Toddy.
This is not your typical tailgate. People go all out. Some bring out the family silver, others hang chandeliers from their tents. The tents themselves are reserved sometimes more than a day before a game. Everyone is welcome under the tents, as often you'll see opposing fans welcomed with open arms, at least before the game begins.
This is a party, and one of the reasons Oxford is called "Little Easy."
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The Bad
There is a long and sordid history with Ole Miss, the Confederacy and Southern Heritage. As former Mississippi player Deuce McAllister said, "When you think of the University of Mississippi, the first thing you think of is the past." Colonel Reb was the school's mascot up until 2003. Just a few years before that Mississippi banned people from waving confederate flags at football games. Ole Miss also used to play "Dixie" as part of its standard songs. The racial undercurrent that flows through Ole Miss and the history that has been embraced and attempted to be exposed rather than hidden can sometimes give off a palpable tension that is sometimes uncomfortable.
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Bottom Line
The football has struggled for decades with pockets of surprise to appease the fans. Ask any of them at The Grove, however, and they all repeat a popular refrain, "We'll never lose a party." Here. Here.
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