Mississippi State

Being Mississippi State is not easy. They are the poorer of the two SEC schools in the nation's poorest state, and they have always struggled to compete with their larger and more powerful neighbors. The winningest coach in school history was Jackie Sherrill, who came there in 1991, three years after he was busted at Texas A & M for recruiting violations (and who therefore had few other good options). Sherrill went 75-75-2 in 13 seasons from 1991 through 2003. In 1998, he led MSU to the SEC West title -- the only time the Bulldogs have won that honor. In 1999, MSU went 10-2 and finished number 12 in the country. Sherrill's magic faded somewhat after that, and he retired after the 2003 season. Soon thereafter, the NCAA put MSU on probation for four years. That's MSU football for you.

It's not all been losses and probation, however. In the SEC, MSU fans are famous for their love of cowbells. Artificial noisemakers are generally forbidden in the SEC, but MSU pretty much ignores that rule, and the rest of the league has never been able to make them stop ringing their bells. MSU also had a great moment in 1963, when the MSU basketball team -- which was forbidden to compete against African-Americans, sneaked out of the state to play against Loyola of Chicago and its African-American players in the NCAA basketball tournament. The Bulldogs lost, but they showed the country that most young white Southerners were more interested in competing with the rest of the country than with continuing segregation.

Given MSU's history, it is hardly surprising that they have struggled in the UCFC. The Bulldogs have captured the title only one time. On September 9, 1989, they knocked off a Southern Miss team (led by Brett Favre) that had just taken the title in a stunning upset from Florida State. MSU won that game 26-23, but in their next game they lost the title to Georgia, 23-6. MSU's overall record in UCFC games is 1-7; their most recent shot at the crown was on October 24, 2009, when they lost to Florida 29-19.