SEC West Predictions Based on the Mascot Theory
Don McPeak-USA TODAY Sports
No. 3 Ole Miss Rebels vs. No. 6 Texas A&M Aggies
Truthfully, I did not know what an Aggie was before my foray into science. The more I read about it, the more confused I became. Before I get lots of angry tweets via College Station, I am sure it is more of a user error on my part than any sort of inadequacies attributed to Texas A&M. What I gather is that Aggie refers to a person than attends or has attended Texas A&M. Unfortunately, that does little to help us in our science experiment (unless A&M students want to send me pictures of the meanest person on campus).
After much research and for the purposes of our experiment, I have decided to use Reveille as the mascot. For those who do not know, Reveille is the Lassie-like dog that can be found on the sidelines of A&M games. She even has her own website.
Ole Miss offers complications of its own. Ole Miss replaced Colonel Reb in 2010 with Rebel the Black Bear. If you are wondering what a bear has to do with Mississippi like I was, it is actually a nod to famous author William Faulkner, a native of Mississippi. Apparently, his nickname is “the bear”. That is actually pretty cool, but the mascot bracket is not a time for compliments.
The fact that Reveille has her own blog does not help her in a fight against a bear. I can not imagine anything that looks like Lassie being remotely intimidating. This one is over before it started. Advantage Ole Miss.
No. 3 Ole Miss advances
Next: Tigers vs Tigers
Crystal LoGiudice-USA TODAY Sports
No. 4 LSU Tigers vs. No. 5 Auburn Tigers
Yes, that’s Mike the Tiger dressed like Darth Vader. When you are named Mike the Tiger you pretty much do what you want. If that means you wake up on a Tuesday and want to put on a Star Wars costume then so be it. By the way, if you have not made the pilgrimage to Baton Rouge to visit the live tiger they have on campus you really should. Sometime I like to picture Les Miles reading Mike bedtime stories as they both look up at the stars.
At first glance, this is a very confusing match-up. Tiger versus tiger. Mike the Tiger is one of my favorite mascots in college football. How do you determine which tiger wins? At first, this was a puzzling question until I remembered the eagle that flies into Jordan-Hare Stadium at the beginning of every Auburn home game.
As much as I am partial to Mike, a tiger and an eagle will always beat just one tiger 100% of the time. Sorry, Mike. This one goes to Auburn.
Will LSU be able to turn it around this year? A lot depends on the quarterback play. Neither Brandon Harris or Anthony Jennings give me a lot of confidence heading into the season. These are young players and you can never discount the difference a year makes. LSU brings in some changes to their defensive coaching staff. Former Alabama assistant Kevin Steele is the new defensive coordinator while longtime USC assistant Ed Orgeron is the new defensive line coach.
Hopefully, for the fans in Baton Rouge these changes will be just what was needed to return the program to prominence.
No. 5 Auburn advances
Next: Hogs vs Tide