Check the Countdown
20 Days.  I can almost taste it ("it" is the palpable aura of the Liberty Bowl characterized mainly by rickety sun-drenched bleachers, baggy pants with poor choices in facial hair, and gang violence).  Yours truly, as a part of the Rebel diaspora, will be utilizing the worldwide leader to watch the beat down of Tommy West's ragtag band of misfit transfers from the safe confines of my favorite local sports bar.  Sorry, Cup fans; you won't get this guy in person until Alabama rolls into town.

Pick 'em is ON
Sign up now for the RCR pick'em.  Yes, this year's winner will get a prize and yes, we promise it will arrive sooner than several months after the league has concluded.  None of us know quite yet what the prize will be, but I'll be worth you clicking a dozen little bubbles once a week over the course of a few months.  Go to FunOfficePools.com or visit the new sidebar to sign up.

Rebs Gone Wild | The Clarion-Ledger
From David Brandt, slave to the mainstream media machine, comes yet another feature on the Wild Rebel.  Raymond Cotton, Dexter McCluster, and others speak about the appeal of the revitalized single-wing and its new found popularity in football.  Also, read these bits of tid to learn more about our re-vamped turf and the cancellation of "Gridiron U," the prospective Rebel football reality TV show.

Ole Miss DE Greg Hardy eases into final season | Sporting News
gr3gxxz hasn't been the luckiest guy in the world.  Things like tricky stairs in the Ole Miss art building, fragile metatarsals, and the rigors of upper-middle class suburban life have made his college football career a series of highs and lows.  For his senior season, he is looking to finally deliver the consistency he has held out on over the last three years.

Ranking the SEC Coaches: Who Passes the Road Trip Test? | Arkansas Expats
Conceptually, this is fantastic.  I cannot disagree with their rankings at all.  Arkansas Expats, SBNation's Razorback blog (disclaimer: nothing like Hogville in that you shouldn't take precautions against aneurysms while reading it), ranks the SEC coaches in terms of who would be the most exciting road trip companion.  Steve Spurrier is the obvious number one because you'd likely end up talkin' shit to a trucker wearing a Tennessee Vols cap before speeding off to the nearest links course.  Daily.  Houston Nutt comes in at second.

THE ONLY COLOR THAT MATTERS IS THE PROLETARIATE, CITIZENS | The Godfrey Show
I always thought that Mississippi State's on-campus signage declaring the university as "The People's University" sounded soooooEastern Europe pre-1990.  Apparently, so did Godfrey.

Defense rules Ole Miss scrimmage | SEC - ESPN
Nutt targets younger players in scrimmage | SEC - ESPN
Sights and sounds from Ole Miss | SEC - ESPN
Checking in on Ole Miss | SEC - ESPN
All of the above are from ESPN's SEC blogger Chris Low who spent last weekend in Oxford for the first fall scrimmage.  Low, who has picked the Rebels to represent the West in the SEC title game, has seemingly nothing negative to say about Ole Miss, Oxford, or the football team.  I do like how Low took the time to enjoy Oxford while checking out the football team.  He name drops a few local favorites (City Grocery, Old Taylor), comments on the campus, and fawns over the area's general atmosphere.  He even comments that our IPF is "the nicest and most complete indoor practice facility that (he's) seen in the SEC."  Somewhere, a Hogville user is angrily grunting while pounding his fists on a keyboard. 

The only poor element of Low's weekend coverage is that he ratted Powe out to the Don Decker and staff by announcing Jerrell Powe's catfish hoarding habits via a mainstream media outlet.  What the fuck, Low?  Leave the guy alone.

Comparing '06 and '09 | Inside The Grove
The 2006 recruiting class, Orgeron's best (and, really, only goodclass) by far, stocked the Rebel squad with talent.  Will this most recent signing class be 2006 redux?  Ty Allushuski takes a look at the two and finds some pretty impressive similarities.

This Ryan Miller can play music - but football? | GoGamecocks
Yes, recruiting is important and yes, recruiting services can do a pretty good job of evaluating talent.  But, overall, the whole process is stupid.  A high school marching band musician, Ryan Miller, is getting his mailbox flodded with scholarship offers intended for some other Ryan Miller.  Get this: I just googled "Ryan Miller recruiting" and found three completely different Ryan Millers accross the various recruiting services.  This guy is obviously getting confused for one of them and Rivals.com, or whoever is screwing this one up, can't tell the difference.