Reasons to Hate: Mississippi State

This season we're resurrecting an old feature charmingly called Reasons to Hate. As a public service to you, the Hog fan, we'll be providing a handy pre-game cheat sheet detailing why you should hate each one of the Razorbacks' opponents this fall. Some weeks will be easier than others...

1. Revenge. In case you'd forgotten, the Bulldogs' power offense ground the Hogs into a fine powder last year in Starkville, delivering a 31-28 beating that ended our chances at a bowl-bound season. The game itself pretty much epitomized the classic frustrating Razorback loss, complete with us giving up big plays on defense and falling just short with a missed field goal at the end. We must be avenged!

2. Movin' On Up? In any scenario that involves Arkansas rising towards the top of the SEC, beating Mississippi State on a regular basis is pretty much a must, so it's time to take care of business this weekend. Otherwise, we're never going to garner much respect from the rest of the conference.

3. TGFM in Jeopardy. Being to crack "Thank God for Mississippi" jokes is one of our favorite things about being from Arkansas. But, a Bulldog win on Saturday would mark four straight defeats at the hands of teams from across the river, and it's pretty hard to maintain that delightfully condescending attitude when you're consistently getting your butt kicked. So, let's not let that happen.

4. Too Much Cowbell. They like their cowbells down in Starkville (insert your own joke here). For us, though, cowbells fall into the same annoying category as the Rally Monkey and ThunderSticks. Or, to put it another way, they lack the intimidation and majesty of 70,000 people calling the Hogs.

5. Tim Tebow Makes Dan Mullen Cry. When talking about St. Tebow at the SEC Media Days last summer, Dan Mullen actually teared up, saying "I probably have more respect for [Tebow] than anyone I've ever met; just an amazing kid; Just an amazing kid. He taught me a very valuable lesson in life: If you can make an impact on someone's life, it's your obligation to do that. You know, and he is one of the most amazing young people out there." Barf.