As an Ole Miss student myself, I can assure you that we are beyond ready for football season to start. The hype, the outfits, the atmosphere and most importantly, the Grove (the number one tailgate in the SEC, just in case you forgot!)
When the schedule came out, I was surprised to see that Ole Miss would be playing Southern Illinois University here in Oxford this September. One reason being that they're not in our district, but the major reason is that I grew up with Southern Illinois University basically in my backyard. Majority of my friends are attending there, and my father is an SIU Law School graduate (and president of the student bar association) himself. As you can imagine, this arose a bit of conflict in my household since my dad holds so much credibility and pride in SIU. I have always been a daddy's girl and followed his examples and advice; he always pushes me to do and be my best self. So, this would be the first time we would truly be rivals.
However, this opposition opened my eyes. College is a time of evolving as a human, figuring yourself out, growing up and learning how to make it in the world. College is a time to show your worth and what YOU can do (so show SIU what you can do Rebs!) Each year as a student you are graced with more and more opportunities to prove that you deserve a spot in the real world, as us college students refer to it. This can be both exciting and scary because the realization of growing up is nerve-wracking, to say the least. Unfortunately, it is something we cannot ignore. Saying that, treat every day as a brand new opportunity to pitch yourself.
On a lighter note, due to this rivalry, my dad and I have decided to make a bet: If Ole Miss wins the game, he has to learn and recite the Hotty Toddy cheer publically while wearing his Southern gear, and on the slim chance that SIU wins, I have to take the Law School Admissions test next year... Fair right? Not at all, but neither is life, and that is part of growing up as well. This is what I mean as my dad is always pushing me in life. With that being said, let's go Rebels!
