Basketball Schools vs. Football Schools

There are a bunch of college sports out there. Some schools have more than others, but most major colleges have a baseball, basketball, and football team. Outside of the south and maybe the west, baseball isn't a big sport. It's all about basketball and football. There are basketball schools and there are football schools.

While I was at Mississippi State the football team was horrible, they never won more than three games in a season the entire time I was there. But while I was in Starkville the basketball team made three NCAA tournament appearances, went to the NIT final four, and won the SEC in 2004...arguably State's best team ever. Perennially, State was at the top of the SEC West in basketball, and at the bottom of the West in football. So I thought, is Mississippi State a basketball school?

When you say basketball school the names that pop into your head are Kentucky, North Carolina, Indiana, Kansas. At all of those schools winning in basketball outweighs winning in football. In 2006 Florida won the national championship in both sports. They were excited about the basketball championship but it was no where near the level of winning it all in football.

If you had asked me, while I was at State, if I would trade an NCAA tournament appearance for a bowl game I would have said yes. In fact, if we could've gone to a New Year's Day game I would've traded our 25-2 SEC Championship season. I would rather State win the SEC in football than go to the Final Four in basketball. The only thing that could outweigh a SEC title in football would be a national championship in basketball. The fact is, I care more about football than basketball and I'd rather us be better in football...and I think most MSU fans feel that way.

So the bottom line in differentiating whether a school is a basketball or football school isn't necessarily what they are good at, but which sport would the fans rather be good in. If Mississippi State tanked in football for the next 15 years and the basketball team went to a couple final fours, maybe a championship...then that sustained winning and football losing might sway the tide, but for now State is a football school...just like almost every other school in the country.

JB

I'm picking Alabama to beat Georgia State tonight.