Don't overlook one thing that the Southern Miss game gives us - an "in" into SEC recruits. Mississippi traditionally has a ton of D-1 recruits - enough for Ole Miss, Mississippi State, Southern Miss, with a few to the non-Miss SEC schools. This will give us some presence in the SEC, which is tough to come by when most SEC schools probably wouldn't grant us a home-and-home series. With the games with Tennessee, and now this, it can only help in any recruiting efforts in SEC territory.
You are not gonna recruit Mississippi effectively my friend. They do not leave the South. I am not including the Odd JUCO, it does not say where those went. I am including the kids who did not get a scholarship from an SEC team or even Southern Miss. I'll define the south as the confederacy and border/slave states, for the purpose of the exercise. I list however many rivals had on its "top prospects for the state" for Mississippi
Rivals top 25 2008 - NONE left the south
Rivals top 25 2007 - ONE left the south, to Stanford
Rivals top 25 2006 - NONE left the south
Rivals top 25 2005 - NONE left the south
Rivals top 20 2004 - ONE left the south, to the HUSKERS
Rivals top 30 2003 - NONE left the south
Rivals top 30 2003 - NONE left the south
So of the 180 top players in the last 7 years, TWO left the south. They like that home cookin or something. I guess you guys got one, so that is something, but I am not liking your return on investment....