Mississippi State and Ole Miss found out this week the two East Division opponents they picked up to complete their 10-game 2020 football schedule. The Bulldogs will pick up Vanderbilt and powerful Georgia. MSU will host the Commodores while traveling to Georgia. The Bullies were already scheduled to play Kentucky and Missouri from the East. Both MSU and Ole Miss will play their regular West Division slate of Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn, LSU and Texas A&M. The Rebels will pick up a home game against South Carolina and will travel to Kentucky to meet the improved Wildcats who are coming off their fifth straight bowl appearance. Ole Miss was already scheduled to play Florida and Vanderbilt from the East Division. WINNERS & LOSERS Both Ole Miss and Mississippi State came out pretty good on the two-game additions. The real losers were Arkansas and Missouri with their two additional games. The Razorbacks will pick up Florida and Georgia while Missouri will play LSU and Alabama as their two pick up games. Ouch! Arkansas will now play the six best teams in the SEC in Alabama, Auburn, LSU, A&M, Florida and Georgia. Tennessee will play five top teams in Alabama, Auburn, A&M, Florida and Georgia. Defending champion LSU picked up Missouri and Vanderbilt while Alabama will play Kentucky and Missouri and Georgia will play MSU and Arkansas. The season will hopefully begin on Sept. 26 and conclude with the SEC Championship game in Atlanta on Dec. 19. The SEC teams will begin regular football practices on August 17 but will be able to have two hours a day of conditioning, strength trainings and meetings until then. All coaches and other personnel will have to wear masks on the sidelines, according to the SEC office. USM HAS 12-GAME SCHEDULE Southern Mississippi altered its 2020 schedule this week with the addition of two games to fill the spots because of the cancelling of the Jackson State game on Sept 19 and the Auburn game on Sept. 26. The Golden Eagles will now play seven home games for the first time since 1920. They added two home games in Tennessee Tech for the Sept. 19 date and Tulane for the following Saturday. They also moved their home opener against South Alabama up two days and will now play the Jaguars on Thursday, Sept. 3. USM will have four straight home games in the month of September. The Golden Eagles will not have to travel until Oct. 3 when they visit North Texas. The C-USA championship game is slated for Dec/ 5. The Eagles began their preseason camp last Friday. ANOTHER SPRING MOVE The Mid-American Conference has moved their football season to the spring. Many football fans are asking if there actually will be a college football season. My answer as of today is YES. It will begin, but who knows for how long. HIGH SCHOOL NOTES The Mississippi Private Schools are scheduled to open their 2020 football season this week while the MHSAA schools will wait until Sept. 4. This upcoming football season marks the 50th year of full integration of the public schools of Mississippi. Bubby Johnston was a member of the first Forest High School integrated football team that year. He tells me they are planning a special night to honor the 1970 undefeated Little Dixie Champion Bearcat team on Sept. 18. Hope to have more about that special team in a later column. MLB REPORT — Taylorsville native Billy Hamilton stole the 300th base of his eight-year MLB career last week against the World Champion Washington Nationals. Hamilton is now playing in New York with the Mets. — Richton’s JaCoby Jones has a very hot bat as he is hitting .333 to begin the season with four home runs. — Former Ole Miss star and current Texas Rangers pitcher Lance Lynn won his 100th game as a major leaguer on Sunday against the Angles. Dale McKee is a native of Waynesboro and has been writing sports in Mississippi since 1973. His column appears in several weekly papers throughout the state. You may contact him at ddmckee18@yahoo.com.
