This Thursday evening will provide Mississippi State University students with excitement, competitive rivalry and the joy of partaking in a tradition dating all the way back to 1927. For decades, MSU and Ole Miss fans have gathered together to participate in the fanfare surrounding this staple of Mississippi athletics. Throughout my own childhood, the Egg Bowl was enjoyed at my Nana’s house along with turkey, homemade pies and copious amounts of Diet Coke.
    The Battle for the Golden Egg always, in my mind, marked the peak of the Thanksgiving season, and I relished in the overlap of Thanksgiving Day and this exciting sporting event. However, upon coming to college, my Egg Bowl routine was slightly altered. This year’s Egg Bowl will be the first since 2003 that has occurred on Thanksgiving Day, so until now, every Egg Bowl I have experienced during my collegiate career has taken place either just before or shortly after the actual holiday.
   This season’s change in scheduling has left me with a feeling of confliction. On the one hand, I am an eternal sucker for a nice tradition. I have so much respect for both institutions for keeping this event so deeply engrained in Mississippi history alive for so many years. Because of this preservation, I have countless warm memories of being entertained by the Egg Bowl (and the lively reactions and cheers of family members) at past Thanksgivings. However, I have also thoroughly enjoyed the Egg Bowls of my freshman, sophomore and junior years of college. Whether I have traveled to Oxford or cheered on the Bulldogs from our own Davis Wade Stadium, each competition has resulted in a high-energy game experience, with the added bonus of being able to spend Thanksgiving Day at home with my family.
   In the argument over which scheduling situation is more favorable, perhaps there is no definite winner. So much of the college football gameday experience depends on which stage of life you pass through. As a child, your personal schedule is synced with that of your parents, so you have little to no opinion of where you should be on which day. For the most part, if you are kept warm and fed well, you will be content with either day. So, in the making of this decision, you hold little weight. As a college student, several other factors are thrown into the decision-making process. You must properly weigh the pros and cons of when to travel home while considering traffic, gas money, an inevitable food coma and studying for the final exams that so ominously loom in the back of your mind. Placing a sporting event directly in the middle of this break causes this algorithm to become even more difficult.  Due to this obligation within the Thanksgiving break, I personally find this scheduling less favorable for college students.
    For alumni, however, the story is different. Few adults receive the benefit of a multiple-day Thanksgiving break, but (depending on your career) most are relieved of the duties of work on the actual date of Thanksgiving. In this case, for any alumni wishing to make the trek to Starkville or Oxford, the Thanksgiving day scheduling is far more convenient.
   Bottom line, there may be no perfect day to schedule the Egg Bowl. Appeasing the differing schedules of more than 60,000 fans is a difficult task; however, I believe we can all agree that there is no wrong day to enjoy a cold drink, a hearty meal and a rivalry amongst friends. Despite any inconveniences that accompany this change in scheduling, I support the resurfacing of the old Thanksgiving Day tradition, and I eagerly await the festivities to come.