Last year about this time, former Ole Miss head coach Ed Orgeron was announcing his resignation. What a difference a year can make?

We learned on Saturday after former Mississippi State head coach Sylvester Croom met with Athletic Director Greg Byrne that Croom will no longer be the head coach of the Bulldogs after Ole Miss beat State 45-0 in the most lopsided Egg Bowl since 1971 where Ole Miss won that game 48-0.

Whatever coaching route Mississippi State decides to take, they should look at a coach’s experience. Croom had never had any previous college head coaching experience. I don’t even think he has lead a high school team as a head coach. Head coaches have one of the toughest jobs around in college football. They have to deal with everything from players going to class to trying to figure out what schemes to run. And after all of that, they have to find the next group of kids to come in. It’s not that easy, but I believe Byrne will find the right guy for Mississippi State.

I know this may open up a can of worms for some of you folks, but in my personal opinion, it was Jackie Sherrill’s recruits that got Croom to a Liberty Bowl victory last year against Central Florida.

Let’s go bowling

Congratulations to Ole Miss and Southern Miss for becoming bowl eligible this season. All indications are that the Rebels will be traveling over to Irving, Texas for the AT&T Cotton Bowl, but then again there’s always the possibility of a sunnier bowl like the Outback or Capital One Bowl in Florida.

For the Golden Eagles, it looks like the RL Carriers New Orleans Bowl or the St. Petersburg (Fla.) Bowl could be calling.

Good-bye Region 5-4A

How about the West Jones Mustangs? The Mustangs came into the high school Class 4A playoffs as the 4th seed from Region 5-4A, reaching the South State championship game. It goes to show you that in the playoffs, next Friday is never promised.

The Mustangs held D’Iberville to just 24 points this past Friday in a losing effort, and if you think that is no big deal, the unbeaten Warriors entered the game averaging a hefty 41 points a game.

Following realignment, this appears to be the final season that all four county teams will be in the same region. It would be a shame to lose all those great rivalry games. I’m sure the local coaches are trying to figure out a way to keep those games slated on the schedule.

Thanks goes out to all the teams in the region that made this one of the most competitive regions in all of Mississippi high school football.

John Blackledge is a sports writer for the Laurel Leader-Call. Contact him at sports@laurelleadercall.com or 601-428-0551, ext. 30.