Less cowbell? Mississippi State urges fans to "ring responsibly" ahead of big game

They say the only prescription is "More Cowbell", but Mississippi State is asking fans for a bit less of them ahead of their huge home tilt with No. 15 Tennessee. On Wednesday, Mississippi State Football's social media accounts posted a video urging Bulldog fans to "ring responsibly", saying "our tradition depends on it."

Mississippi State has a special exemption from the SEC to allow cowbells, which are traditionally banned at league venues like other artificial noisemakers, inside Davis Wade Stadium so long as they are rung only at permitted times. Specifically, when the center for a team gets over the ball, the ringing must stop.

Well two weeks ago State fans threw caution to the wind with regard to those regulations, ringing as irresponsibly as they could in the Bulldogs' upset win over Arizona State. It was a special night for the program, and nothing was going to stop fans from ringing their hearts out.

But the scene (and sounds) in Davis Wade Stadium that night has seemingly gotten the attention of the wrong people. Though there's no official reporting, nor will there be, it's been heavily insinuated amongst MSU circles that the SEC has received some pressure from other league members to make sure State is properly enforcing the rules. And if those rules are not enforced and followed, there may be severe consequences...

It's no coincidence cowbells are under scrutiny after Mississippi State starts winning

Mississippi State's cowbells have long had a rocky relationship with the SEC. A part of Bulldog gamedays since the 1940s, cowbells were banned at all league venues, including Davis Wade Stadium, in 1974. Decades later, in 2010, SEC members voted to allow MSU to embrace their tradition, permitting cowbells at Davis Wade Stadium under the guidelines that they could only be rung during timeouts and after scores.

In 2014 those restrictions were loosened to the present ruling that they can be rung at any point until the center gets over the football. It's a fair compromise that State fans have largely complied with. But there have been plenty of instances since that agreement where there wasn't much "resting" of bells.

By and large though, this hasn't been an issue. While cowbells have long been labeled an annoyance by opposing teams and fanbases, the complaints about them have largely been limited to a mere "I hate those darn things." And that's because despite the noise, when teams that believe they're supposed to beat MSU leave Starkville with a win, they don't have much of anything to complain about.

But when those teams get beat by the Bulldogs, suddenly the cries to ban the bells become as loud as the bells themselves. What is previously viewed as an annoyance quickly turns into an unfair advantage the SEC should be ashamed to allow.

Now in this case MSU hasn't yet beaten any SEC opponents. But their win over Arizona State has put others on notice. This isn't the team that went 2-10 and winless in the SEC last season. This is a team that's good enough to not only compete with good teams but actually beat them.

They see a threat, and that's precisely why they're wanting to make sure the cowbells are kept in check the rest of the year. If State were still struggling, I can assure you this conversation doesn't ever come up. There's no coincidence this is happening ahead of the biggest home game in several years.

Regardless of the "why" of it all, it's going to be important that Mississippi State fans comply here. Clearly, some sort of warning has been given, and pushing the issue could lead to a result none of us want which would be the loss of cowbells entirely. For the fans in attendance this Saturday or any game this season, be sure to ring responsibly and help keep a sacred tradition alive. And take some satisfaction in knowing you're being asked to do it because your opponents are, simply put, scared!