Biloxi will see hundreds of Crimson Tide fans and home-standing Bayou Bengals fans this weekend, thanks to local tourism leaders promoting the fact that the BCS National Championship is merely 90 minutes to the west on Monday evening.
Thousands of visitors from Alabama have booked hotel rooms in Biloxi and most are taking advantage of a promotion that offers free transportation to the Mercedes-Benz Superdome.
But the throng of Crimson Tide fans visiting Biloxi has nothing to do with Mayor A.J. Holloway’s predictions for Monday’s contest.
“I think Alabama is a better-coached team, and, if they’re healthy, it will be great game,” said Holloway, who was a running back on the Ole Miss national championship team in 1960 and played on winning Sugar Bowl teams in ’61 and ’63.
“That running back for Alabama, Trent Richardson, could be a major factor,”
Holloway said. “I realize LSU has the home field advantage, but you can throw that out the window when it comes to a game like this – a national championship and a strong rivalry.”
Holloway also discounted the LSU victory early in regular season: “LSU beat Ole Miss 7-3 in the regular season in the infamous Halloween game in 1959, and then a few weeks later, in the Sugar Bowl, on New Year’s Day, Ole Miss came back to beat ’em 21-0.”
The mayor’s call on the score Monday night: Alabama 17-13.
And to those Tide fans in Biloxi for the weekend leading up to the game, the mayor, with tongue planted firmly in cheek, has a friendly reminder: “Welcome to Biloxi. We hope you have a great time, and remember, the amount of fun you have is directly proportionate to the amount of money you spend.”
