Jak vs. Juice: Which Dog is Mississippi's "Good Boy?"

Two predominant pups in the world of college football are taking the Magnolia State by storm.

Just last year, Mississippi only had one institution that based its football program around a dog.

Mississippi State has had plenty of English Bulldog mascots in its history -- the current one is Bully XXI. Affectionately named Jak after former quarterback Dak Prescott and deceased radio personality Jack Cristil, the pup is a fan favorite. He's on the sidelines at nearly every football game and is regularly seen strolling around the Junction and making guest appearances. However, his reign as the most well-known college football dog in the Magnolia State is being threatened.

Meet Juice Kiffin, the canine child of Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin. Juice is not even a year old yet, but he's already gaining popularity across the South. Much of this comes from the fact that he has a personal Twitter account with more than 29-thousand followers through which the yellow Labrador Retriever shares "his" thoughts. Coach Kiffin also promotes Juice everywhere, holding special events and even taking him on the Walk of Champions before games. Much like his father, Juice becomes the center of attention quite easily.

Given the fact that its biggest rival is a Bulldog, it's a bit odd that Ole Miss is embracing the idea that Juice has come to represent the football team's " unofficial mascot." It could just be Kiffin's way of adding more fuel to an already blazing fire. Juice even inked a hefty NIL deal with The Grove Collective just a few days ago, making him the first dog in the nation to profit off of such a deal. His reward? Gift cards to a local pet store so that he might finally be able to buy himself some lunch.

Recently, there has been some competition between Jak and Juice. SEC Nation visited Ole Miss on Oct. 8 before heading a bit more southeast to Starkville the following weekend. Host Laura Rutledge spent time with both pups, but head coach Kiffin did not seem too pleased with this. He tagged his canine son in a now-viral tweet and advised him to stay away from the seemingly traitorous media personality.

I told you ⁦@JuiceKiffin⁩ Not to buy into ⁦@LauraRutledge⁩ Only 7 days later she is …….. and you are out of sight out of mind and she is with another 🐶 Never trust a ⁦@GatorsFB⁩ son.Typical 👱‍♀️😂. https://t.co/zFH3LdLWJO

— Lane Kiffin (@Lane_Kiffin) October 9, 2022

Maybe there isn't so much of a rivalry between the two Mississippi pups? When Rutledge responded expressing her love for both dogs, Juice took the time to explain that he and Jak shouldn't have a rivalry. In fact, the two should team up to fight against... football teams with feline mascots. 

Doesn’t have to be a rivalry between Me and Bully! You always talk about how you like the head coach there! Me and Bully are united to fight the real enemy: Teams that have cats for mascots BOOOO https://t.co/44v3qHlBK1

— Juice Kiffin (@JuiceKiffin) October 9, 2022

There is truly no way to determine which Mississippi dog is the best, because each fan base is going to side with its own adopted mascot. In terms of tradition, Jak is undoubtedly the top college football pup in the Magnolia State. When looking at pop culture, Juice has quickly been racking up thousands of social media fans.

Jak and Juice might get the chance to meet each other in the coming months, as Mississippi State travels to Oxford to face Ole Miss on Thanksgiving night. Perhaps they will get along, or maybe they won't. No matter what happens, there's sure to be an awful lot of attention directed at the pair of pups when the time comes.