Dan has made MSU a top 40 FBS program

[Bulldog Bruce]

We are now too good for lower tier teams and not good enough for top tier teams. I really think we need to add some more tough non conference games. Games like tonight should be a once a year game. Something early to act as a scrimmage game to work some things out. Otherwise it doesn't do us any good to prepare us for the tough SEC west.

 

[AFDawg]

I do see where you're coming from, Bruce, but Troy almost beat us last year. They're not a gimme win despite our domination today.

 

[QuaoarsKing]

We may be sitting at home this winter because we played 1 tough OOC game, and you want to play more?

 

[Death Rattle]

We have to step up some time.

 

[AFDawg]

Actually, we don't. We have an opportunity to step up 8 times a year.

 

[DesotoCountyDawg]

Boom.

.

 

[Cousin Jeffrey]

Consistently playing in bowl games will do us the most good. There's no reason for us to make it tougher on ourselves than it already is inside the conference. We should play 4 "should wins" every year out of conference. Stringing together bowl seasons "prepares us" over the long term.

 

[Hump4Hoops]

Troy is a tougher, more consistent foe than

3/4 of the OOC schedule of many top tier teams. Alabama is playing Colorado St, Georgia St, and Chattanooga this year.

Tell me what 4 OOC games you want us to play each year. I'll hang up and listen.

 

[AFDawg]

I agree with you. But I would like an FCS school (preferably one of our HBCUs), home and home with Tulane in perpetuity, and a couple of other Sun Belt or C-USA teams. Perhaps occasionally do something interesting--perhaps one of the military academies. (Army since Army usually sucks. Or USAFA so I can give academy grad friends a hard time.)

 

[Bulldog Bruce]

Why bother playing if your goal is not to win a national championship? Playing 4 overmatched teams a year won't prepare the team to win those 8 tough games.

I don't like starting the season with that tough OOC opponent like we did this year, but I would like to see us play teams like OSU, North Carolina, Utah, West Virginia, Va Tech, Oklahoma, Michigan State, Illinois, Louisville, Indiana, etc. Teams that compete.

I have to equate it to something Mike Schmidt told me. He said "you can't hit Major League pitching until you face Major League pitching." So i think to prepare for Alabama, LSU you need to play better competition than Jackson State, Troy and Bowling Green.

 

[Bulldog Bruce]

Yeah, Music City, Liberty, Shreveport.

If you don't realize it, this thing is going to continue to go towards a playoff. If you ain't in the top 8 once in awhile, you ain't going to be ****.

 

[terry todd]

First time poster. I think we're pretty good. 6-8 wins this year easy.
ETA: I say 6-8 because KY, BG, AR and OM. I think we have a shot at SCe. So, maybe I see it as more like a 6-7 win season. Still...

 

[AFDawg]

I have nothing but respect for you Bruce, but I think football and baseball are different in this regard. In baseball we need tough OOC opponents both for preparation and RPI. In football, the physical toll of those tougher games is greater. And more than the preparation of playing a tough team we need preparation of bowl practices. I'm not convinced you get that much preparation value from playing a tougher OOC. It adds game planning time if nothing else. Jackie used to say that you can only get up for so many games in a season. A tougher OOC just spreads you thinner.

 

[FlotownDawg]

I wish we would play a home and home with a good mid-level BCS conference team every year. A team like Virginia, Minnesota, Utah or Iowa State. Then schedule an FCS team and two teams from lower level FBS conferences like the Sun Belt or CUSA. Our guys would get some good experience against a team similar to us, and every other year, get experience on the road. There's a middle ground between scheduling Oregon and scheduling 4 JUCO's.

 

[terry todd]

Agreed. I would love to see Minnesota or Virginia on the schedule. Follow up with AR State or MTSU.

 

[cheewgumm]

amen

and amen

Why bother playing if your goal is not to win a national championship? Playing 4 overmatched teams a year won't prepare the team to win those 8 tough games.

I don't like starting the season with that tough OOC opponent like we did this year, but I would like to see us play teams like OSU, North Carolina, Utah, West Virginia, Va Tech, Oklahoma, Michigan State, Illinois, Louisville, Indiana, etc. Teams that compete.

I have to equate it to something Mike Schmidt told me. He said "you can't hit Major League pitching until you face Major League pitching." So i think to prepare for Alabama, LSU you need to play better competition than Jackson State, Troy and Bowling Green.

 

[HailState39110]

We are now too good for lower tier teams and not good enough for top tier teams. I really think we need to add some more tough non conference games. Games like tonight should be a once a year game. Something early to act as a scrimmage game to work some things out. Otherwise it doesn't do us any good to prepare us for the tough SEC west.

I don't mind scheduling a BCS OOC game every now and then , just be a little smarter about it. I know ESPN approached us with a big payday for that game in Houston , but from now on use a little more common sense on who to play

South Florida
Kansas
Duke
Iowa State
UConn
Washington State
Purdue
Indiana
Syracuse
Wake Forest
etc

These are all formidable opponents that would give us a game with intrigue and a game we should also be favored to win. Edited to Add: Those are a lot of basketball schools

 

[thatsbaseball]

********, The loss to Auburn is what will keep us at home and that`s on Mullen. You women blaming the schedule maker need to give it a rest. We are an SEC team if we can`t play like it we ought to get out.

 

[Dawg1976]

You have got to be kidding. Of the teams you mentioned I would only be happy playing Indiana and Illinois. And only one of those with the other 3 being Troy, Bowling Green and Jackson State. BTW, if our goal is to play for a NC in football......we might as well give it up. Because that ain't reality.

 

[thatsbaseball]

So given your mentality on the subject. Are we wasting our time recruiting 4-5* players who could go elsewhere and play for championships ? I mean if you`ve invested you time, blood and sweat to be that good at what you do on the football field why would EVEN CONSIDER a program that doesn`t feel like it can compete for a championship ?

 

[mcdawg22]

I would say 2010 was the year we played the best against quality opponents, Fla, Auburn, Ga, Ark, and Michigan. Our non-conference was UAB, Alcorn, Memphis, and Houston with their third string QB.

 

[Dawg1976]

No because you need a mix of 4 and 5* players too to compete at a decent level. And every school will say their goal is to compete for a NC, but that ain't reality. Not just for us but for the majority of the programs out there. Year end and year out there are only 20 programs or so that has a realistic chance to actually compete for a NC game. If that.

I'm not saying we can't do some good things and go to some real nice New Year day bowl games. We have and no reason why we can't again. But don't see us ever having an Alabama year. I know.......it's my kind that is holding us back.