Not getting the pessimism re: our football team projections.

[blacklistedbully]

Yes, I know our history, but when I look at our schedule and what we have coming back, I am truly only seeing 2 games where we would probably need to play our best and the other team not play theirs, Bama & LSU.<div>
</div><div>I expect to beat Auburn, UT, Ole Miss, TAMU, & UK to go along with JSU, Troy, South Alabama & Middle Tenn. That's 9. I also think we've got a damn good shot at taking down Arky, and an outside shot at LSU & Bama. Its' not like we haven't been right there with those 2 for most of the game lately.</div><div>
</div><div>Assuming we do not suffer any key injuries, I suspect this will be a special season resulting in at least 9 wins,. In fact, I think, including a bowl, we'll win at least 10 this year.</div><div>
</div><div>Tell me why I'm wrong (and please, no, "Because we are Mississippi State".</div>

 

[blacklistedbully]

Yes, I know our history, but when I look at our schedule and what we have coming back, I am truly only seeing 2 games where we would probably need to play our best and the other team not play theirs, Bama & LSU.<div>
</div><div>I expect to beat Auburn, UT, Ole Miss, TAMU, & UK to go along with JSU, Troy, South Alabama & Middle Tenn. That's 9. I also think we've got a damn good shot at taking down Arky, and an outside shot at LSU & Bama. Its' not like we haven't been right there with those 2 for most of the game lately.</div><div>
</div><div>Assuming we do not suffer any key injuries, I suspect this will be a special season resulting in at least 9 wins,. In fact, I think, including a bowl, we'll win at least 10 this year.</div><div>
</div><div>Tell me why I'm wrong (and please, no, "Because we are Mississippi State".</div>

 

[BigMotherTucker]

NOT because we are MState, but because they are the best. Ark will win a close one in our house because that's just what they do. aTm is an unknown to for me... So who knows. Auburn is beatable at home as long as we don't **** down both legs of our pants in that game. Everyone else is a W.

Keep in mind that this analysis comes from a guy who don't know **** from shinola. I could be spot on or grossly off...

 

[mcdawg22]

They let me down, now they have to prove themselves to me. Methinks.

 

[IBleedMaroonDawg]

till our lack of depth killed us.

I don't necessarily think we will beat them, but I don't think we get skulldrug.

Arkansas and Auburn are the two biggest question marks in the SEC because they both have talent but both are replacing key coaches.

aTm has talent, they always have talent but they have a new coach and lingering doubt about keeping leads in the game. I don't think their defense is SEC ready yet.

 

[was21]

right now we need to win the games we're favored in and pull an upset or two...and win six to nine games regular season and we'll be ok. Those two teams right now are at a different level than we are as far as expectations are concerned. Both those teams HAVE to win over Mississipppi State or their corches will be fired off. Mullen will not be fired off if he loses to them....right now...for now...for the immediate future.

 

[Sauron]

Wins over all four ooc games, UT, UK, and Ole Miss. That's seven regular season wins right there. Get a win over TAMU or AU, and that's back at 8 regular season wins. For us, 8 regular season wins is a big deal still whether we want it to be or not. A nine win season is still special.

The Auburn/TAMU games are very winnable, especially in Starkville.

 

[bullysleftnut]

1) Offensive line. We 'should' be better but until we demonstrate it on the field it's a huge question mark.
2) D-line / Defensive End. Unless our super heralded DE steps up we're going to have the same issues we've had the last 3 years with no pass rush. We also lost a 1st rounder.
3) New Offensive focus. We'll be going to a more pass-happy offense. Our O-line has shown no ability to pass block all that well.

 

[MSUDawg25]

I understand they were bad last year, and they have a new coach, but historically, I think they are a lot better than we are giving them credit for. They will struggle next year because of the two reasons listed, but in the future I see them being as competitive in the west as arkansas has been lately.

ETA: I don't consider them an automatic win by any means next year. They will be very hungry for SEC wins, and we will be one of their better chances.

 

[Coach34]

Before the end of game 3 last season

 

[GloryDawg]

They did not skull drag us last year and the LSU game we were in it until the end. I think we are as good or better then last year and I don't think Alabama Defense is going to be what it was last year, I think they are one season away from being back to that leveland LSU will be beat able. Bottom line is we don't get skull draged. We probably get beat but we will be in it until the end. I worried about Tenn and Auburn myself. Us having a really good season depends on those games. I think we will go 2 and three the last five now if we can go 6 and 1 or 7 and 0 the first seven we will have a really good season finishing high in the polls and going to a good bowl game.

 

[Sutterkane]

-you "expect" to beat Auburn yet we've beaten them once since 2000. They will still have plenty of talent and always have something up their sleeve, and we seem to want to **** the bed against them as of late, even under Mullen.

-you expect to beat a&m yet they will have more talent than us and have been getting better lately. This isn't Mizzou we're playing.

-Middle, JSU, and USA are all given wins; Troy is not. We will be looking to take a walk in the park and it is the season for them, and they usually play big conference foes well. Just ask LSU from a few years ago where they had to rally 30 points in the 4th quarter.

-On a positive note, we do get Arkansas at home and they will have a new coach. That game is a complete toss up depending on where they're at.

However, Ole Miss is a toss up as well in my opinion. We have a better team on paper but there is no telling where they will be at by the end of the year under new leadership, playing us at home, and with the **** talking we've been doing. The bears overlooked us in 2009, we should not return the favor.

UT is no slouch and will have a veteran QB at the helm with a coach coaching for his job. No way is that game a gimme.

LSU and Bama are complete pipe dreams. Not happening for at least another year or two. Especially playing both on the road (correct me if I'm wrong but my feelings still stand).

 

[shsdawg]

It wasn't that good last year and we lost some of it.

 

[JackShephard]

I think A&M is the "easiest" of the 4 toss ups. Auburn and TN will be damn tough, and Arkansas is going to take a special performance by us or a complete screw up by them. I've already said Troy worries the hell out of me, especially with it being at their place. I expect a scare even though we will be heavy favorites. We "should" pull it out, but it's not a given. They are well coached, fairly talented, and have won enough of these games to have the attitude that they should win...they aren't content with just being competitive. I also agree on ole miss. By the end of the season they could be decent enough to stay in the game for 3 qtrs. add to that the rivalry is back and their fans, coaches, and players are sick of losing to Mullen...could be a tough game. I think we are good enough to win 9 or 10, but our competition is good enough to hand us 7 losses too. I'm thinking 7-5 or 8-4 but nothing between 5 wins and 10 wins would really surprise me.

 

[missouridawg]

They won the past two years in College Station.

The love for aTm on this board is borderline absurd.

 

[QuaoarsKing]

They were 6-6 last year in the Big 12, and that was with a NFL QB who's gone. They now have a new coach with a completely new offense - a 5 WR throw-every-play spread that's never worked in the SEC before.<div>
</div><div>I doubt Texas A&M will be bowling, and if we lose to them at home, we don't deserve to either.</div>

 

[LBC.sixpack]

Auburn is never a given. There is simply to much magic in that game, not to mention they do have a good bit of returning talent. Texas A&M is a very talented team that choked last year(similar to us, except there offense/defense problems are switched) and could definitely give us problems. Tennessee's Justin Hunter, Da'Rick Rogerss, and Tyler Bray could all go first/second round with a good season. Arky has problems but still has a very talented offense. Troy, as a few have said, is a trap game. We will not beat Bama or LSU away, and you can take that to the bank.

As much as you don't want to hear "they're Mississippi State" but we are one of those teams who will not be counted on, no matter what. Until we beat Auburn, no one will believe we can. Until USC loses, no one will believe they're mortal. We're the opposite. We could only beat kentucky and TSUN and finish 6-6 again. We could be 10-2 next year. Until the Auburn game, no one can really say whether or not we've crossed over that SEC west hump uet.

 

[patdog]

By assuming that we will every game we have at least a 50% chance of winning. That rarely happens for any team. We'll probably lose 1 or maybe even 2 of those tough games you're just marking in the win column.

 

[CadaverDawg]

A&M, Tennessee, Auburn, and Arkansas are looking at us on their schedules as games they can and should win if they are going to have the seasons they're expecting. Hell, UK and Ole Miss see us as one of the few teams they have a shot at beating if they play their best. So while I see the OP's optimism, it's also easy to see why outsiders and realists aren't quite as optimistic. I think we will end up 7-5 or 8-4.....and 8-4 is a very good season for us in this league. 6-6 would be a little disappointing but I could see it........9 or 10 regular season wins would be damn rite impressive no matter how much we improve. Anyone that says they wouldn't be surprised if we won 9 or 10 games, is full of **** or an idiot. That hasn't happened many times at MSU, so we should always be delightfully surprised by a 9 or 10 win season.......and to "expect" 9 or 10 is just setting yourself up for a "Fire Mullins!!!11" thread. Alabama and LSU "expect" 9 or 10, and none of us think we'll beat them, so why have those kind of unrealistic expectations for this team? Just enjoy the **** out of it if it happens, but don't make yourself miserable by thinking it "should" happen.

 

[TUSK.sixpack]

But I thought that game was rather one sided and the score didn't really reflect that... jmo

 

[shotgunDawg]

Tusk, you guys were awesome and much better than us, but to say that that game was one sided is a completely ridiculous. Again, I am not saying we would have won, but you guys were very very lucky that McCarron tripped Lawrence on the 4 yard line as he was going in for a pick 6 before half time. That was game was anything, but a "Skull Drugging". If anything, the final score didn't reflect what a close game it really was. You may need to go back re-watch that game if you think it was a "Skull Drugging". After, watching the game, if you still believe that it was a "Skull Drugging" then perhaps you need to re-evaluate your perception of football, or we just need to understand that when you say "skull drugging" you simply mean that your team won. No matter how close or not close the actual game was.

 

[TUSK.sixpack]

<font face="Arial" size="2">the game was slow, and boring...</font><div><font face="Arial" size="2">
</font></div><div><font face="Arial" size="2">MSU's offense (save one drive) never moved the ball. Alabama ran well against an MSU defense that played very well.</font></div><div><font face="Arial" size="2">
</font></div><div><font face="Arial" size="2">that game was over when alabama scored early in the 2nd (with 2 missed FGs).</font></div><div><font face="Arial" size="2">
</font></div><div><font face="Arial" size="2">don't get me wrong, I thought it'd be closer to 35-7 than 24-7.... but it really wasn't a "close" game.... </font></div><div><font face="Arial" size="2">
</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font face="Arial" size="2"><span style="line-height: 24.545454025268555px; white-space: nowrap;">EDIT for clarity.... to me "skull dragging" is wh</span></font><span style="line-height: 24.545454025268555px; white-space: nowrap; font-family: Arial; font-size: small; ">en you:</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="line-height: 24.545454025268555px; white-space: nowrap; font-family: Arial; font-size: small; ">run well/defend the run - yards per carry: Bama 5, MSU 0</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="line-height: 24.545454025268555px; white-space: nowrap; font-family: Arial; font-size: small; ">rushing - Bama 223, MSU 12</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="line-height: 24.545454025268555px; white-space: nowrap; font-family: Arial; font-size: small; ">dominate TOP - Bama 35, MSU 24</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="line-height: 24.545454025268555px; white-space: nowrap; font-family: Arial; font-size: small; ">total yards - Bama 390, MSU 130</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="line-height: 24.545454025268555px; white-space: nowrap; font-family: Arial; font-size: small; ">
</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font face="Arial" size="2"><span style="line-height: 24.545454025268555px; white-space: nowrap;">i was surprised too, when i saw the stats... of course, we may have different definitions of the term.</span></font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font face="Arial" size="2"><span style="line-height: 24.545454025268555px; white-space: nowrap;">
</span></font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font face="Arial" size="2"><span style="line-height: 24.545454025268555px; white-space: nowrap;">
</span></font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font face="Arial" size="2"><span style="line-height: 24.545454025268555px; white-space: nowrap;">
</span></font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font face="Arial" size="2"><span style="line-height: 24.545454025268555px; white-space: nowrap;">
</span></font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font face="Arial" size="2"><span style="line-height: 24.545454025268555px; white-space: nowrap; ">
</span></font></div>

 

[mcdawg22]

Nm

 

[HammerOfTheDogs]

We did it in 1998 when they hired Houston Nutt. We did it in 2008 with Bobby Petrino. We do it now with John L. Smith.<div id="isChromeWebToolbarDiv" style="display:none"></div>

 

[Hump4Hoops]

 

[blacklistedbully]

I think we may lose 1 or 2 of the ones I think we should win, but have as good a chance of then winning 1 or 2 we perhaps shouldn't. If we win all the ones we should AND pull an upset or 2, then it could be a magical season.

 

[Sauron]

I mean, what with an entirely new coaching staff, losing an NFL qb, and their first time in not only the toughest league but the best division in all of college sports, with a defense that folded like a Dollar General brand lawn chair all second-half last season, we should really just go ahead on and pencil that one in as a loss.....

 

[RonnyAtmosphere]

..hello everybody.


I live in the middle of Death Valley.


But I'm not getting all this intense heat.

 

[JackShephard]

Turn into an " alabammerr is tha greatest team evvaarr!!!" thread? Nobody cares. In case you didn't notice, this is an MSU message board. I'm sure there are 435 Bammer message boards (one for each "national championship") you could choose from if you want someone to pat you on the back. Or is there not Internet in trailer parks yet?

 

[sleepy dawg]

you are underestimating our opponents.

If we look at Athlon sports preseason rankings as an example:
Team - Rank
MSU - 47
Schedule:
Jackson State - fcs
Auburn - 30
@Troy - 109
South Alabama - 123
@Kentucky - 75
Tennessee - 37
Middle Tennessee - 114
@Alabama - 3
Texas A&M - 32
@LSU - 2
Arkansas - 13
@Ole Miss - 71

Using this alone, we would be 6-6. Although we know this is no science, but it is a good example from a decent and knowledgeable source.
Using these rankings, I would say we come away with 3 most likely losses, 4 most likely wins, and 5 games that can probably go either way at this point.

Again, who knows what will really happen. However, it's easy to see that we play tough competition most weeks of the season. It will be extremely difficult to win 9 or 10 games this season, even if we do have a good team.

 

[TUSK.sixpack]

Presidential Scholar 1988....<div>
</div><div>
</div>

 

[Palos-Verdes]

This is why I hate playing the SWAC!!!!!!

 

[TaleofTwoDogs]

nm

 

[boatsnhoes]

we can beat arkansas at some point. I was thinking we had trouble beating them because of petrino, but it seems like they always sneak it out against us no matter the coach. I can't see John L. Smith as a real tough to beat coach,but they still have tyler wilson and tons of weapons.

eventually we have to face kick auburn. Gene chizik has the football Iq of jane fonda or skip bayless. I thought we would whip their cheatingasses w/o newton....wrong. Now I think we'll whip their asses w/o dyer and malzahn....eventually karma has to 17 them up.

A&M..Not sure. Iknowtheir defense can't stop the bad newsbears squad and they have alotof athletes that can makeplays. New offense thatflings it all over the joint with a team that traditionally is our twinbrother offensively (boring). It's like anew chemistry set.

I can't wait to whip om's *** again for the 4th year in a row.