The 2-2 start thread got me to thinking

[Temple of the Dawg]

What does our final record have to look like for you to be content? 5-7 again as long as we are in most games? Would you be content knowing that we were close yet again and that our team, especially at the skill positions & in the secondary is still young for the most part?

What record makes you transition from content into happy? Does 6-6 do it since we will be bowl eligible? Or does it take getting to 7-5?

What is the break over point from happy into ecstatic? At what record do you think to yourself, "Hell yeah, we are rolling now. The rest of the SECW better be ready cause we will contend in 2011"?

For me,
Content = 5-7 with no more than 2 blowout losses (figuring Bama in TTown will blow us out & most likely UF at the Swamp)
Happy = anything between 6-6 & 8-4. I know our schedule is tough, but I think that 8-4 is least in the realm of possibility (small chance). Bama & UF are the only games that I really see as absolutely unwinnable. Conversely, UK is the only SEC game I would say is a sure win. The rest, we would need to play well & get some breaks/good bounces, but all of the teams have definite weaknesses.
Ecstatic = 9-3 or better. No way this happens, but that is my threshold.

 

[Temple of the Dawg]

What does our final record have to look like for you to be content? 5-7 again as long as we are in most games? Would you be content knowing that we were close yet again and that our team, especially at the skill positions & in the secondary is still young for the most part?

What record makes you transition from content into happy? Does 6-6 do it since we will be bowl eligible? Or does it take getting to 7-5?

What is the break over point from happy into ecstatic? At what record do you think to yourself, "Hell yeah, we are rolling now. The rest of the SECW better be ready cause we will contend in 2011"?

For me,
Content = 5-7 with no more than 2 blowout losses (figuring Bama in TTown will blow us out & most likely UF at the Swamp)
Happy = anything between 6-6 & 8-4. I know our schedule is tough, but I think that 8-4 is least in the realm of possibility (small chance). Bama & UF are the only games that I really see as absolutely unwinnable. Conversely, UK is the only SEC game I would say is a sure win. The rest, we would need to play well & get some breaks/good bounces, but all of the teams have definite weaknesses.
Ecstatic = 9-3 or better. No way this happens, but that is my threshold.

 

[Fletch Fletcher]

5-7 if one of the 5 is the Egg Bowl. Otherwise we'll need 6-6 with a bowl.
We need something to "hang our hat on" and sell to recruits in the off season

 

[UpTheMiddlex3Punt]

While we trade Vandy for Georgia, we also trade Georgia Tech for UAB/Memphis. A record of 5-7 where we are "in it" most games will be the same as last year as we were "in it" in many of our losses (Houston, Florida, GT, LSU). We can do better this year and I think 7-5 is more likely than the pundits think.

 

[STATEgrad04]

We must show improvement in the W-L column....Last year was nice because it was a pleasant surprise and we were competitive in nearly every game, that being said, being competitive again this year is not going to cut it! When you factor in our competitiveness plus our second year coach, we have to take the 5-7 team from last year and at least improve to bowl elegible team this year! Especially when you consider that most people thought we should have had at least two more wins last year than what the record shows (LSU and UH). Mentally at the end of last year people looked at the team as a 7 win team, so to not go to a bowl game this year would hurt!

 

[maroonmania]

so nothing less than 6-6 will be OK with me. Moral victories won't cut it this year. We need it for recruiting and just general perception in the country. I know our schedule is tough but a losing record will still have people viewing us as a losing program and we have to start shaking off that perception to keep moving forward.

 

[I am Al Czervik]

For you SPS'ers:<div>
</div><div>You can only chose one of the two: which had you rather have a 6-6 season losing the Egg or 5-7 and another Egg Bowl win?</div>

 

[PBRME]

x

 

[Fletch Fletcher]

For you SPS'ers:<div>
</div><div>You can only chose one of the two: which had you rather have a 6-6 season losing the Egg or 5-7 and another Egg Bowl win?</div>

I'd say 6-6 because that would mean we'd have at least 2 conference wins. Uk would be the obvious candidate, but the other would have to be Auburn, UGA, LSU, Florida, Bama or Arkansas. I'd take a win over one of those schools and a bowl game over a 5-7 record with an Egg Bowl victory.

 

[Temple of the Dawg]

nm

 

[PBRME]

For you SPS'ers:
<div>
</div><div>You can only chose one of the two: which had you rather have a 6-6 season losing the Egg or 5-7 and another Egg Bowl win?</div>

If someone would rather have a losing season as long as they beat Ole Miss than go to a bowl game, they need to be taken out back and shot.

 

[J-Dawg]

//
/

 

[ckDOG]

That would likely mean we won the 5 games we should win or have solid shots at winning (Memphis, Alcorn, UAB, Houston, UK) and pulled off one upset. Hell, we probably will be underdogs at Houston, so 6 wins is going to require 2 upsets. I'll be happy with this assuming we are at least competitive in our 6 losses.

Yes, I know LSU, UGA, and Auburn are supposedly "beatable", but they are still going to be damn stout competition. Mullen has got us moving the right direction, but the big steaming pile of **** Croom left us isn't helping out our depth. We have some play makers now, but we need a little more proven depth to compete in this league.

I'm ecstatic if we have 7 wins. That means we have 2, likely 3 solid upsets on our resume and we'll clearly have established ourselves on the up and up. We will sell a lot of people on Mullen and the program if that happens.

Even though we realistically could finish up this season at 5-7, there's no way I can be content with that. We have a little momentum and positive image right now. If we don't capitalize on that image change this season, it will fizzle out pretty quickly. I really think this year makes or breaks the Mullen regime. I think there's alot of people out there who think he could be a legit coach with a chance at building a competitive program at MSU. However, no bowl game and we'll be back to an afterthought. If we get 6 wins and a bowl appearance (ideally, winning it), I think that gets alot of 3rd parties and recruits on the MSU bandwagon. This is a big, big year for us.

 

[ArlngtnDawg]

For me,
Disappointed - anything less than a winning record.
Happy = 7-6 (6-6 with a bowl win or 7-5 with a bowl loss)
Ecstatic = 8-5 to 9-4 - 7-5 with bowl win, 8-4 with bowl loss, or 8-4 with bowl win
Going to church a couple times a week = 9-4 or better 8-4 with bowl loss or anything better than that.

After so many years of sucking, I am happy with improvement (so anything better than 5-7).

 

[Todd4State]

Good, solid SEC teams don't lose to C-USA teams. They may not blow them out, but they find a way to win. I also think that six wins means we beat UK, and someone else, be it Ole Miss or an upset of someone. Winning all of our non-conference games, and beating at least two SEC teams in some combination is what we have to do to show that we are making progress.

And we need to go to a bowl, even if it is in Birmingham or Bangladesh.

 

[AzzurriDawg4]

I can't count LSU in Baton Rouge in even the wooliest year. That would take nothing short of a miracle, and it has nothing to do with the quality of either team.

We protect the ball against Auburn and Georgia, and we win one of those games. Newton is going to throw a pick or two against our D and ditto for Georgia's greenhorn.

 

[maroonmania]

traded Vandy and GT for UAB and Georgia. UAB is likely not as good as Vandy and I even doubt Georgia is as good as GT. Therefore, going 5-7 this year would show zero improvement especially given how close we were to being 6-6 or even 7-5 last year with a schedule as tough or tougher.

 

[hatfieldms]

....is a #!*#%@% clown

 

[alabamadog]

Anything over seven and Mullen is sec coach of the year unless a team goes undefeated.

 

[Sutterkane]

and that was in Starkville.

 

[Sutterkane]

The advantage of having extra practice for young skill position players plus the positives from a bowl in recruiting are far better than beating Ole Miss.

 

[o_GuitarDawg]

Literally we can but we are supposed to be improved (significantly?) by year two. And I expect no less than 6 wins from the Head Corch, he's not a loser and what he did last year was outstanding. Now that we've gotten to year two I expect a lot more.

Having said that, I honestly think an 8-4 record speaks out and demands attention in the SECW for next year, at least in my mind. And 9-3 is obviously begging for 1st place votes in the WEST

 

[saltslugs]

6-6 is what I would need to be happy, but I wouldn't be upset with a 5-7 playing decently. No reason to think that we MUST improve our record this year--our schedule does not yield record improvement easily.

 

[MSUCosmo]

6-6 without a doubt because, with the double standard and steady stream of excuses by Rebel Nation, we never get to enjoy an Egg Bowl win anyway. Remember, last season we sacrificed the glory of a 4-8 season and sold our souls to the devil to beat an "uninspired" Ole Miss team.

 

[maroonmania]

for us. Bring back John Bond!

 

[STATEgrad04]

If we have the exact same record as last year and are slightly more competetive in all the losses it will NOT be viewed as improvement or even the same, it will only be seen as a step backwards! The first step in state winning football games was for state to be competetive, we achieved that, now we MUST show improvement! If we dont improve to at least 6-6 it will only be a step in the wrong direction for us.</p>

 

[Tito Cheeseburger Jr]

One of those new QBs, Newton or Murray, will have a bad game and give you the chance to get it done.

 

[saltslugs]

<div>If bookies were forced to make lines to all of our games this year, we would likely be favored in 4 (Memphis, Alcorn, UAB, Kentucky), roughly a pick'em in 1 (Houston) and a fairly large underdog in 7 (AU, LSU, UGA, Florida, Alabama, Arkansas, Ole Miss). So, winning 5 games looks like a likely scenario. That being said, I still think we win 6.</div><div>
</div><div>
</div>

 

[MadDawg.sixpack]

and that was in Baton Rouge.

 

[STATEgrad04]

I cant disagree with you on that point, but the way I look at it is that you cant regress in any shape, form, or fashion...To me, if we go 5-7 once again, it will not be looked at as a hard faught/ very competetive season. It will only be looked at (this year) as another losing season. Last year the losing record accompanied with the competetiveness was considered a "good" season becasuse of how destitute we had been in previous years. Now that we have competeted, I feel as though we have to take it to bowl eligibility. Once we make it a bowl season, we CANT let it go below 6 wins at that point. Step 1: compete/ we did that Step 2: go to a bowl game/ we shall see Step 3: continue to improve and not drop below 6 win.

Since we completed step 1, our expectations must be to improve upon that!

 

[Bulldog Backer]

...and with a couple of breaks and correct officiating we should have been 7-5. Last year, we had the toughest schedule in the NCAA. This year we traded Vanderbilt for UGA and Mempho for MTSU and dropped 3 spots to #4?

Everything I hear is that we are "much better" than last year. The vibes from the program are very positive in Starkvegas. I also won $400.00 on the slots this past weekend at the Palace Casino in Biloxi, so am feeling really lucky right now. For that reason, I am expecting 7-5 ( very happy), given fair officiating and no screw job in Houston think we have a real decent shot at 8-4, (very, very happy) and, with very long odds, even 9-3 (deliriously happy).

 

[saltslugs]

I think our home/road situation is unfavorable this year. Move Ole Miss, LSU, and Houston to Davis Wade and Auburn, Arkansas, and Georgia to away games and we would have a much better chance of reaching 7-5. <div>
</div><div>Our schedule gives us a whole bunch of games where we are 6 or 7 point underdogs.</div>

 

[cowbell88]

6-6 is the margin for success. Anything less is disappointing. At7-5, 8-4I, as most fans would be Ecstatic (I'm trying my damnedest to be optimistic here), but 7 or 8 winsin year no 2 wouldprobablylead to the big boys stealing away our beloved coach.

 

[maroonmania]

we have a LOT better chance to knock off Ole Miss or Houston on the road than we would Auburn, Georgia or Arkansas (where we NEVER win) on the road. LSU just seems to have our number for the past umpteen years so I'm not sure it matters where we play them.

 

[sldrboy2002]

at a minmum.

7-5 I would be happy.
8-4, 9-3 estatic.
Anything over that, and some people better start getting their lives in order, because the end is near.

 

[DesotoCountyDawg]

[No message]

 

[saltslugs]

nm