USA Today Countdown Mississippi State #64
- Thread starter biteyoudawg
- Start date
Pretty damn good writeup, especially from a national publication. Notice, I didn't see Quay Evans listed - eh..
Paul Myerburg does a great job. He's been doing this countdown for years but this is his first season at USA Today.
I didn't expect him to rank us so low. Here are some teams that will be ranked ahead of us:
Bowling Green (an OOC game for us)
Marshall
Missouri
Tennessee
ECU
Navy
Ohio
La Tech
Ball State
Arkansas State
Louisiana-Lafayette
Utah State
Toledo
UCF
I didn't expect him to rank us so low. Here are some teams that will be ranked ahead of us:
Bowling Green (an OOC game for us)
Marshall
Missouri
Tennessee
ECU
Navy
Ohio
La Tech
Ball State
Arkansas State
Louisiana-Lafayette
Utah State
Toledo
UCF
Good writeup. Missed a few names in there, like Quay for example, and Malcolm Johnson, but overall a pretty accurate writeup from a national writer. Gotta love the SPS shoutout. Gotta question the Brad Locke love.
I'm actually growing a little wool after that. Never underestimate the impact of an experienced o-line. We've got a good set of RBs, our best passing QB ever, and finally some physical receiving options.
And for everything we lost on defense, I don't think we'll be too bad. Moving Eulls inside should help our pass rush by getting more speed at DE, Whitley being healthy will make a big difference in his play, Hughes is probably an improvement over Broomfield, and we've got a lot of good talent at LB. Biggest question is do we have any legitimate CBs other than Cox. Finding two more decent corners could be the difference in 5 wins and 8 wins.
And for everything we lost on defense, I don't think we'll be too bad. Moving Eulls inside should help our pass rush by getting more speed at DE, Whitley being healthy will make a big difference in his play, Hughes is probably an improvement over Broomfield, and we've got a lot of good talent at LB. Biggest question is do we have any legitimate CBs other than Cox. Finding two more decent corners could be the difference in 5 wins and 8 wins.
To me, the season hinges on only one thing...
attitude. If this team has the personality of Mullen's first team, we're good. If it has the personality of last year's team, we're not.
attitude. If this team has the personality of Mullen's first team, we're good. If it has the personality of last year's team, we're not.
Good write up, but my only issue is if someone thinks we are only the 64th best team in college then they are on drugs. Perhaps, at the end of the year, our record is indicative of the 64th best team, but I would propose that we are a top 30 team that plays an unbelievable schedule. Therefore, by the end of the season, no one will have any clue how good we really are.
We are a top 30 program. I truly believe that, and if you look at our talent level and execution level, it is true. Ranking us 64th is one of many things that are wrong with college football. Its all about schedule and not about how good you actually are.
We are a top 30 program. I truly believe that, and if you look at our talent level and execution level, it is true. Ranking us 64th is one of many things that are wrong with college football. Its all about schedule and not about how good you actually are.
I agree with this^
What I saw last year after the Bama game was a team that had talent but lacked heart and emotion. It was as if getting your *** kicked meant nothing to them. Mullen's first few teams never had that attitude. If we get that attitude back this year, we will be fine....but if not, well
I genuinely do believe that Wilson was a leech on our team in soooo many ways last year, including on Mullen's attitude. I could tell an improvement in the Gator Bowl alone.
Well a number of people with pretty close connections to the program indicate that there was indeed some internal dischord within the coaching staff and the team last year. I believe the poor chemistry between Mullen and Wilson was fairly well known and that is now gone. Hopefully whatever other issues there were from last year have been put to bed as well.
It wasn't just after the Bama game. The team just never played hard or well the whole season. We were just good enough to get by the first 7 games due to the schedule. No inside knowledge, but I've got to think maroonmania is right about dissention on the team/coaching staff last year. They sure looked like it.
To be fair, I think most of those teams will have great seasons. After the way this team played down the stretch I don't think we can complain too much about the media ranking us low. It's warranted. UCF is surprising but the rest of the list had something happen during last season or this off-season to make them trend upward.
MSU has always played better when everyone is looking elsewhere. I hope that trend continues. I've said this before, but I really won't be surprised by anything this season. If we're bad, sounds about right. If we're good, well... that's just how MSU rolls... everyone thinks we're crap and we sneak up on people. The one thing I'm confident about is McKinney being a beast.
Really well written piece. I enjoyed it.
Odd
It was my understanding that the consensus among MSU fans in about mid-October of of 2012 was that schedule strength was irrelevant, only wins and losses mattered.
It was my understanding that the consensus among MSU fans in about mid-October of of 2012 was that schedule strength was irrelevant, only wins and losses mattered.
i think D will be fine just because of what we retrun in the front 7 along with the young talent in the front 7 that will be getting snaps this fall. quality CBs are nice to have, but a good front 7 can make mediocre CBs look great.
It has to be difficult holding a staff together with the budget for assistants what it is. Some of the salaries are ridiculous at some SEC schools that we have to compete with. Mullen has had good assistants as well as some not so good ones. Besides, let's fact it, State is simply not a destination job for some coaches and so this issue will probably be a continuing one regardless of who the head coach is.