When I start
thinking about where I am going to go with my predictions for Mississippi State
my mind goes in about 20 different directions.
This is always the most difficult blog of the year for me because of my
love for MS State. I have been a fan of
the school for as long as I can remember.
I have always made it known when writing this that I try to stay
unbiased as possible but when you are invested in something it becomes
difficult at times. These are just a few
of the thoughts I always have… I don’t want to say too high of a win total
because I don’t want to jinx them, I may say a low total so they exceed my
expectations, or I may not even make a prediction at all(at least not publicly). If you are a fan of a team you have probably
thought those exact same comments before.
I have thought long and hard about this blog.
Going into
this season I feel like this may be the most talented MS State team I have ever
seen. This team has countless explosive
players, great experience, leadership at all positions, good coaching, and a
mixture of talented young guys. That is
the formula to a really good football team.
Timing is the problem because Alabama, LSU, Arkansas, and even Auburn
have great programs. T he oldest sports
quote in the book is “to be the best you have to beat the best” and this
football team is right up in it.
I have
talked about how hard it has been for MSU to go from good to great several
times. Dan Mullen has talked about it
hundreds of times. That extra little bit
is the difference between 1 or 2 extra wins.
The players on every team put in a couple of thousand hours of training
for that 1 play. The Bulldogs have the talent
to compete with every team they play, and if someone makes that 1 play the best
case scenario prediction is reachable for this football team.
The defense this
year will be top 4 or 5 in the SEC and top 15 or 20 in the country. The defense probably has 7-10 guys that will
get a shot at the NFL. Key to the
defense this year is to get off the field on 3rd downs. Denico Autrey may be the solution to this
with his pass rush. A strong pass rush
and a good secondary has led the NY Giants to 2 Super Bowls (MSU post here but
Eli helped too). I have a lot of
confidence in this defense even if the offense starts to stall. If the offense gets going and can keep this
defense off the field then it will be fun to watch. When I say get going I don’t mean score 6
touchdowns against LSU or Bama because that’s just not happening. What I mean is get a couple of first downs
and shift field position. Watch out for
Darius Slay!
On to the
offense where I think the only real question mark is a BIG one and it involves
the offensive line. Tyler Russell can
make every throw on the football field IF he has time. The line will benefit from injuries last year. Some young guys were thrown into the fire of
SEC football allowing them to gain valuable experience. If MS State can get consistent play from 8 or
9 offensive linemen Tyler Russell will put up stats and wins.
Best case
scenario for MSU in 2012: (10-2) – The fact is I cannot in my right mind pick
MSU to beat LSU or Bama. Remember this
is the best case scenario!
Worst case
scenario for MSU in 2012: (6-6) – It would be a devastating season if MSU lost
more than 6 regular season games.
Prediction
for 2012: (8-4) – Like with my
prediction for USM I swayed back and forth between 8 and 9 wins. I had to go with the lower number until I
witness MSU make one of those plays that takes them over the hump. Biggest game of the year is against Auburn at
11AM on Sept 8. Win that game and
anything is possible!
Head Coach - Dan Mullen
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