Dan Wolken of USA Today say:

[BeastMan]

Dan Wolken ‏@DanWolken May 22
Another thing I?m realizing: The common Twitter fan has no idea how good Mississippi State is going to be this year.



It's crazy how much MSU fans are hyping up their team. I mean, who really thinks they will be any good. Mullen sucks!1!!!!1!**********

[bluelightstar]

He was then roundly criticized by several other sportswriters who said we "still have the worst top-to-bottom talent" in the division and will be "decided underdogs" in 5 SEC games. Everyone isn't buying and I don't necessarily blame them.

I think the team has a lot of potential and I'm looking forward to it. But as they say, potential is just another way of saying you haven't done shit.

Here's hoping we can prove the doubters wrong.

[thf24]

He was then roundly criticized by several other sportswriters who said we "still have the worst top-to-bottom talent" in the division and will be "decided underdogs" in 5 SEC games. Everyone isn't buying and I don't necessarily blame them.

I think the team has a lot of potential and I'm looking forward to it. But as they say, potential is just another way of saying you haven't done shit.

Here's hoping we can prove the doubters wrong.

Other writers think we have worse top-to-bottom talent than Arkansas? Yeah, reasonable doubt in regards to us is completely valid and expected, but it's uninformed nonsense like that that's frustrating to have to listen to.

[smootness]

He also predicted us to go 9-3. Apparently Jesse Palmer is saying we could win the West, too. I'll be honest, it feels nice to hear good things from national media, but I'd rather go in completely under the radar.

[BeastMan]

I agree with a lot of what yall are saying. I'm cautiously optimistic but I just like noting when national media gives MSU some love. It's always nice to point it out.

[Political Hack]

Within the SEC West: more talented than 2. more experience than 4. more leadership than 6. more heart than all.

[Schultzy]

We have the best defense in the west and a good offense. If we upset bama or lsu we will win it in a tie breaker.

[thunderclap]

Nicely said.

[hacker]

Within the SEC West: more talented than 2. more experience than 4. more leadership than 6. more heart than all.

like

[CadaverDawg]

Within the SEC West: more talented than 2. more experience than 4. more leadership than 6. more heart than all.

Damn, that should be on a Motivational Poster, Hack. Beautifully said.

#People'sUniversity

[ShotgunDawg]

He was then roundly criticized by several other sportswriters who said we "still have the worst top-to-bottom talent" in the division and will be "decided underdogs" in 5 SEC games. Everyone isn't buying and I don't necessarily blame them.

This is propaganda that the "recruiting ranking" people throw out, but really means absolutely nothing.

The Indianapolis Colts were the worst team in football in 2011, but the drafted Andrew Luck and went to the playoffs the next season. Did their OVERALL talent improve that much or did they just greatly improve at one position?

The Cincinnati Bengals have more overall talent than the New England Patriots. How is that working out?
The Houston Texans have had more overall talent than most NFL teams over the past 5 years, how did that work out?

The point is that your overall talent level only matters to the point where the positions that really matter can no longer win the game for you.

Right or wrong, here is a quote from the Cleveland Browns GM yesterday:

"During a Wednesday interview on 92.3 The Fan, Farmer admitted that he doesn?t know if the team will be able to adequately replace Gordon because ?you?re not just going to go out on the street and find another? superstar wideout. But Farmer also said that he doesn?t think a superstar receiver is something that a team has to have in order to be successful.

?I would say ?how important are those guys??? Farmer said, via Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer. ?Name the last big-time receiver to win a Super Bowl. Name the last mega-guy. [Gordon] matters to me because I like the guy and I think he?s a really good player, but at the end of the day, when you look at the teams that have these mega-receivers, name the last guy that won a Super Bowl? ? There are none. The last guy that really helped his team get there was T.O. [Terrell Owens].?

Does it matter that we don't have the best receivers, offensive line, or running backs in the SEC?

What MSU does have is one the best defensive lines in college football, long defensive backs, and the best QB in the SEC. We are good where it matters. Problem is that the "recruiting gurus" aren't being nice to MSU and promoting them because, if MSU wins this year, it devalues their product. As long as our defense is good enough to keep the score low, then all MSU needs is for the best QB in the SEC to make up the difference in score. Overall talent level is meaningless when you are good where it counts.

[BeardoMSU]

Within the SEC West: more talented than 2. more experience than 4. more leadership than 6. more heart than all.
Well 17'n said, Hack. Beautiful.
http://cdn0.dailydot.com/uploaded/images/original/2012/9/9/ConneryFistPump.gif



And this, just 'cause it made me laugh.
http://i1074.photobucket.com/albums/w420/EDIRPUA/mullfreeze.gif

[BulldogBear]

He also predicted us to go 9-3. Apparently Jesse Palmer is saying we could win the West, too. I'll be honest, it feels nice to hear good things from national media, but I'd rather go in completely under the radar.

Yep

[gtowndawg]

Within the SEC West: more talented than 2. more experience than 4. more leadership than 6. more heart than all.

http://img3.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20140207204102/glee/images/4/4f/Good_cool_at_math_amazing_yes_sir_okay_ok.gif

[Vandownbytheriver]

Until we beat someone we are not supposed to, no one is going to buy in. Hell, I'm living by the hope creed myself. Being a State fan, I've seen us cock up way too many times to think this is the year.

[Brad Stevens]

Within the SEC West: more talented than 2. more experience than 4. more leadership than 6. more heart than all.

While I'm rooting for us to do well this year, and think it's possible, and am for positive talk like this, I have a couple problems with this. It's all subjective (other than experience - which can be argued as objective as well. Do you go by starts? Minutes? Plays?) Not to be Debbie Downer, but having "more leadership than 6" and "more heart than all" within the SEC West, is the same number of teams (the 7th team can't have more heart than itself).

I realize I may get blasted for this, but I'm just not a big fan of pseudo-excitement. It just sounds like something you might see on an old original ABC Family movie or something.

[Barking 13]

Within the SEC West: more talented than 2. more experience than 4. more leadership than 6. more heart than all.

T shirts!