Coaches Poll Released:

[Lloyd Christmas]

Link here (http://www.usatoday.com/sports/ncaaf/polls/)

Mississippi at 19
State at 29

ETA: We may squeak in to the AP Poll. Coaches Poll is never kind to us and always over estimates Ole Miss. I attribute this to the fact that coaches don't have as much time to follow other teams and see all the bluster bullshit hype that Ole Miss gets and just assumes it must be true.

[BulldogDX55]

Link here (http://www.usatoday.com/sports/ncaaf/polls/)

Mississippi at 19
State at 29

ETA: We may squeak in to the AP Poll. Coaches Poll is never kind to us and always over estimates Ole Miss. I attribute this to the fact that coaches don't have as much time to follow other teams and see all the bluster bullshit hype that Ole Miss gets and just assumes it must be true.

I'm not worried. Does anyone think we will be outside the top 20 when we head into BR?

[TrapGame]

Perfect place to be. Let the Bears justify their hype while we earn respect and climb up the polls.

[FISHDAWG]

I'm not worried. Does anyone think we will be outside the top 20 when we head into BR?

I do ... the reason OM is ranked ahead of us is because they win some higher profile games occasionally ... once we do that things might change somewhat

[MadDawg]

Do you guys think there is any real chance that they may actually be better than us this year? I know, I know closet BearShark and all......



Link here (http://www.usatoday.com/sports/ncaaf/polls/)

Mississippi at 19
State at 29

ETA: We may squeak in to the AP Poll. Coaches Poll is never kind to us and always over estimates Ole Miss. I attribute this to the fact that coaches don't have as much time to follow other teams and see all the bluster bullshit hype that Ole Miss gets and just assumes it must be true.

[ShotgunDawg]

I agree, but this is what's stupid about preseason polls. In some cases they are using extremely flawed recruiting rankings to line up teams. It's lazy.

[mstate68]

I do ... the reason OM is ranked ahead of us is because they win some higher profile games occasionally ... once we do that things might change somewhat

This. We'll probably be hovering around #25. If we beat LSU, they'll be perceived to be "down" and we'll be in the top 20. I'm not worried about it. Just win and let everything else take care of itself.

[MSUDawg4Life]

Do you guys think there is any real chance that they may actually be better than us this year? I know, I know closet BearShark and all......

I don't think there's much difference between the teams at all. I give us a slight edge because of depth and a slightly more stable OL. That may change during the season for a variety of reasons, but, right now, I don't see a whole lot of difference between the two teams.

[jumbo]

Do you guys think there is any real chance that they may actually be better than us this year? I know, I know closet BearShark and all......


honestly, I think we are pretty much even

[codeDawg]

Here is what grinds my gears:

19. Mississippi: The SEC West is a mighty rough neighborhood, but the Rebels might be positioned to make some noise in the division just the same. Ole Miss has a luxury most conference opponents don't, an incumbent starting QB, in the person of Bo Wallace. Protecting him figures to be the unit's biggest concern, but if he has time WR Laquon Treadwell could be a downfield playmaker. The brothers Nkemdiche, DT Robert and LB Denzel, are back to anchor the defense.

Dak > Bo. Maybe nobody noticed that Lewis is the SEC's leading returning WR, and I'll take CJ and McKinney over NKardashian's any day.

[mparkerfd20]

honestly, I think we are pretty much even

Honestly I think they are extremely overrated and if they didn't have such a favorable schedule would be a 5-7 team. But with their schedule they'll be 7-5 or 8-4. We on the other hand I believe are 8-4 or 9-3 at worse.

[codeDawg]

honestly, I think we are pretty much even

We're not far off, but they have zero depth on the OL, lost all their experienced WR's except Tredwell and the TE, and have no experienced RB's.

I'll give them the push on D. They probably have a slightly better pass rush and maybe safety's, we edge them on the corners and LB's. Both teams are good.

[TrapGame]

Here is what grinds my gears:

19. Mississippi: The SEC West is a mighty rough neighborhood, but the Rebels might be positioned to make some noise in the division just the same. Ole Miss has a luxury most conference opponents don't, an incumbent starting QB, in the person of Bo Wallace. Protecting him figures to be the unit's biggest concern, but if he has time WR Laquon Treadwell could be a downfield playmaker. The brothers Nkemdiche, DT Robert and LB Denzel, are back to anchor the defense.

Dak > Bo. Maybe nobody noticed that Lewis is the SEC's leading returning WR, and I'll take CJ and McKinney over NKardashian's any day.

Exactly, Bo is not an effective QB under pressure from average defenses let alone elites like Bama. Bo has folded like a cheap card table more than once last season. Basically the same exact thing could have been written about us.

[Covercorner2]

We have:

- A better QB
- More of an identity on offense
- A better Offensive Line
- A better Defensive front 7, especially against the run, which is important in the SECW
- More depth across the board
- A better coaching staff
- A more favorable schedule

We don't have:

- Guys named Nkemdiche, Treadwell, and Tunsil who everyone in the country knows about, possibly without even seeing them play. I've never seen a guy with 600 receiving yards get so much hype in my life. ESPN ranked Tony Conner as a better player than Dak for gods sake...

[BeardoMSU]

Who gives a shit what OM is ranked preseason. It's 17'n PRESEASON, guys. Us not being ranked should be no surprise to any of you, unless you're delusional. We are always under valued, and honestly, it's been warranted. If we think we're a legit team, then we'll go out and earn it. Period.

[1998Dawg]

coaches poll doesn't mean anything. it's just a bunch of guys jotting down names and going with the "hype machine" their familiar with. Most don't even know the difference between Tsun and us.

I don't fall into the hype at preseaon. Thats for the bears. I was at lunch the other day and heard a couple of guys from Northern Miss say they think they'll win 9. Lol. Let them eat this up while we'll just lay on back in the weeds and let them fall into their hype.

[BeardoMSU]

coaches poll doesn't mean anything. it's just a bunch of guys jotting down names and going with the "hype machine" their familiar with. Most don't even know the difference between Tsun and us.

I don't fall into the hype at preseaon. Thats for the bears. I was at lunch the other day and heard a couple of guys from Northern Miss say they think they'll win 9. Lol. Let them eat this up while we'll just lay on back in the weeds and let them fall into their hype.

Exactly. Auburn started out unranked and went on to play for a NC. Who gives a shit if we're ranked preseason. That shit is for the fans who celebrate stupid shit like 'cruitin' championships, and other meaningless crap.

For god sakes, please stop all the OM talk. 17 them.

[1998Dawg]

We have:

- A better QB
- More of an identity on offense
- A better Offensive Line
- A better Defensive front 7, especially against the run, which is important in the SECW
- More depth across the board
- A better coaching staff
- A more favorable schedule

We don't have:

- Guys named Nkemdiche, Treadwell, and Tunsil who everyone in the country knows about, possibly without even seeing them play. I've never seen a guy with 600 receiving yards get so much hype in my life. ESPN ranked Tony Conner as a better player than Dak for gods sake...

Man your always spot on and we think just alike. It's the big names of what folks around the country recognize and then just assume they'll be good. We got more depth all over.

On offense:

- Qb, no point to talk further
- Rb, theirs are tiny, no point
-Wr, we have one of the best wrs in the country statistically returning, better than anyone they have. Plus they don't have the depth here we do.
- Oline, again, better talent AND depth

Defense:

- front 7, we saw what they did last yr and they couldnt rush the passer at all. Not sure why folks think an injured Cj johnson will change this.
- LBers, edge us.
- DBs, push..but we're a little deeper.

This isn't hard folks. We always getting snubber preaseason aka when the media and coaches want to sell magazines. I'll wait for postseason polls.

[ShotgunDawg]

We have:

- A better QB
- More of an identity on offense
- A better Offensive Line
- A better Defensive front 7, especially against the run, which is important in the SECW
- More depth across the board
- A better coaching staff
- A more favorable schedule

We don't have:

- Guys named Nkemdiche, Treadwell, and Tunsil who everyone in the country knows about, possibly without even seeing them play. I've never seen a guy with 600 receiving yards get so much hype in my life. ESPN ranked Tony Conner as a better player than Dak for gods sake...


THIS

Ole Miss and MSU have very similar teams this year, but MSU is better because our QB has a far far higher ceiling and ability to take over a game than their QB.

Ole Miss is ranked higher than us because of recruiting rankings and nothing else. As I've said before, teams that finish between 8 and 30 in the recruiting rankings generally attract similar talent, but, the main advantage of finishing in the top 10 is that, because the media is so stupid and lazy, you get ranked higher because of your extremely flawed recruiting ranking.

It doesn't really matter because we are in the SEC and all we have to do is win. However, if we were in a smaller conference, it would be a big deal because, without starting in the top 20, you would have virtually no shot of getting into the playoff.

The media's view and adoration with extremely flawed and inaccurate recruiting rankings, it now bleeding into things that could actually matter.

[PassInterference]

Also note that most head coaches don't vote in these polls. Its usually a GA or something.

[Pollodawg]

This is why I don't give a shit about preseason publications anymore. All it does is get more wrong than right and piss you off. Personally, I'll take how our team works and feels over some desk jockey who hasn't touched a football competitively since 8th grade.

And coaches are actually the least people you should listen to on this. Think about it: You're the coach at a major DI university. Do you really have time or give a shit enough to tale these lists and questionnaires seriously? I can almost guarantee you the coaches delegated this task to some dorky GA they have hanging around.

[Pollodawg]

Also note that most head coaches don't vote in these polls. Its usually a GA or something.

Literally beat me to it by a minute. lol

[CadaverDawg]

Last year I got called a negative Nancy because I said we needed to avoid these close wins like BG and UK, while also making sure we play competitive, or beat, the big boys. Well, the reason I said that was because of National perception. And don't say perception doesn't matter, because it does.

You wanna know why OM gets more hype than us? Several reasons. They beat LSU last year. They played a hell of a game vs A&M where the nation got to see them trade Manziel blow for blow until they lost at the end. They played Bama decent. Played Auburn tough, beat a name program in Texas, bad. Bo Wallace puts up good numbers in Freeze's system. AND they had the big recruiting success a few years ago. It's pretty simple.

What did we do to earn respect and national attention? Played LSU close for a half, at home, before getting curb stomped in the 4th. Won a nail biter vs BG. Won a nail biter vs UK. We did play auburn in an exciting game, but at the time, nobody thought Auburn was a Title contender.

We will get national attention when we earn it. We have to start putting teams away that we are better than. We have to start playing EVERY team close that we lose to. We have to start beating a team(s) that we aren't supposed to beat or don't typically beat. We are our own worst enemy when it comes to perception.

And it comes full circle by the way. OM gets the pub, so OM has a leg up in recruiting right away. So, if we beat LSU or Auburn, and play Bama close, etc...we should have a great season with good pub, a Heisman type QB, and follow that up with a big time 2015 recruiting class....and all the sudden things will start to change. But get our doors blown off again by LSU or Auburn, win 1 point games vs South Alabama and Kentucky, etc...and you'll see more of the same.

Don't say "a win is a win" when we squeak by a cupcake, and then bitch about why OM gets more recognition and publicity preseason than us. It's all a part of the process. And we have to start giving people a reason to show us love.

Just my opinion

[dawgindothan]

Honestly I think they are extremely overrated and if they didn't have such a favorable schedule would be a 5-7 team. But with their schedule they'll be 7-5 or 8-4. We on the other hand I believe are 8-4 or 9-3 at worse.

Is their schedule really that favorable? I see several games where they're likely to be slight favorites but could easily lose especially because they're away from home. Compare their schedule with ours and tell me whose is more favorable. I agree with you that a fair o/u for them is probably 7.5 and a fair one for us is probably 8.5.

[CadaverDawg]

I would be shocked if we weren't both at least 8-3 headed into the Egg Bowl. And the home team usually wins, so if I had to place a prediction right now, I'd be tempted to have OM at 9-3 and us at 8-4 the day after the Egg Bowl.

[ShotgunDawg]

This is why I don't give a shit about preseason publications anymore.

But this is the problem. They do matter because the rankings don't change after the first week and everyone gets to see everyone else play.

Like preseason recruiting rankings or dislike them, they matter because the media uses them as starting point. Although, highly unlikely, if MSU loses one game this season, we could end up 5th in the playoff picture behind 4 other one loss teams that simply started the season higher in the preseason poll.

What I see here is complete laziness by the media to actually look at what teams return the most starters and what teams have the biggest playmakers at the most important positions, QB.

However, I guess if subjective publications never gave Ole Miss recognition, they would never get any recognition at all. They actually accomplish anything the field.

[Pollodawg]

Last year I got called a negative Nancy because I said we needed to avoid these close wins like BG and UK, while also making sure we play competitive, or beat, the big boys. Well, the reason I said that was because of National perception. And don't say perception doesn't matter, because it does.

You wanna know why OM gets more hype than us? Several reasons. They beat LSU last year. They played a hell of a game vs A&M where the nation got to see them trade Manziel blow for blow until they lost at the end. They played Bama decent. Played Auburn tough, beat a name program in Texas, bad. Bo Wallace puts up good numbers in Freeze's system. AND they had the big recruiting success a few years ago. It's pretty simple.

What did we do to earn respect and national attention? Played LSU close for a half, at home, before getting curb stomped in the 4th. Won a nail biter vs BG. Won a nail biter vs UK. We did play auburn in an exciting game, but at the time, nobody thought Auburn was a Title contender.

We will get national attention when we earn it. We have to start putting teams away that we are better than. We have to start playing EVERY team close that we lose to. We have to start beating a team(s) that we aren't supposed to beat or don't typically beat. We are our own worst enemy when it comes to perception.

And it comes full circle by the way. OM gets the pub, so OM has a leg up in recruiting right away. So, if we beat LSU or Auburn, and play Bama close, etc...we should have a great season with good pub, a Heisman type QB, and follow that up with a big time 2015 recruiting class....and all the sudden things will start to change. But get our doors blown off again by LSU or Auburn, win 1 point games vs South Alabama and Kentucky, etc...and you'll see more of the same.

Don't say "a win is a win" when we squeak by a cupcake, and then bitch about why OM gets more recognition and publicity preseason than us. It's all a part of the process. And we have to start giving people a reason to show us love.

Just my opinion

This is exactly right. We cannot have a Troy 2012 or a UK/BG from last season. We have to obliterate teams like Arkansas, UK, Vandy, and the OOC slate. That was my point a few days ago when I said no more heart attacks against shit teams. And even if we don't beat LSU in BR, we can't afford to get run out of the stadium. Those days have to be over.

[ShotgunDawg]

I would be shocked if we weren't both at least 8-3 headed into the Egg Bowl. And the home team usually wins, so if I had to place a prediction right now, I'd be tempted to have OM at 9-3 and us at 8-4 the day after the Egg Bowl.

Maybe, but we are far far better than them at QB. If Dak is healthy and Bo is, well, Bo, I don't see us losing that game unless we throw up a turd.

There is a correlation with the home team winning the Egg Bowl, but I don't there is an extremely high causation there.

[PassInterference]

Last year I got called a negative Nancy because I said we needed to avoid these close wins like BG and UK, while also making sure we play competitive, or beat, the big boys. Well, the reason I said that was because of National perception. And don't say perception doesn't matter, because it does.

You wanna know why OM gets more hype than us? Several reasons. They beat LSU last year. They played a hell of a game vs A&M where the nation got to see them trade Manziel blow for blow until they lost at the end. They played Bama decent. Played Auburn tough, beat a name program in Texas, bad. Bo Wallace puts up good numbers in Freeze's system. AND they had the big recruiting success a few years ago. It's pretty simple.

We played A&M close. Almost came back at the end.

We held Alabama to their season load offensive output.

Auburn beat us by the skin of their teeth.

Texas sucks, but yeah Ole Miss, they beat a name brand team.

OM is still riding recruiting hype from a year and half ago.


But yeah we need beat a good team or two. Its way damn past time for that. We've earned several chances for big upsets. But then shit happens and we don't. Auburn shouldn't have driven 88 yards on us to win in 2013. We don't pitch to Dixon vs LSU in 2009. Lose in double OT to a ranked Arkansas team. Lots of shit like that.


I don't like this poll either, but at the end of the day this is good for us. Ole Miss gets their preseason hype that they won't live up to. We get not respect and play the season with a chip on our shoulder. That's all good. We'll get respect when we have 9-10 wins and Ole Miss plays in some bowl named after pizza.

[Pollodawg]

But this is the problem. They do matter because the rankings don't change after the first week and everyone gets to see everyone else play.

Like preseason recruiting rankings or dislike them, they matter because the media uses them as starting point. Although, highly unlikely, if MSU loses one game this season, we could end up 5th in the playoff picture behind 4 other one loss teams that simply started the season higher in the preseason poll.

What I see here is complete laziness by the media to actually look at what teams return the most starters and what teams have the biggest playmakers at the most important positions, QB.

However, I guess if subjective publications never gave Ole Miss recognition, they would never get any recognition at all. They actually accomplish anything the field.

I agree with what you're saying. I just don't like preseason mags and such. I don't think they don't they're not used or even useful to a degree. Personally, I wish there were no polls until at least after September/ middle-of-October.

And as far as OM getting hype, we have to look it in the face: They beat a good LSU team last season. The media doesn't care that Mettenberger stunk up the joint and handed OM that game. All they see is that OM beat LSU. That's it. And OM is still gliding on that win.

[Pollodawg]

And, Dan, stop taking your foot off the throat. If you have the opportunity to run it up on TAMU or even an LSU or Auburn. Do it. I don't give a rat's ass what the talking heads say. We should have buried Auburn last season, but we got over conservative on both sides of the ball, and let em back up. We have to stop doing that.

[ShotgunDawg]

Didn't we beat Ole Miss last year with our 3rd string QB playing 4/5ths of the game?

That must have been a dream that I woke up from because it obviously has been erased from time.

[Pollodawg]

Didn't we beat Ole Miss last year with our 3rd string QB playing 4/5ths of the game?

That must have been a dream that I woke up from because it obviously has been erased from time.

Yep. And Damian did a fantastic job for us for the most part considering he was in high school a year before and that game was crucial for us.

[CadaverDawg]

We played A&M close. Almost came back at the end.

We held Alabama to their season load offensive output.

Auburn beat us by the skin of their teeth.

Texas sucks, but yeah Ole Miss, they beat a name brand team.

OM is still riding recruiting hype from a year and half ago.


But yeah we need beat a good team or two. Its way damn past time for that. We've earned several chances for big upsets. But then shit happens and we don't. Auburn shouldn't have driven 88 yards on us to win in 2013. We don't pitch to Dixon vs LSU in 2009. Lose in double OT to a ranked Arkansas team. Lots of shit like that.


I don't like this poll either, but at the end of the day this is good for us. Ole Miss gets their preseason hype that they won't live up to. We get not respect and play the season with a chip on our shoulder. That's all good. We'll get respect when we have 9-10 wins and Ole Miss plays in some bowl named after pizza.

We played catch up that entire A&M game, so while entertaining....It wasn't a nail biter.

We got blown out on the scoreboard by LSU.

We got blown out on the scoreboard by Oklahoma State

We played Bama tough...but was that game ever in jeopardy?

The Auburn game was a good one for us, but again, most thought Auburn sucked at that time.

We squeaked by BG.

We squeaked by Kentucky

We squeaked by a terrible Arkansas team

We squeaked by a decent OM team.

South Carolina railed us.


Compare those results to what OM did last year, and it's very easy to see why OM is getting more hype. Yes, WE know that Dak didn't play all season last season. WE know that we squeaked by Ark and OM, but with our 3rd string QB. WE know that JRob was the better back even though people think losing Perkins leaves us questionable at RB. WE know Jameon had better numbers than Treadwell.

WE know a lot about our program. But THEY (National fans and media), only know the results above, because they don't watch our games in detail like we do. THEY see OM getting great recruits and ESPN pub, whipping Texas, beating LSU, trading heavyweight blows with Manziel on ESPN prime time, etc....and then they see MSU come within a dropped pass of losing to Bowling Green at home. Tell me which looks more impressive.

We need style points, or else we need to stop bitching about polls, media bias, and perception.

[CadaverDawg]

Didn't we beat Ole Miss last year with our 3rd string QB playing 4/5ths of the game?

That must have been a dream that I woke up from because it obviously has been erased from time.

The media didn't see 3rd string QB stuff....the media saw MSU beat OM at home in OT with a bowl game on the line. You have to take off the maroon glasses if you want to know why we don't have respect. The scoreboard doesn't say (21-3 but MSU lost their safety and QB....close win over Ark but with their 3rd string QB.....blown out by LSU, but it was close for 3 quarters). It's our own fault.

[Pollodawg]

We played catch up that entire A&M game, so while entertaining....It wasn't a nail biter.

We got blown out on the scoreboard by LSU.

We got blown out on the scoreboard by Oklahoma State

We played Bama tough...but was that game ever in jeopardy?

The Auburn game was a good one for us, but again, most though Auburn sucked at that time.

We squeaked by BG.

We squeaked by Kentucky

We squeaked by a terrible Arkansas team

We squeaked by a decent OM team.

South Carolina railed us.


Compare those results to what OM did last year, and it's very easy to see why OM is getting more hype. Yes, WE know that Dak didn't play all season last season. WE know that we squeaked by Ark and OM, but with our 3rd string QB. WE know that JRob was the better back even though people think losing Perkins leaves us questionable at RB. WE know Jameon had better numbers than Treadwell.

WE know a lot about our program. But THEY (National fans and media), only know the results above, because they don't watch our games in detail like we do. THEY see OM getting great recruits and ESPN pub, whipping Texas, beating LSU, trading heavyweight blows with Manziel on ESPN prime time, etc....and then they see MSU come within a dropped pass of losing to Bowling Green at home. Tell me which looks more impressive.

We need style points, or else we need to stop bitching about polls, media bias, and perception.

Boom.

[Pollodawg]

Cadaver is on today, lads.

[ShotgunDawg]

We played catch up that entire A&M game, so while entertaining....It wasn't a nail biter.

We got blown out on the scoreboard by LSU.

We got blown out on the scoreboard by Oklahoma State

We played Bama tough...but was that game ever in jeopardy?

The Auburn game was a good one for us, but again, most though Auburn sucked at that time.

We squeaked by BG.

We squeaked by Kentucky

We squeaked by a terrible Arkansas team

We squeaked by a decent OM team.

South Carolina railed us.


Compare those results to what OM did last year, and it's very easy to see why OM is getting more hype. Yes, WE know that Dak didn't play all season last season. WE know that we squeaked by Ark and OM, but with our 3rd string QB. WE know that JRob was the better back even though people think losing Perkins leaves us questionable at RB. WE know Jameon had better numbers than Treadwell.

WE know a lot about our program. But THEY (National fans and media), only know the results above, because they don't watch our games in detail like we do. THEY see OM getting great recruits and ESPN pub, whipping Texas, beating LSU, trading heavyweight blows with Manziel on ESPN prime time, etc....and then they see MSU come within a dropped pass of losing to Bowling Green at home. Tell me which looks more impressive.

We need style points, or else we need to stop bitching about polls, media bias, and perception.

I completely agree Cadav, but this does speak to the laziness of the media.

Not only Ole Miss, but ESPN has Texas A&m winning 10 games with a freshman QB.

Really, what our fanbase needs to do is give these lazy, fat reporters the middle finger, lower our heads, and just go out and whoop some ass.

The great thing about being in the SEC is that the preseason rankings don't mean anything. Everything that we can accomplish is right in front of us they year, we just have to win.

[MarketingBully01]

Link here (http://www.usatoday.com/sports/ncaaf/polls/)

Mississippi at 19
State at 29

ETA: We may squeak in to the AP Poll. Coaches Poll is never kind to us and always over estimates Ole Miss. I attribute this to the fact that coaches don't have as much time to follow other teams and see all the bluster bullshit hype that Ole Miss gets and just assumes it must be true.

Ranking A&M 20th is all you need to know about that poll. They are a 6-6/7-5 team at best. 20th is about where we should be ranked. I don't mind ranking Ole Miss there if you rank us there as well. Our teams are very comparable except we have better leaders on both offense and defense and better depth. I also find it laughable to rank LSU at 13. I think Wisconsin wins that game and I think LSU will finish 8-4. They are talented but they are too young and inexperienced in a number of important places. I think the Egg Bowl will mean a heck of a lot this year. Could you imagine if Ole Miss was 9-2 and we were 10-1 heading into that game?

[CadaverDawg]

I completely agree Cadav, but this does speak to the laziness of the media.

Not only Ole Miss, but ESPN has Texas A&m winning 10 games with a freshman QB.

Really, what our fanbase needs to do is give these lazy, fat reporters the middle finger, lower our heads, and just go out and whoop some ass.

The great thing about being in the SEC is that the preseason rankings don't mean anything. Everything that we can accomplish is right in front of us they year, we just have to win.

Oh I totally agree. The media sucks. So I'm totally fine with us saying screw the media, keep winning games however we need to win em, and carry on because we are building a good program....but if we're going to continue playing the Stansbury stall when we get a 10 point lead on Kentucky in the second half, and shit like that...then we need to accept that we will never have media respect and quit starting threads about lack of respect.

But yes, I agree with you on that.

[Bubb Rubb]

Last year I got called a negative Nancy because I said we needed to avoid these close wins like BG and UK, while also making sure we play competitive, or beat, the big boys. Well, the reason I said that was because of National perception. And don't say perception doesn't matter, because it does.

You wanna know why OM gets more hype than us? Several reasons. They beat LSU last year. They played a hell of a game vs A&M where the nation got to see them trade Manziel blow for blow until they lost at the end. They played Bama decent. Played Auburn tough, beat a name program in Texas, bad. Bo Wallace puts up good numbers in Freeze's system. AND they had the big recruiting success a few years ago. It's pretty simple.

What did we do to earn respect and national attention? Played LSU close for a half, at home, before getting curb stomped in the 4th. Won a nail biter vs BG. Won a nail biter vs UK. We did play auburn in an exciting game, but at the time, nobody thought Auburn was a Title contender.

We will get national attention when we earn it. We have to start putting teams away that we are better than. We have to start playing EVERY team close that we lose to. We have to start beating a team(s) that we aren't supposed to beat or don't typically beat. We are our own worst enemy when it comes to perception.

And it comes full circle by the way. OM gets the pub, so OM has a leg up in recruiting right away. So, if we beat LSU or Auburn, and play Bama close, etc...we should have a great season with good pub, a Heisman type QB, and follow that up with a big time 2015 recruiting class....and all the sudden things will start to change. But get our doors blown off again by LSU or Auburn, win 1 point games vs South Alabama and Kentucky, etc...and you'll see more of the same.

Don't say "a win is a win" when we squeak by a cupcake, and then bitch about why OM gets more recognition and publicity preseason than us. It's all a part of the process. And we have to start giving people a reason to show us love.

Just my opinion

I agree with most everything here. Slight nitpick, though. They didn't play Alabama decent. Bama beat them 25-0, and it wasn't that close. Ole Miss was talking trash about their offense and Bama's defense completely shut the door on them, and provided the blue print for everyone else to stop them for the rest of the season. That game was a turning point for Ole Miss, and not in a good way.

[thf24]

I'm leaning towards saying we're about equal, but I'm really interested in seeing if their gimmick finesse offense is still holding up two or three games into conference play in year 3.

[Covercorner2]

Ole Miss will be BETTER on defense, but it's not like they set the world on fire last year on defense. Also, I think they will regress on offense. They lose a lot on the OL, they lose Scott, they lose Brunetti, AND they lose two of their top 3 producing WRs from last year. Not to mention they got worse on offense as the year went on. They are also relying on a lot of guys that either didn't play last year or are coming off injury (Morris, Tunsil, Engram, CJ, Fadol Brown, Quincy Adeboyeyo, etc.). I just don't see the "9-3, 10-2" hype. They will not win more than 8 games.

[CadaverDawg]

I agree with most everything here. Slight nitpick, though. They didn't play Alabama decent. Bama beat them 25-0, and it wasn't that close. Ole Miss was talking trash about their offense and Bama's defense completely shut the door on them, and provided the blue print for everyone else to stop them for the rest of the season. That game was a turning point for Ole Miss, and not in a good way.

Yea, I can agree with that. I guess I felt like their defense played pretty well most of the game. Their offense was bad inside the 20's....but didn't they have like 4-5 Redzone opportunities where they didn't score a point? I actually thought that game was a lot closer than the scoreboard indicated. But yes, if you're looking at media perception, they got blown out by Bama, so I agree

[msstate7]

We played catch up that entire A&M game, so while entertaining....It wasn't a nail biter.

We got blown out on the scoreboard by LSU.

We got blown out on the scoreboard by Oklahoma State

We played Bama tough...but was that game ever in jeopardy?

The Auburn game was a good one for us, but again, most thought Auburn sucked at that time.

We squeaked by BG.

We squeaked by Kentucky

We squeaked by a terrible Arkansas team

We squeaked by a decent OM team.

South Carolina railed us.


Compare those results to what OM did last year, and it's very easy to see why OM is getting more hype. Yes, WE know that Dak didn't play all season last season. WE know that we squeaked by Ark and OM, but with our 3rd string QB. WE know that JRob was the better back even though people think losing Perkins leaves us questionable at RB. WE know Jameon had better numbers than Treadwell.

WE know a lot about our program. But THEY (National fans and media), only know the results above, because they don't watch our games in detail like we do. THEY see OM getting great recruits and ESPN pub, whipping Texas, beating LSU, trading heavyweight blows with Manziel on ESPN prime time, etc....and then they see MSU come within a dropped pass of losing to Bowling Green at home. Tell me which looks more impressive.

We need style points, or else we need to stop bitching about polls, media bias, and perception.

So you give OM credit for playing bama tough (25-0), but our bama game was never in doubt? Makes sense...*

USCe "railed" us by 18. OM tough game vs bama = losing by 25.

[MarketingBully01]

The fact of the matter is we will be 3-0 playing an overrated LSU team with LSU possibly starting a true freshman QB in their first SEC game. If we don't stack the line to stop the run, I would be very upset. We aren't going to be playig Mett, Beckham and Landry. I also don't see how people are picking LSU over Wisconsin. Wisconsin will be contending for the. Big 10 championship and should be gunning for a win over LSU. Remember, it took a miracle for LSU to beat Arkansas with that sophomore QB. I will make another prediction. If that sophomore QB is still playing when they play us, we will beat them by 14+. That will mean the freshman QB isn't coming along as fast as they want him to.

[CadaverDawg]

So you give OM credit for playing bama tough (25-0), but our bama game was never in doubt? Makes sense...*

I didn't say OM's was ever in doubt either. And see my latest post, I agree I was a little off on Bama. Also, we played Bama tough, but it wasn't ever in doubt. I feel like us and OM played Bama equally.

[CadaverDawg]

The fact of the matter is we will be 3-0 playing an overrated LSU team with LSU possibly starting a true freshman QB in their first SEC game. If we don't stack the line to stop the run, I would be very upset. We aren't going to be playig Mett, Beckham and Landry. I also don't see how people are picking LSU over Wisconsin. Wisconsin will be contending for the. Big 10 championship and should be gunning for a win over LSU. Remember, it took a miracle for LSU to beat Arkansas with that sophomore QB. I will make another prediction. If that sophomore QB is still playing when they play us, we will beat them by 14+. That will mean the freshman QB isn't coming along as fast as they want him to.

A 14+ point win at night in Death Valley? I'll take it...

and I'll also have what you're drinking.*

[msstate7]

I didn't say OM's was ever in doubt either. And see my latest post, I agree I was a little off on Bama. Also, we played Bama tough, but it wasn't ever in doubt. I feel like us and OM played Bama equally.

With our backup qb when we had multiple shots of scoring deep in their territory.

[FISHDAWG]

no, they did not play bama decent at all ... not even close

[MadDawg]

Well said.




Last year I got called a negative Nancy because I said we needed to avoid these close wins like BG and UK, while also making sure we play competitive, or beat, the big boys. Well, the reason I said that was because of National perception. And don't say perception doesn't matter, because it does.

You wanna know why OM gets more hype than us? Several reasons. They beat LSU last year. They played a hell of a game vs A&M where the nation got to see them trade Manziel blow for blow until they lost at the end. They played Bama decent. Played Auburn tough, beat a name program in Texas, bad. Bo Wallace puts up good numbers in Freeze's system. AND they had the big recruiting success a few years ago. It's pretty simple.

What did we do to earn respect and national attention? Played LSU close for a half, at home, before getting curb stomped in the 4th. Won a nail biter vs BG. Won a nail biter vs UK. We did play auburn in an exciting game, but at the time, nobody thought Auburn was a Title contender.

We will get national attention when we earn it. We have to start putting teams away that we are better than. We have to start playing EVERY team close that we lose to. We have to start beating a team(s) that we aren't supposed to beat or don't typically beat. We are our own worst enemy when it comes to perception.

And it comes full circle by the way. OM gets the pub, so OM has a leg up in recruiting right away. So, if we beat LSU or Auburn, and play Bama close, etc...we should have a great season with good pub, a Heisman type QB, and follow that up with a big time 2015 recruiting class....and all the sudden things will start to change. But get our doors blown off again by LSU or Auburn, win 1 point games vs South Alabama and Kentucky, etc...and you'll see more of the same.

Don't say "a win is a win" when we squeak by a cupcake, and then bitch about why OM gets more recognition and publicity preseason than us. It's all a part of the process. And we have to start giving people a reason to show us love.

Just my opinion

[CadaverDawg]

With our backup qb when we had multiple shots of scoring deep in their territory.

OM had tons of Redzone chances against Bama, so I still say we played them equal. If you wanna give us a slight nod, I'm cool with that. The point still stands...our resume last year was not as good on paper as theirs. And that's what the media relies on. Prime time games and box scores

[MarketingBully01]

I think a lot of our offensive problems last year were attributed to the injuries and the constant fiddling of having Tyler and Dak switch out all the time last year. We could never really get into a rhythm. You saw this show up in multiple games (LSU, Kentucky, among others). Since this is the Dak show and our backups are of similar skill set, I expect Dan's offense to put up quite a few points. I think the Southern Miss game will be either 49-14 or a 56-10 score. I don't think we will be tested whatsoever until we go to Death Valley.

[MarketingBully01]

A 14+ point win at night in Death Valley? I'll take it...

and I'll also have what you're drinking.*

I said if that sophomore QB is still playing. He is terrible.

[CadaverDawg]

no, they did not play bama decent at all ... not even close

It was 3-0 after 1 Q
9-0 at half
16-0 after 3
25-0 after a late TD run.

Maybe I have different opinions of playing someone tough. But if they didn't play them tough, we didn't play LSU tough either.

Regardless, maybe I'm wrong or disagreed with about the OM/Bama game...but that doesn't take away from my overall point.

[MarketingBully01]

OM had tons of Redzone chances against Bama, so I still say we played them equal. If you wanna give us a slight nod, I'm cool with that. The point still stands...our r?sum? last year was not as good on paper as theirs. And that's what the media relies on. Prime time games and box scores

Yeah and that game also was proof that Freeze was an idiot at least in his decision making in that game. If he had gone for field goals instead of TDs early, that is an entirely different game.

[PMDawg]

Do you guys think there is any real chance that they may actually be better than us this year? I know, I know closet BearShark and all......

hey this guy gets it. Maybe they're good this year. Just accept it. Are they better than us? We'll see. I think we're about even fwiw.

[MarketingBully01]

hey this guy gets it. Maybe they're good this year. Just accept it. Are they better than us? We'll see. I think we're about even fwiw.

I think both teams are even this year too except we have more depth and better leaders on both offense and defense. Those two things is where I think we stick out.

[PMDawg]

Last year I got called a negative Nancy because I said we needed to avoid these close wins like BG and UK, while also making sure we play competitive, or beat, the big boys. Well, the reason I said that was because of National perception. And don't say perception doesn't matter, because it does.

You wanna know why OM gets more hype than us? Several reasons. They beat LSU last year. They played a hell of a game vs A&M where the nation got to see them trade Manziel blow for blow until they lost at the end. They played Bama decent. Played Auburn tough, beat a name program in Texas, bad. Bo Wallace puts up good numbers in Freeze's system. AND they had the big recruiting success a few years ago. It's pretty simple.

What did we do to earn respect and national attention? Played LSU close for a half, at home, before getting curb stomped in the 4th. Won a nail biter vs BG. Won a nail biter vs UK. We did play auburn in an exciting game, but at the time, nobody thought Auburn was a Title contender.

We will get national attention when we earn it. We have to start putting teams away that we are better than. We have to start playing EVERY team close that we lose to. We have to start beating a team(s) that we aren't supposed to beat or don't typically beat. We are our own worst enemy when it comes to perception.

And it comes full circle by the way. OM gets the pub, so OM has a leg up in recruiting right away. So, if we beat LSU or Auburn, and play Bama close, etc...we should have a great season with good pub, a Heisman type QB, and follow that up with a big time 2015 recruiting class....and all the sudden things will start to change. But get our doors blown off again by LSU or Auburn, win 1 point games vs South Alabama and Kentucky, etc...and you'll see more of the same.

Don't say "a win is a win" when we squeak by a cupcake, and then bitch about why OM gets more recognition and publicity preseason than us. It's all a part of the process. And we have to start giving people a reason to show us love.

Just my opinion

Insert slow clap gif here

[CadaverDawg]

Yeah and that game also was proof that Freeze was an idiot at least in his decision making in that game. If he had gone for field goals instead of TDs early, that is an entirely different game.

Truth

[msstate7]

It was 3-0 after 1 Q
9-0 at half
16-0 after 3
25-0 after a late TD run.

Maybe I have different opinions of playing someone tough. But if they didn't play them tough, we didn't play LSU tough either.

Regardless, maybe I'm wrong or disagreed with about the OM/Bama game...but that doesn't take away from my overall point.

How you think that changes if Bo didnt play that game?

How you think our game changes if dak plays?

I look at OM as a team that started the season better than us, but didnt finish better than us. We were the better team at the end. We found our qb and got our defense back. OM was struggling to score by the end of the year and lost a great wr, dynamic playmaker (Scott), and people got more film of how to stop freezes system. OM will be good on defense bc of really good talent, but freezes offense is on borrowed time.

[1998Dawg]

Ole Miss will be BETTER on defense, but it's not like they set the world on fire last year on defense. Also, I think they will regress on offense. They lose a lot on the OL, they lose Scott, they lose Brunetti, AND they lose two of their top 3 producing WRs from last year. Not to mention they got worse on offense as the year went on. They are also relying on a lot of guys that either didn't play last year or are coming off injury (Morris, Tunsil, Engram, CJ, Fadol Brown, Quincy Adeboyeyo, etc.). I just don't see the "9-3, 10-2" hype. They will not win more than 8 games.

dang they lost Scott AND brunetti? Those 2 losses are huge imo. Really what made their Offense click and helped their identity. Without them, they lose a major piece of the identity puzzle for sure.

And I agree too.. they're relying on a bunch of crootin stars that havent done anything OR are just flat out injured like Morris, Engram, Johnson. Good luck with that recipe.

[ShotgunDawg]

I think both teams are even this year too except we have more depth and better leaders on both offense and defense. Those two things is where I think we stick out.

Break down the two teams players and tell me why we are even.

Both teams are very similar until you get to the QB position, and MSU jumps ahead.

[CadaverDawg]

How you think that changes if Bo didnt play that game?

How you think our game changes if dak plays?

I look at OM as a team that started the season better than us, but didnt finish better than us. We were the better team at the end. We found our qb and got our defense back. OM was struggling to score by the end of the year and lost a great wr, dynamic playmaker (Scott), and people got more film of how to stop freezes system. OM will be good on defense bc of really good talent, but freezes offense is on borrowed time.

I'm not disagreeing with you. Hell, I think we're better too. I'm simply talking public and media perception. You're telling me all the things WE know as die hard State fans...but the media doesn't. So call it lazy journalism or whatever, but we have to start providing more style points and big wins if we are going to gain respect and recognition. It is what it is. Don't ink I'm trying to downplay our program. I think we are a much better program than OM right now....I just wish Mullen would quit taking his foot off the gas in games we win, and start playing good teams closer and winning a few, so that the media agrees with what I/we feel about our program. Because the box scores and prime time games show OM to be better right now in the media's eyes. We have to either change that ourselves, or quit whining about disrespect IMO.

[msstate7]

I'm not disagreeing with you. Hell, I think we're better too. I'm simply talking public and media perception. You're telling me all the things WE know as die hard State fans...but the media doesn't. So call it lazy journalism or whatever, but we have to start providing more style points and big wins if we are going to gain respect and recognition. It is what it is. Don't ink I'm trying to downplay our program. I think we are a much better program than OM right now....I just wish Mullen would quit taking his foot off the gas in games we win, and start playing good teams closer and winning a few, so that the media agrees with what I/we feel about our program. Because the box scores and prime time games show OM to be better right now in the media's eyes. We have to either change that ourselves, or quit whining about disrespect IMO.

Well isn't Mullen taking his foot off the petal helping develop our depth that makes us a better team than OM?

[CadaverDawg]

Well isn't Mullen taking his foot off the petal helping develop our depth that makes us a better team than OM?

Sometimes. But again, I'm not saying what we're doing is wrong IF you don't care about respect and recognition. I'm totally fine with us continuing to do the things we're doing if we continue to get better and better and end up Champions. I could not care less about pub if we are winning at a high level.

I'm simply saying....if we're going to have Your mentality about building depth at the risk of winning close games against cupcakes, etc...we have to realize that with that style comes lack of respect. It just does. I'm not disagreeing with anything you're saying...just saying that there comes a price with doing things the way we do them. Right or wrong.

[MarketingBully01]

Break down the two teams players and tell me why we are even.

Both teams are very similar until you get to the QB position, and MSU jumps ahead.

I think we have much better depth on the offensive line. I think we have a better QB unit and RB unit and for what we do a better OL. I think we have a better overall defensive unit. They have better safties (not much mind you) but we have a better secondary. I think we are better where it counts and have defined leaders at the QB (for offense) and LB (for defense) positions which are exactly the positions where you want your leaders.

We are a better football team in my mind but at the same time they are a pretty good football team themselves. I think both Mississippi schools will be good this year. Remember, I agreed with Preacher Matt that we would finish 11-1 and with our schedule I think it's possible. We just have to have the breaks go right this year like no injuries and catch some breaks.

[ShotgunDawg]

Cadaver gets it. I can't argue with his stance because his right. Frankly, I have just come to realize that Mullen doesn't seem to care about superficial things. All he cares about is winning and building a sustainable program.

[MarketingBully01]

Cadaver gets it. I can't argue with his stance because his right. Frankly, I have just come to realize that Mullen doesn't seem to care about superficial things. All he cares about is winning and building a sustainable program.

I disagree. Those Florida offenses and the offenses under Meyer tell a different story. That was all Mullen. I think this year we will see a different story. Remember, sandwiched between those close calls where Tyler shared the duty with Dak last year and the Tyler led offense of 2012, there was a 62-7 dismantling of Troy which was a Dak led game. I think we will see quite an offensive explosion these first three games this year.

[ShotgunDawg]

This is the absolute worst part of football season and it's due to the lazy people that trying to make money off the sport. I am just ready for the season so we can't stop having to listen to the media hype up completely mediocre football teams.

[PassInterference]

No Missouri. Didn't Missouri almost win the SEC East? They should be swapped with the confederates.

[Bubb Rubb]

I disagree. Those Florida offenses and the offenses under Meyer tell a different story. That was all Mullen. I think this year we will see a different story. Remember, sandwiched between those close calls where Tyler shared the duty with Dak last year and the Tyler led offense of 2012, there was a 62-7 dismantling of Troy which was a Dak led game. I think we will see quite an offensive explosion these first three games this year.

Also don't forget the trick play we tried to run at the end of the third quarter up by a ton against Rice in the Liberty Bowl.

I don't think Dan has any problems pouring it on, although he's probably less likely to do so if given the opportunity in a conference game.

[LC Dawg]

We barely finished the regular season .500 by squeaking out wins in our last two games. In today's media world this does not get you much attention, even if we did go to a bowl game. Before the internet sports writers would do research before they published something and they knew a lot more details about sports. Now there are way more people writing about sports and way less research done. As Cadaver said WE know what we have but no one else really does and they're not going to do any research to find out. It is up to us to win games and keep develop a positive perception of our program. Ole Miss gained a lot of positive perception about their program just from the big recruiting class and the win over LSU last year.

[ShotgunDawg]

In today's media world this does not get you much attention, even if we did go to a bowl game. Before the internet sports writers would do research before they published something and they knew a lot more details about sports. Now there are way more people writing about sports and way less research done. .

The problem is that the media does know what we have, but can't seem to put it all together.

By my count:

Dak has been named to numerous award watch lists and preseason All-SEC
Jameon has been named to numerous watch list
Chris Jones is a top 10 player in the conference
Our corners were ranked the best in the SEC
McKinney is a potential 1st round draft pick
Wilson has received some praise
Dillon Day is on a watch list
etc....

The media has said that all these players are good, yet they can't seem to realize that by putting them on the same team, they may be pretty good.

[LC Dawg]

The problem is that the media does know what we have, but can't seem to put it all together.

By my count:

Dak has been named to numerous award watch lists and preseason All-SEC
Jameon has been named to numerous watch list
Chris Jones is a top 10 player in the conference
Our corners were ranked the best in the SEC
McKinney is a potential 1st round draft pick
Wilson has received some praise
Dillon Day is on a watch list
etc....

The media has said that all these players are good, yet they can't seem to realize that by putting them on the same team, they may be pretty good.

I just think that there is such a glut of "media" now that unless they vote on a watch list most of them couldn't tell you who was on them. If Dak had led a comeback against LSU or Bama like he did against Ole Miss he would be legendary in the media. As good as Chris Jones is a lot of people still don't know who he is. If he had sacked Mettenberger five times last year and had no sacks the rest of the year more people would know who he is. We lack those big moments that garner a lot of attention. I really think we're going to have those big moments this year.

A lot of sports media today reminds me of the guy who comes to the fantasy draft having done no research and ends up drafting Reggie Bush #1 because he's flashy and he's heard of him and drafts a couple of players who are out for the year with injury. They just don't take the time to be as knowledgeable as they should be. Sports media today seems more about quantity not quality.

[shoeless joe]

I consider myself very objective when it comes to the Rebs. But I just don't think they are as good as us as a team. They have a couple excellent players but overall I just think we are better.

I also agree with cadaver on why we have no one to blame but ourselves for the media perception.

[deltadawg99]

For whatever reason OM has always been loved by the media. If they aren't in the preseason top 25 they are always right outside and every year they are a "dark horse" to win the west.

I'm glad we aren't ranked in the coaches poll and I hope we aren't ranked in any other poll. We tend to do better under the radar.

[RougeDawg]

This is exactly right. We cannot have a Troy 2012 or a UK/BG from last season. We have to obliterate teams like Arkansas, UK, Vandy, and the OOC slate. That was my point a few days ago when I said no more heart attacks against shit teams. And even if we don't beat LSU in BR, we can't afford to get run out of the stadium. Those days have to be over.

Opponents? Mullen treats most of these games like glorofied scrimmages. He tinkers with cute plays and player combinations on offense and defense. He does this from the beginning instead of waiting until we are so far ahead to lose, before getting cute with his play calling and personnel packages.

Let me repeat one thing all of these national pundit and asshats are not realizing. We had an offensive identity crisis last year. Dak missed the entire spring and summer with his toe and our offense had to split practice time between our two different QB's. The last 4 games put offense looked remarkably better because we were finally able to settle on one QB style. People are looking at our entire season but failing to see how potent our offense became at the end of the season. We played Bama tougher than anyone but Bama. We are a better team than the bears and it will all come out in the wash.