A MSU football prospective this season from USA Today......

[99jc]

Nobody is hyping Mississippi State football. Fine, let me do it.
Blake Toppmeyer
USA TODAY NETWORK



You wouldn?t know it from Mississippi State?s performance in the Liberty Bowl, and you wouldn?t know it from those ?too early? preseason rankings, but the Bulldogs are quietly positioned for success in Mike Leach?s third season.

Bowl games have an outsized influence in prognostications for the following season, and not many teams fared worse than MSU in its 34-7 bowl loss to Texas Tech.

Not many teams were as short-handed for their bowl as MSU, either.

Opt-outs and COVID-19-induced absences sidelined a swath of Bulldogs, so I don?t consider that result a useful measuring stick for what MSU can achieve in 2022.

Here?s what I find more relevant:

A third-year starting quarterback
A third-year coach, who had a breakthrough season in Year 3 at a past stop
Veteran running backs and wide receivers
Staff continuity
Top two tacklers return
A talented cornerback returns
No crippling transfer departures
The Sporting News in January compiled nine national media outlets? early top-25 rankings for 2022. Not a single publication ranked Mississippi State.

What am I missing? I see a team that's stocked with experience, coming off a 7-6 season and was one controversial call away from beating Memphis and finishing with eight victories.


The transfer portal is college football?s shiny new toy. Coaches? ability to add plug-and-play transfers means a team?s depth of returning starters doesn?t carry the weight it used to.

Nonetheless, experience and program familiarity still should count for something, and the Bulldogs return eight starters on each side of the ball. MSU brings back more production from last season than any other SEC team, according to metrics compiled by ESPN?s Bill Connelly.



You might recall that in this space a year ago, I positioned Ole Miss as an SEC dark horse. The Rebels returned talented quarterback Matt Corral, veteran playmakers, a top offensive line, and they?d plugged holes on defense.

Ole Miss proved worthy of my spring hype by matching a program record with 10 victories, and it played in the Sugar Bowl. The Rebels beat MSU 31-21 in the Egg Bowl, improving Lane Kiffin?s record to 2-0 vs. Leach in that rivalry game.


This year presents an opportunity for an Egg Bowl script flip.

Corral might prove the toughest player to replace in all of college football, and the Rebels also have a new offensive coordinator in Charlie Weis Jr.

Kiffin dubbed himself the ?Portal King,? an appropriate moniker after Ole Miss assembled more transfer talent than any other program. To be clear, I think Kiffin?s approach to stockpiling quality transfers is shrewd. But it remains largely unproven whether that can become a sustainable model.

The Egg Bowl will offer a snapshot of whether relying on home-built talent or embracing a litany of new faces is a better path.


If MSU is going to deliver a season reminiscent of Ole Miss last year, junior quarterback Will Rogers must continue his ascent.

A quarterback is important in any offense, but no SEC team passes more often than the Bulldogs, meaning Rogers is one of the conference?s most influential players. He threw for 4,739 yards last season, but he wasn?t at his finest in losses to Alabama, Ole Miss and Texas Tech.


Interestingly, Leach?s Texas Tech tenure turned the corner in Year 3, thanks to a big season from third-year starting quarterback Kliff Kingsbury.

A special season also will require the Bulldogs to show defensive improvement after the unit's development stalled from 2020 to 2021. Linebacker Jett Johnson is a linchpin, but he requires more support.


Three things concern me when projecting MSU?s season:

Leach?s teams are often good for a surprise win or two, but also for a head-scratching defeat or two.
MSU must replace offensive tackles Charles Cross and Scott Lashley.
The Bulldogs have one of the nation?s toughest schedules, joining Auburn, Tennessee and Vanderbilt as the only teams that must play Alabama and Georgia in 2022.
Swing games against Auburn, Ole Miss, Kentucky, Arkansas, LSU and Texas A&M will be critical.

The Bulldogs went 3-3 against that six-pack last year.

Improve to 4-2 or better versus that contingent and flip the result in a rematch with Memphis, and the Bulldogs should prove worthy of the Top 25, which is better than any early rankings this spring.

[maroonmania]

Has this dude not gotten the memo that we are going to suck and that Leach is washed up and is just drawing a nice fat check to get him into retirement?***

[Ifyouonlyknew]

8 regular season wins or better should be expected this year.

[maroonmania]

8 regular season wins or better should be expected this year.

Agree but having AL and GA both on the schedule hurts us. Pretty much means we have to win 8 of the other 10 to get to 8 wins which is going to be tough.

[Jarius]

I have been saying this for a while. People that expect Leach to fail here are either ignorant or have an agenda. It’s pretty clear we are improving, especially on offense. A lot of our fans live and die with the egg bowl every year and that is a big reason we have so many ignorant comments and lack of buzz this off-season within our own fanbase. The ones pointing to the bowl game performance should not even be responded to.

[Cowbell]

I have been saying this for a while. People that expect Leach to fail here are either ignorant or have an agenda. It’s pretty clear we are improving, especially on offense. A lot of our fans live and die with the egg bowl every year and that is a big reason we have so many ignorant comments and lack of buzz this off-season within our own fanbase. The ones pointing to the bowl game performance should not even be responded to.

In fairness though, we still have major concerns. Those Memphis and La tech games are a prime example. For every game above expectations seems to be two games well below thus far.

[OLJWales]

Does suck to have 3rd parties more optimistic than segments of our fan base.

[FISHDAWG]

Does suck to have 3rd parties more optimistic than segments of our fan base.

Sounds like a writer that actually does research and homework... or either he reads Elite Dawgs

[WhiskeyPirate]

I have been saying this for a while. People that expect Leach to fail here are either ignorant or have an agenda. It’s pretty clear we are improving, especially on offense. A lot of our fans live and die with the egg bowl every year and that is a big reason we have so many ignorant comments and lack of buzz this off-season within our own fanbase. The ones pointing to the bowl game performance should not even be responded to.
Correct. No shortage of low i q blather

[OLJWales]

Sounds like a writer that actually does research and homework... or either he reads Elite Dawgs

His facts and stats impressed the hell out of me.

[Tater]

In fairness though, we still have major concerns. Those Memphis and La tech games are a prime example. For every game above expectations seems to be two games well below thus far.

Auburn, Kentucky, hell Arkansas if it wasn't for a lack of kicker. Not sure where this 2 for 1 is coming from. Bowl game was a joke. Egg Bowl hurt in the rain.

Just want us to announce the MoverS helmets permanently.

[Cowbell]

Auburn, Kentucky, hell Arkansas if it wasn't for a lack of kicker. Not sure where this 2 for 1 is coming from. Bowl game was a joke. Egg Bowl hurt in the rain.

Just want us to announce the MoverS helmets permanently.

Auburn was the only game I saw as an overachievement.

Should have beaten Arkansas, LSU, and Memphis.

[Tater]

Auburn was the only game I saw as an overachievement.

Should have beaten Arkansas, LSU, and Memphis.

Kentucky wasn't??? We ****ing dominated them.

You are nitpicking and biased to your own agenda.

[Jarius]

In fairness though, we still have major concerns. Those Memphis and La tech games are a prime example. For every game above expectations seems to be two games well below thus far.

Our o/u win total in Vegas last year was 6.5 and we won 7. We overachieved and the defense cost us the LSU and Arkansas games with the Memphis game being mainly on us for even having the game close but the refs also completely shit the bed. We got dominated against Alabama and Ole Miss in the second half (the weather and 3 dropped touchdowns had a lot to do with that). We had a legit chance to win every other game we played in the regular season. The bowl game was just a terrible situation. Half the team out in a bowl game our fans and players didn’t want to be in was a recipe for what we got.

[OLJWales]

Auburn was the only game I saw as an overachievement.

Should have beaten Arkansas, LSU, and Memphis.

Bullshit. The evidence shows what coulda been last year and there's no reason those errors can't be fixed. There's more reasons to expect 8 wins than not.

[Coach34]

Shot at 10 wins. This is Y3 for Leach and thats when the magic is supposed to happen. Ready to see the magic.

[Quaoarsking]

Auburn was the only game I saw as an overachievement.

Should have beaten Arkansas, LSU, and Memphis.

Texas A&M? NC State? Or is Leach such a badass that those were ho-hum expected wins?

[Cooterpoot]

Texas A&M? NC State? Or is Leach such a badass that those were ho-hum expected wins?

And then you've got La Tech, Memphis, OM, & TT. This offense has done nothing special to this point. Heck, AU lost their QB or that one might not have happened either. It was billed as a better brand of football. This has to be that year. Last year wasn't.

[Tater]

And then you've got La Tech, Memphis, OM, & TT. This offense has done nothing special to this point. Heck, AU lost their QB or that one might not have happened either. It was billed as a better brand of football. This has to be that year. Last year wasn't.

The argument you jumped in to was that there was two underachieving games for every one overachieving. And already two were mentioned explicitly, while the original even called out people who bring up the bowl game as not being worth listening to.

You literally added 0 substance to this thread. Amazing work. Post less. Read more. Comprehend more. Then you can work to post more again.

[OLJWales]

I'm thinking there's a legit reason to exclude the bowl game from this year's pre-season evaluation. Nothing overly optimistic about 8 regular season wins this year and I'd be saying 9 if not for Jawjuh. Leach has 2 sore spots on his r?sum? (Record) that MUST be fixed to stay here and thats the WTF Losses and main rival losses. I wouldn't be surprised if one of the reasons he deemed Vegas more appealing than Pullman is that he wouldn't have the disadvantage against Confeds he had against Huskies. C'moan Leach, fix this shit NOW!!

ETA: Why can't the board accept the correct word r?sum (Rez uh May)

[Hot Rock]

I know Leach has a reputation of winning with less talent but there is a limit. There are three teams on State's schedule with with top five rosters.

3 losses should be expected from those top three and if we get one win from them that would be a bonus not an expectation. Then there are 4 more teams with significantly better talent than State. You split those and that's pretty good. 7 wins would be a good year, 8 and he exceeds expectations.

He gets to 10, we should build a ****ing statue now because the dude could bring a decade of winning to Mississippi State like nothing we have ever seen.

You could say it's on the HC to bring in the talent and Leach is not doing it but the fact of the matter is that he is bringing as good or better talent than we have ever gotten.

[Cooterpoot]

If Leach loses to OM 3 straight years, his ass has zero support. Not a ton of coaches lose their first three years to a rival and become beloved. We aren't winning 10 games. 8 and a loss to OM would even be bad news. It's 8 wins including OM or I'm ready to move on unless something bad goes down like injuries.

[BrunswickDawg]

And then you've got La Tech, Memphis, OM, & TT. This offense has done nothing special to this point. Heck, AU lost their QB or that one might not have happened either. It was billed as a better brand of football. This has to be that year. Last year wasn't.

AU lost their QB??? No, he got injured but played almost the whole game. That injury took place when the score was 23-28 Auburn, with under four minutes left in the 3rd. After the injury, the drive stalled at our 18 and they missed the FG, then we took the lead on our next possession. Did his injury keep them from staying in the game after that? That's a fair argument to make - but we already had huge momentum scoring on 3 straight possessions at that point and they were falling apart. Their defense couldn't stop us.

[FISHDAWG]

AU lost their QB??? No, he got injured but played almost the whole game. That injury took place when the score was 23-28 Auburn, with under four minutes left in the 3rd. After the injury, the drive stalled at our 18 and they missed the FG, then we took the lead on our next possession. Did his injury keep them from staying in the game after that? That's a fair argument to make - but we already had huge momentum scoring on 3 straight possessions at that point and they were falling apart. Their defense couldn't stop us.

There's nothing like clarity for my limited understanding and memory

[Jack Lambert]

Has Ole Miss been ranked in any of these polls? Also Georgia has five guys probably going in the 1st round. They will be good but not 2021 good. I am still considering GA and Bama loses. Everything else is there for the taking.

[OLJWales]

Has Ole Miss been ranked in any of these polls? Also Georgia has five guys probably going in the 1st round. They will be good but not 2021 good. I am still considering GA and Bama loses. Everything else is there for the taking.

Yep.

[MoreCowbell]

Auburn, Kentucky, hell Arkansas if it wasn't for a lack of kicker. Not sure where this 2 for 1 is coming from. Bowl game was a joke. Egg Bowl hurt in the rain.

Just want us to announce the MoverS helmets permanently.

We beat Arkansas honestly. That call at the end was horrendous. The Memphis game is another. We should have been 9-4 last year.

[Jack Lambert]

Yep.

they lost their bowl game and lost 14 starters. Crazy someone would rank them.

[Tater]

AU lost their QB??? No, he got injured but played almost the whole game. That injury took place when the score was 23-28 Auburn, with under four minutes left in the 3rd. After the injury, the drive stalled at our 18 and they missed the FG, then we took the lead on our next possession. Did his injury keep them from staying in the game after that? That's a fair argument to make - but we already had huge momentum scoring on 3 straight possessions at that point and they were falling apart. Their defense couldn't stop us.

Id like to point out we blocked the FG. They didn't just miss.

[Commercecomet24]

they lost their bowl game and lost 14 starters. Crazy someone would rank them.

They didn't just lose starters, they lost depth too especially on the dl and lbs. Their front 7 was decimated by graduates, transfers, etc.. they're replacing not just starters but 2 deeps in the front 7 on a defense that wasn't great to start with.

[OLJWales]

They didn't just lose starters, they lost depth too especially on the dl and lbs. Their front 7 was decimated by graduates, transfers, etc.. they're replacing not just starters but 2 deeps in the front 7 on a defense that wasn't great to start with.

Nice. Good uplifting stuff.

[PGHBulldogBG]

UGA and Bama are on another level. That is just talent and coaching that we don?t have. aTm, LSU and UK are the next threshold. I don?t think we win any of those but the other 7 need to be wins. I will be okay with him if we go 7-5 beating the 7 we should beat.

[Ifyouonlyknew]

UGA and Bama are on another level. That is just talent and coaching that we don?t have. aTm, LSU and UK are the next threshold. I don?t think we win any of those but the other 7 need to be wins. I will be okay with him if we go 7-5 beating the 7 we should beat.

We beat 2 of those 3 teams last year. We return 16 starters. Winning 6-7 games this year just tells me the Leach tenure isn’t going to be anything more than mediocre.

[R2Dawg]

AU lost their QB??? No, he got injured but played almost the whole game. That injury took place when the score was 23-28 Auburn, with under four minutes left in the 3rd. After the injury, the drive stalled at our 18 and they missed the FG, then we took the lead on our next possession. Did his injury keep them from staying in the game after that? That's a fair argument to make - but we already had huge momentum scoring on 3 straight possessions at that point and they were falling apart. Their defense couldn't stop us.

Aub, NCState, and TAMU were good wins last year, that was it. Leach got to show better than 3 good games a year and got to beat OM.

[Jarius]

Aub, NCState, and TAMU were good wins last year, that was it. Leach got to show better than 3 good games a year and got to beat OM.

He won 7 games in year 2. Dan Mullen Averaged just over 7 a year and is considered our best coach ever by many. I don’t know what you expect out of Mississippi State football but beating teams like Auburn and A&M on the road and winning 7 games with a bunch of really young players is better than what most do with a roster like that at our school.

[Cowbell]

We beat 2 of those 3 teams last year. We return 16 starters. Winning 6-7 games this year just tells me the Leach tenure isn?t going to be anything more than mediocre.

Yes, especially with the level of experience we have coming back. Our defense should be atleast solid.

[Cowbell]

Our o/u win total in Vegas last year was 6.5 and we won 7. We overachieved and the defense cost us the LSU and Arkansas games with the Memphis game being mainly on us for even having the game close but the refs also completely shit the bed. We got dominated against Alabama and Ole Miss in the second half (the weather and 3 dropped touchdowns had a lot to do with that). We had a legit chance to win every other game we played in the regular season. The bowl game was just a terrible situation. Half the team out in a bowl game our fans and players didn’t want to be in was a recipe for what we got.

You have enough excuses in that one paragraph to write a book.

[Cowbell]

Texas A&M? NC State? Or is Leach such a badass that those were ho-hum expected wins?

No. Sorry. I see us as a team that is on par with both of those two programs or should be and not the kind of wins that offset a loss to Memphis.

[BuckyIsAB****]

It is our turn to have the loaded covid senior roster.

DL- Davis who was going to be a 1st round draft pick, Pickering, Crumedy, Young, Charlton, Harris and Banks. All have played. Sherman Timbs has been an iron man has played DL and LB

LB- Watson, Johnson, Wheat. One of the JUCOs like Page, John Lewis or a Ty Cooper have to be good depth. But still 3 solid experienced starters.

CB- Banks, Forbes, Nicholson, Richardson. That is a solid 2 deep. Need a young one to step up and be an injury plan.

S- Green, Duncan, Preston, Ellington, Mathews. All have played and some have played before they were ready and took their lumps.

Defense doesnt have many holes.


QB- Rogers, Robertson who is improving so far, Lovertich is a winner, Greek and Locke. No concerns.

RB- Best tandem since the late 90s and Hargrove who can go 90 yards in a hurry.
Jernighan played a lot last year.

WR- Walley, Williams, Tulu, Mosley, Ducking, Rara, Ford, Robinson, Calvin, Harmon who has made some plays already this spring. Jannoris Hopkins is going to be a good player. We just need a X to step up to be the 3rd and long and red zone fade guy to be consistent.

OL- Key to the season. Sharp, Kam Jones, Smith, Dolla Bill, Williams, Lewis, Losoya, Nick Jones. We have to find the 6 that work together the best and go play. The offense rides with them more than anyone else.

K- Pray to God Biscardi is the answer bc if he is we wont lose another bc of a K.

P- Trafford.

34 is right it is time. We are set up. Schedule is tough but we have a veteran group who has seen it all and lost some they had in their hands. 9-10 wins is my expectation. Bama and UGA will be tough. The rest are up for the taking barring an Auburn black magic year

[Tater]

No. Sorry. I see us as a team that is on par with both of those two programs or should be and not the kind of wins that offset a loss to Memphis.

TAMU hired a sitting P5 National Championship winning coach while having the money to recruit the top rated class in the country.

This is silly.

[Coach34]

34 is right it is time. We are set up. Schedule is tough but we have a veteran group who has seen it all and lost some they had in their hands. 9-10 wins is my expectation. Bama and UGA will be tough. The rest are up for the taking barring an Auburn black magic year

7-5 with this team means The Pirate will never win more than 7 at State

[BuckyIsAB****]

7-5 with this team means The Pirate will never win more than 7 at State

I think if we do win 7 in the reg season it would depend on how we looked who we beat and barring any catastrophic injuries

[Quaoarsking]

No. Sorry. I see us as a team that is on par with both of those two programs or should be and not the kind of wins that offset a loss to Memphis.

Maybe we could be, but NC State finished ranked, and Texas A&M would have too if the voters didn't rightfully punish them for pussing out on their bowl. If you beat 2 teams who finished ranked (Kentucky did too, remember) that's a good accomplishment, even if those teams aren't usually very good and don't have as much prestige.

[Ifyouonlyknew]

He won 7 games in year 2. Dan Mullen Averaged just over 7 a year and is considered our best coach ever by many. I don?t know what you expect out of Mississippi State football but beating teams like Auburn and A&M on the road and winning 7 games with a bunch of really young players is better than what most do with a roster like that at our school.

Mullen won 9 games or more 3 out of his last 4 years & had arguably his best team the next year.

[Ifyouonlyknew]

I think if we do win 7 in the reg season it would depend on how we looked who we beat and barring any catastrophic injuries

If he wins 7 this year we won’t win more than that for a while. We replace most of the defense in 2023 & most of the offense in 2024. This is his year to win big.

[Todd4State]

If he wins 7 this year we won’t win more than that for a while. We replace most of the defense in 2023 & most of the offense in 2024. This is his year to win big.

You don't think guys like Jett Johnson, Cam Young, Randy Charlton, and several more use their COVID year for 2023? I know it's too soon to know but based on what players across the SEC are doing and the fact that I don't think they're slam dunk NFL players makes it more likely than not that they come back.

[Tater]

Mullen won 9 games or more 3 out of his last 4 years & had arguably his best team the next year.

Mullen won 8 his last year.

[Ifyouonlyknew]

Mullen won 8 his last year.

Mississippi State won 9 games or more 3 out of Dan Mullen last 4 seasons. Better?

[Ifyouonlyknew]

You don't think guys like Jett Johnson, Cam Young, Randy Charlton, and several more use their COVID year for 2023? I know it's too soon to know but based on what players across the SEC are doing and the fact that I don't think they're slam dunk NFL players makes it more likely than not that they come back.

Several? No

A couple? Possibly

[Coach34]

I think if we do win 7 in the reg season it would depend on how we looked who we beat and barring any catastrophic injuries

Yeah- if we have some huge injuries that can be excused of course. Other than that- 7 would be disappointing

[Hot Rock]

No. Sorry. I see us as a team that is on par with both of those two programs or should be and not the kind of wins that offset a loss to Memphis.

On par with A&M? Have you seen how much they pay their coaches? Their recruiting ranking? Just because Leach has beaten them does not make us on par with them as a program, it just means he is a damn good coach and our players played well that day. We are in no way on par with them as a program and it's not even close.

A&M will probably have a top 5 roster in all of college football this year with more 5 stars on this years team than Mississippi State has had it the past 20 years combined. They signed 7 Five star and 19 4 stars this past year. State doesn't have a single 5 star on the roster right now, not one.

On par, you have no idea how much further behind Mississippi State is in NIL monies to the have's of this great land? TN just gave 8 million to one player, now imagine what A&M is doing to get seven 5 star guys in one year.

[FISHDAWG]

On par with A&M? Have you seen how much they pay their coaches? Their recruiting ranking? Just because Leach has beaten them does not make us on par with them as a program, it just means he is a damn good coach and our players played well that day. We are in no way on par with them as a program and it's not even close.

A&M will probably have a top 5 roster in all of college football this year with more 5 stars on this years team than Mississippi State has had it the past 20 years combined. They signed 7 Five star and 19 4 stars this past year. State doesn't have a single 5 star on the roster right now, not one.

On par, you have no idea how much further behind Mississippi State is in NIL monies to the have's of this great land? TN just gave 8 million to one player, now imagine what A&M is doing to get seven 5 star guys in one year.

I get what you're saying but didn't Dan Mullen, Joe Moorehead, and Mike leach all three beat aTm ? .... that sounds like on par to me - they just have more money

[Hot Rock]

It is our turn to have the loaded covid senior roster.

DL- Davis who was going to be a 1st round draft pick, Pickering, Crumedy, Young, Charlton, Harris and Banks. All have played. Sherman Timbs has been an iron man has played DL and LB

LB- Watson, Johnson, Wheat. One of the JUCOs like Page, John Lewis or a Ty Cooper have to be good depth. But still 3 solid experienced starters.

CB- Banks, Forbes, Nicholson, Richardson. That is a solid 2 deep. Need a young one to step up and be an injury plan.

S- Green, Duncan, Preston, Ellington, Mathews. All have played and some have played before they were ready and took their lumps.

Defense doesnt have many holes.


QB- Rogers, Robertson who is improving so far, Lovertich is a winner, Greek and Locke. No concerns.

RB- Best tandem since the late 90s and Hargrove who can go 90 yards in a hurry.
Jernighan played a lot last year.

WR- Walley, Williams, Tulu, Mosley, Ducking, Rara, Ford, Robinson, Calvin, Harmon who has made some plays already this spring. Jannoris Hopkins is going to be a good player. We just need a X to step up to be the 3rd and long and red zone fade guy to be consistent.

OL- Key to the season. Sharp, Kam Jones, Smith, Dolla Bill, Williams, Lewis, Losoya, Nick Jones. We have to find the 6 that work together the best and go play. The offense rides with them more than anyone else.

K- Pray to God Biscardi is the answer bc if he is we wont lose another bc of a K.

P- Trafford.

34 is right it is time. We are set up. Schedule is tough but we have a veteran group who has seen it all and lost some they had in their hands. 9-10 wins is my expectation. Bama and UGA will be tough. The rest are up for the taking barring an Auburn black magic year

Those are some really nice players and they should perform well together but compare that roster to the rest of the SEC. The 2022 team composites will not be out until the season starts and rosters are finalized but looking at last years teams and their recruiting, I don't see a single team on State's SEC schedule this next year with less talent that State. Not one, even Ole Miss who lost so much will probably have at least an equally talented roster and KY & Ark will have higher rated rosters.

Leach & Co. have done a nice job filling out the roster with some really good players. This is a balanced roster for sure with a nice mix of veterans and young talent, I can see one more safety from the portal if they can get one but I like what I am hearing from the OL. They should be fine this year and those two position groups were my biggest concerns.

Losing to teams he isn't supposed to lose to is where he has to step it up to me. Losing to Memphis last year really stung. I want him to run the ball more in those games until they show it can be stopped but I don't care how he does it, I just want wins over less talented teams every time. No excuses please.

[Coach34]

Those are some really nice players and they should perform well together but compare that roster to the rest of the SEC. The 2022 team composites will not be out until the season starts and rosters are finalized but looking at last years teams and their recruiting, I don't see a single team on State's SEC schedule this next year with less talent that State. Not one, even Ole Miss who lost so much will probably have at least an equally talented roster and KY & Ark will have higher rated rosters.

Leach & Co. have done a nice job filling out the roster with some really good players. This is a balanced roster for sure with a nice mix of veterans and young talent, I can see one more safety from the portal if they can get one but I like what I am hearing from the OL. They should be fine this year and those two position groups were my biggest concerns.

If we based results on recruiting rankings we'd be 2-6 in the SEC or worse every season. That's not how it works

[Cooterpoot]

On par with A&M? Have you seen how much they pay their coaches? Their recruiting ranking? Just because Leach has beaten them does not make us on par with them as a program, it just means he is a damn good coach and our players played well that day. We are in no way on par with them as a program and it's not even close.

A&M will probably have a top 5 roster in all of college football this year with more 5 stars on this years team than Mississippi State has had it the past 20 years combined. They signed 7 Five star and 19 4 stars this past year. State doesn't have a single 5 star on the roster right now, not one.

On par, you have no idea how much further behind Mississippi State is in NIL monies to the have's of this great land? TN just gave 8 million to one player, now imagine what A&M is doing to get seven 5 star guys in one year.

Go check our record vs A&M. We're on par with them. How much longer is debatable, but right now, they don't vacate me.

[Hot Rock]

If we based results on recruiting rankings we'd be 2-6 in the SEC or worse every season. That's not how it works

A well coached team can beat some more talented teams with poor coaching or a team just getting the breaks of the game like turnovers etc... That is how it works and how Mississippi State rarely has finished last in the SEC. You still have to play the games, roster talent won't win games alone but:

I see one team that is poorly coached on our schedule that has a significantly better roster and that's Auburn. OM, ARK and KY are all close enough in talent that those games should be toss ups most years. This year with good coaching & a veteran roster, hopefully they will be wins this year. So here are my 4 SEC wins: Aub, OM, ARK & KY. Win 3 of 4 and that's still not chopped liver especially if they get another win to go 4-4 in the SEC.

We should agree that coaches don't make plays and I don't see a single difference maker on State's roster. There is some NFL talent for sure but really game changing guys, not so much. I mean future probowlers like Jeffery Simmons, Ja'Marr Chase/Burrow combo or a Derrik Henry that just changes the game with their talent. Guess who has rosters with of those type players? A&M, Bama and Georgia. All three of them have national championship coaches. You call for winning just one of those three is BS and then win all the others is crazy to me. Can it happen due to roster turnover or game situations and just a magical year? Maybe, but to expect it is BS.

I get that losing 3 straight to Ole Miss and only winning 7 could lose the fanbase and put Leach squarely on the hot seat the next year. That's the nature of the business and why he gets paid so damn much.

[OLJWales]

If we based results on recruiting rankings we'd be 2-6 in the SEC or worse every season. That's not how it works

I would assume that's correct based on historical evidence that shows many small town 3 Stars would be big city 4 Stars. Someone posted a video of a college coach discussing the politics of adding extra stars and he was very believable IMO. There are Valid points on both sides of this topic.

[Coach34]

You call for winning just one of those three is BS and then win all the others is crazy to me. Can it happen due to roster turnover or game situations and just a magical year? Maybe, but to expect it is BS.

I get that losing 3 straight to Ole Miss and only winning 7 could lose the fanbase and put Leach squarely on the hot seat the next year. That's the nature of the business and why he gets paid so damn much.

State's best teams are when we have Sr and Jr laden rosters because we are a developmental program.

1980- Vet team that almost made the Sugar Bowl
1992- altho we went 7-5 due to the loss of Sleepy early on. Could have easily won 10 games.
1998- vet team but had a Freshman QB that held it back a little. Won SEC West
1999- won 10
2010- 9-4 with close losses to top 5 teams
2014- 10 wins
2017- 9-4 and would have been 10 had Fitz not gotten taken out.
2018- best team we have had in my lifetime wasted by Jovester

2022- Vet team with a solid QB

If we dont win 9-10 when we have the veteran teams- then it's not happening at Miss State

[BrunswickDawg]

State's best teams are when we have Sr and Jr laden rosters because we are a developmental program.

1980- Vet team that almost made the Sugar Bowl
1992- altho we went 7-5 due to the loss of Sleepy early on. Could have easily won 10 games.
1998- vet team but had a Freshman QB that held it back a little. Won SEC West
1999- won 10
2010- 9-4 with close losses to top 5 teams
2014- 10 wins
2017- 9-4 and would have been 10 had Fitz not gotten taken out.
2018- best team we have had in my lifetime wasted by Jovester

2022- Vet team with a solid QB

If we dont win 9-10 when we have the veteran teams- then it's not happening at Miss State

That's one reason I feel good about this season - we are a vet team with 3 years of coaching stability. If our 3 early draft entries were coming back, I think a lot of people would have us pegged for 10 wins. It comes down to how well can we replace the productivity of those 3 guys (Cross, Polk, Emerson).

[Tater]

Mississippi State won 9 games or more 3 out of Dan Mullen last 4 seasons. Better?

Yep. Making sure we're not over-selling Mullen's final years and using them to judge another coach's first 3 years after having to go through a complete rebuild and playing objectively tougher schedules.

[Hot Rock]

State's best teams are when we have Sr and Jr laden rosters because we are a developmental program.

1980- Vet team that almost made the Sugar Bowl
1992- altho we went 7-5 due to the loss of Sleepy early on. Could have easily won 10 games.
1998- vet team but had a Freshman QB that held it back a little. Won SEC West
1999- won 10
2010- 9-4 with close losses to top 5 teams
2014- 10 wins
2017- 9-4 and would have been 10 had Fitz not gotten taken out.
2018- best team we have had in my lifetime wasted by Jovester

2022- Vet team with a solid QB

If we dont win 9-10 when we have the veteran teams- then it's not happening at Miss State

You may be right that it's ten wins or bust for him this year and he may never do it here but I think you are wrong.

This year's team is going to be good this year and will win 7-9 games and guess what, they will be even better in the future. 6 wins will leave even me head scratching because they do look the part this 3rd year into the transformation to Leach's offense. Expecting 10 wins or it never will happen is BS though. Why do I say that:

1) I think the defense will be good this year but State has had better defensive rosters and I can see State having better defenses than this year in the future.

a) DB's - State is depending on some transfers and newcomers to shore up the DB play. Safety play could still be problematic and cost us a game it shouldn't. Arnett is addressing the DB's and he is a good coach so I am hoping it gets worked out but it's not a given.

b) Our pass rush last year was lack luster at best. Davis coming back and some younger guys stepping up so I hope this defense can be better but the pass rush issue is not a given

2) State has recruited well on offense. I see the OL, QB and WR's getting more talented and deeper every year Leach is here. What makes you think the offense can't get better down the road with better players?

3) Then this year schedule has 3 top 5 teams on it, all with national title winning coaches. Sure, A&M is our best shot of getting one of those wins but to expect it is nuts.

Ten wins could happen with some great breaks and some great individual play but to say this year or never is BS.

[Coach34]

You may be right that it's ten wins or bust for him this year and he may never do it here but I think you are wrong.

This year's team is going to be good this year and will win 7-9 games and guess what, they will be even better in the future. 6 wins will leave even me head scratching because they do look the part this 3rd year into the transformation to Leach's offense. Expecting 10 wins or it never will happen is BS though. Why do I say that.

First of all- there is a disconnect here. I'm not saying 10 wins or bust. Stop posting that. I'm saying this is his shot at 10. 9-3 would be a good year too with this group. 8 wins would be an average coaching job with this group. 7 or less would be a below average job.

2nd point- This will be his best team for the next few years. 2023 and 2024 will be younger and wont have a shot at 10. 2023 team will have lost alot of guys from the year before. We are a developmental program and have to wait on the years that we have a veteran team to have big expectations. Our history bears this out. We have never won anything of substance with a young team and wont. We dont pull in that type of talent.

[confucius say]

He won 7 games in year 2. Dan Mullen Averaged just over 7 a year and is considered our best coach ever by many. I don?t know what you expect out of Mississippi State football but beating teams like Auburn and A&M on the road and winning 7 games with a bunch of really young players is better than what most do with a roster like that at our school.

This is what people don't understand. Talking about leach being a 7-5 coach and just being mediocre. People don't understand that is exceptional here. We have the worst job in the west and the 12th-13th worst job in the league, and the hardest schedule in the country. This should be a up year from a roster standpoint though, so 8-4 is doable. 9-3 should be sec coach of the year.

A shot at 10 wins is crazy talk. In 2014 we drew vandy and ky wasn't any good. This year we draw uga and ky is light years better than it was 8 years ago. If we go 10-2 leach should be national coach of the year hands down.

[confucius say]

If we based results on recruiting rankings we'd be 2-6 in the SEC or worse every season. That's not how it works

That's a hat tip to our coaching.
Or proof that recruiting rankings do not translate to win-loss record.

Has to be one or the other.

[BrunswickDawg]

This is what people don't understand. Talking about leach being a 7-5 coach and just being mediocre. People don't understand that is exceptional here. We have the worst job in the west and the 12th-13th worst job in the league, and the hardest schedule in the country. This should be a up year from a roster standpoint though, so 8-4 is doable. 9-3 should be sec coach of the year.

A shot at 10 wins is crazy talk. In 2014 we drew vandy and ky wasn't any good. This year we draw uga and ky is light years better than it was 8 years ago. If we go 10-2 leach should be national coach of the year hands down.

I don't think talk of 10 is crazy, just not likely. Revenge vs. Memphis, then a terrible AZ. LSU is in transition. Bowling Green. A&M & Arkansas in Vegas is a +. UK is a team we can beat, but being a road game makes that hard - but our better teams have done it. We could roll into T Town between 7-0 to 5-2. Bama will be Bama on the road. Auburn is just bad. I fully expect UGA to steamroll. They lost a lot, but they pick up Arik Gilbert who sat out last season. Pairing Gilbert with Brock Bowers should be illegal. OM is a crap shoot.

[Coach34]

I don't think talk of 10 is crazy, just not likely. Revenge vs. Memphis, then a terrible AZ. LSU is in transition. Bowling Green. A&M & Arkansas in Vegas is a +. UK is a team we can beat, but being a road game makes that hard - but our better teams have done it. We could roll into T Town between 7-0 to 5-2. Bama will be Bama on the road. Auburn is just bad. I fully expect UGA to steamroll. They lost a lot, but they pick up Arik Gilbert who sat out last season. Pairing Gilbert with Brock Bowers should be illegal. OM is a crap shoot.

Memphis- We will be favored. At home
Arizona- they are not good- should be a pick at worst
@ LSU- getting them early with a new coach and transitioning is the best we could hope for
Bowling Green- dub
A&M- we are at home. Advantage us.
UPig- we are at home. Advantage us
@Kentucky- will be a tough game. Veteran team should handle being on the road ok.
Bama- Definite loss
off week to regroup
Auburn- we are at home. Advantage us
Georgia- we are at home. Definite loss
East Tenn State- Shouldnt be close
@Mississippi- losing 3 in a row is hard to imagine. Only happened once since 1990

That schedule is a shot at 10 wins with a veteran team

[Hot Rock]

First of all- there is a disconnect here. I'm not saying 10 wins or bust. Stop posting that. I'm saying this is his shot at 10. 9-3 would be a good year too with this group. 8 wins would be an average coaching job with this group. 7 or less would be a below average job.

2nd point- This will be his best team for the next few years. 2023 and 2024 will be younger and wont have a shot at 10. 2023 team will have lost alot of guys from the year before. We are a developmental program and have to wait on the years that we have a veteran team to have big expectations. Our history bears this out. We have never won anything of substance with a young team and wont. We dont pull in that type of talent.

You are the one that said it's ten wins this year or he never will. That may not be ten or bust but it's also not ten or never either.

I don't necessarily believe this will his best team over the next few years. He could get an NFL type QB and everything will change once that guy pops up. I really like Will Rogers and he is an excellent college QB but he has limitations. Yes, some will leave after this year but Leach recruits the offense very well and that defense has a lot of young talent on it.

That may be the disconnect between us. I think the talent will continue to improve because he has better roster management than Mullen had for sure and he has the portal to fill some holes that Mullen didn't. I think consistent winning will be better in the future. My concern is so will the consistent losing to lesser talented teams when the offense lays an egg on a given day.

I don't see why they can't keep improving and get to ten wins with an easier schedule even if it doesn't happen this year.

[BrunswickDawg]

Memphis- We will be favored. At home
Arizona- they are not good- should be a pick at worst
@ LSU- getting them early with a new coach and transitioning is the best we could hope for
Bowling Green- dub
A&M- we are at home. Advantage us.
UPig- we are at home. Advantage us
@Kentucky- will be a tough game. Veteran team should handle being on the road ok.
Bama- Definite loss
off week to regroup
Auburn- we are at home. Advantage us
Georgia- we are at home. Definite loss
East Tenn State- Shouldnt be close
@Mississippi- losing 3 in a row is hard to imagine. Only happened once since 1990

That schedule is a shot at 10 wins with a veteran team

We agree. If I were a fan of another program, I'd think 10 wins is a real possibility. Since I am a sufferer of MSU-induced PTSD, I know that we will shoot ourselves in the foot somehow to keep that from being reality.

[Coach34]

You are the one that said it's ten wins this year or he never will. .

I posted no such thing

We lose alot after this season. We dont plug and place. We develop. We're mostly adding guys from the portal that went to lower level schools and such while other SEC teams are adding transfers from P5's. We simply wont be as good in 2023 as we will be in 2022.

Also what you arent grasping is that we have big years in even numbered seasons for the most part because that is when we get UPig, A&M, and Auburn at home. We simply more SEC games at home than on the road as does everybody else in the SEC. Schedule flips back to the road in 2023. Us winning in College Station and on the Plains last year were outliers and wont be something that happens very often.

[Jarius]

You have enough excuses in that one paragraph to write a book.

I pointed out what happened last year. I didn’t make any excuses. We got our asses beat by a couple of teams and our lack of defense and special teams cost us a few others. We still won more than Vegas said we would.

[confucius say]

Memphis- We will be favored. At home
Arizona- they are not good- should be a pick at worst
@ LSU- getting them early with a new coach and transitioning is the best we could hope for
Bowling Green- dub
A&M- we are at home. Advantage us.
UPig- we are at home. Advantage us
@Kentucky- will be a tough game. Veteran team should handle being on the road ok.
Bama- Definite loss
off week to regroup
Auburn- we are at home. Advantage us
Georgia- we are at home. Definite loss
East Tenn State- Shouldnt be close
@Mississippi- losing 3 in a row is hard to imagine. Only happened once since 1990

That schedule is a shot at 10 wins with a veteran team

With each game in a vacuum, yes.
But you just said we had 2 definite losses in Bama and uga. That means auburn, Aggie, KY, OM, LSU, Ark all have to go our way. I guess it depends on how you define "shot." But that seems like a long shot.

[Jarius]

Mullen won 9 games or more 3 out of his last 4 years & had arguably his best team the next year.

Well if Leach stays here for 9 years we can look at his last 4 years and see how it goes after he’s had over a half a decade to build his roster. Until then we will just look at what Mullen did as a whole, which was average about 7.5 wins a year and load up on jucos (who
We are all greatfull for but he didn’t hit on much else in those classes which killed us) before bolting out the door.

[confucius say]

Well if Leach stays here for 9 years we can look at his last 4 years and see how it goes after he?s had over a half a decade to build his roster. Until then we will just look at what Mullen did as a whole, which was average about 7.5 wins a year and load up on jucos (who
We are all great full for but he didn?t hit on much else in those classes which killed us) before bolting out the door.

7.1-4.9 average over 9 seasons.
Over his first four seasons, 6.75-5.25.
Regular season numbers.

[BrunswickDawg]

With each game in a vacuum, yes.
But you just said we had 2 definite losses in Bama and uga. That means auburn, Aggie, KY, OM, LSU, Ark all have to go our way. I guess it depends on how you define "shot." But that seems like a long shot.

A shot is still a shot, even if long. It's not like we were far from 10 wins last year. We lost 3 games by a FG or less. So, that means that yes things have to go our way - that's how you win 10 games.
People forget that the '99 team won 5 games by a FG or less. Unless you are UGA or Bama, that is what has to happen for you to win 6 SEC games. It takes talent, but it also takes a ton of things going your way.

[Ifyouonlyknew]

7.1-4.9 average over 9 seasons.
Over his first four seasons, 6.75-5.25.
Regular season numbers.

Cool

The 2 years before Leach came which were considered extremely down years we won 14 games. The previous 8 seasons before Mullen got here we 29 & 8 of those were 1 season. So the other 7 seasons we avg 3 wins a year. Him avg 7 wins a year in his 1st seasons was actually amazing. So again winning 6-7 games with where we are as a program doesn’t get anyone excited anymore & it shouldn’t. Leach was hired to win & win more than Mullen. That’s why it’s imperative to win at least 8 regular season games this year bc the next 2 years we’re taking a step back. I don’t know how any of this is considered controversial.

[confucius say]

A shot is still a shot, even if long. It's not like we were far from 10 wins last year. We lost 3 games by a FG or less. So, that means that yes things have to go our way - that's how you win 10 games.
People forget that the '99 team won 5 games by a FG or less. Unless you are UGA or Bama, that is what has to happen for you to win 6 SEC games. It takes talent, but it also takes a ton of things going your way.

I agree with that. It can be done. The 99 and 14 schedules were perfect though.

I guess my larger point is that it is not a realistic expectation with uga and Bama on the schedule.
8-4 is realistic and would be a heck of a year against the toughest schedule in the country.

[Coach34]

I agree with that. It can be done. The 99 and 14 schedules were perfect though.

I guess my larger point is that it is not a realistic expectation with uga and Bama on the schedule.
8-4 is realistic and would be a heck of a year against the toughest schedule in the country.

This schedule is perfect also except it has Georgia on it.

A&M, Auburn, and UPig at home- just like in 2014.
Play LSU early- just like in 2014
Nothing too taxing OOC- just like in 2014
We have a soft game before Mississippi- just like in 2014

If we slip once and go 9-3, everybody will still be happy with a shot at 10 in the bowl game. But there are alot of coaches that can go 8-4 with a veteran group like we have taking the field in 2022

[BrunswickDawg]

I agree with that. It can be done. The 99 and 14 schedules were perfect though.

I guess my larger point is that it is not a realistic expectation with uga and Bama on the schedule.
8-4 is realistic and would be a heck of a year against the toughest schedule in the country.

But we've been in that same boat since about 1991. We have had at least 1 if not 3 potential challengers for a Natty on our schedule for over 2 decades. Bama almost every year; UT and UF in the early and mid 1990s and UF again in the Urban era; Auburn and LSU at times; A&M and Arkansas once each ranked in the top 5. That's the SEC West. The only years we don't have a top schedule in the country is when we luck into Vandy. We are so unlucky that we even catch teams like South Carolina and Georgia Tech when they have their best teams. In spite of all that, look at what we HAVE done since 1991 - Jackie got us 3 8 win seasons and a 10; Dan got us an 8, 2 9's and a 10. Hell, even Sly lucked into an 8 win.

For all his faults and people's dislikes, Leach and Co. had us within 3 FG's of 10 wins in a sloppy season with an inexperienced crew in year 2. We have a shot again at 10 - even if that means everything has to go right to get there.

[confucius say]

Cool

The 2 years before Leach came which were considered extremely down years we won 14 games. The previous 8 seasons before Mullen got here we 29 & 8 of those were 1 season. So the other 7 seasons we avg 3 wins a year. Him avg 7 wins a year in his 1st seasons was actually amazing. So again winning 6-7 games with where we are as a program doesn’t get anyone excited anymore & it shouldn’t. Leach was hired to win & win more than Mullen. That’s why it’s imperative to win at least 8 regular season games this year bc the next 2 years we’re taking a step back. I don’t know how any of this is considered controversial.

Mullen averaging 6.75 regular season wins a year his first 4 years was good. I agree. Now he took over a roster with 13 nfl guys, many of whom were big time nfl guys, but he had to teach them how to win and modernize the offense. You'll never hear me say he did a bad job. He's the goat of MSU football coaches post integration.

Too, leach took over a dumpster fire of a culture. He had to totally reset the culture. We had players openly cussing out coaches in the locker room and cops being called to the hotel the night before the games. Not to mention the softness and complete lack of a S&C program.

Let's see how 2022 plays out and then compare the records the first three years of each. I think they will be almost identical (it's hard to say what 2020 would have been with a normal schedule, but I think 4-8 at minimum and 6-6 max).

[confucius say]

This schedule is perfect also except it has Georgia on it.

I hear ya but that's a really big "except." You're trading a guaranteed win in 2014 Vandy for UGA, which you're counting as a definite loss. So 9-3 this year is equivalent to 10-2 in 2014.

Absolutely we should all be thrilled with 9-3. Leach should probably win sec coach of the year.

[Cooterpoot]

Why we comparing to Mullen? I thought we went the all out passing attack to exceed what Mullen "limited us to" with the power game. We blew up our program to move to a passing offense to try to better compete with AL etc. That's gone great so far right? Leach needs to win 8+ including OM this year. Just how it is. He won't get fired for 7 wins, or losing to OM. But his support will be on life support.
AR went from one of the worst teams in America to better than us with their hire. So did OM. It's time to put the meat on the seat, or the feet on the street.

[TrapGame]

Why we comparing to Mullen? I thought we went the all out passing attack to exceed what Mullen "limited us to" with the power game. We blew up our program to move to a passing offense to try to better compete with AL etc. That's gone great so far right? Leach needs to win 8+ including OM this year. Just how it is. He won't get fired for 7 wins, or losing to OM. But his support will be on life support.
AR went from one of the worst teams in America to better than us with their hire. So did OM. It's time to put the meat on the seat, or the feet on the street.

Year 3. This is the year. With what we are returning less than 8 wins is a disappointment. Gotta step up or step out.

[Jarius]

Why we comparing to Mullen? I thought we went the all out passing attack to exceed what Mullen "limited us to" with the power game. We blew up our program to move to a passing offense to try to better compete with AL etc. That's gone great so far right? Leach needs to win 8+ including OM this year. Just how it is. He won't get fired for 7 wins, or losing to OM. But his support will be on life support.
AR went from one of the worst teams in America to better than us with their hire. So did OM. It's time to put the meat on the seat, or the feet on the street.

I can’t speak for anyone else, but I will be happy with any coach who does what Mullen did here. Leach’s offense does give us a shot at beating more teams than Mullen did, but it also is susceptible to getting beat by people you have no business losing to. All in all, if he does what Mullen did he will have done a good job and his trajectory is on pace to do that. If he falls back to 6 or only wins 7 games this year I will not be happy considering what we have returning. I don’t expect him to have a 6-7 win total this year though.

[OLJWales]

I'm trying to figure out why we can't incorporate more successful draw plays with our type of offense. Seems they would be unexpected plays we take advantage of up the middle.

[Turfdawg67]

Year 3. This is the year. With what we are returning less than 8 wins is a disappointment. Gotta step up or step out.

While I won't get on this "do or die" year, mostly because I'm still not overly confident in our QB every game, this is Leach's best chance thus far. Unless he lands a once-in-a-lifetime QB who kills it. Too bad we don't have UGA's schedule.

[BuckyIsAB****]

Those are some really nice players and they should perform well together but compare that roster to the rest of the SEC. The 2022 team composites will not be out until the season starts and rosters are finalized but looking at last years teams and their recruiting, I don't see a single team on State's SEC schedule this next year with less talent that State. Not one, even Ole Miss who lost so much will probably have at least an equally talented roster and KY & Ark will have higher rated rosters.

Leach & Co. have done a nice job filling out the roster with some really good players. This is a balanced roster for sure with a nice mix of veterans and young talent, I can see one more safety from the portal if they can get one but I like what I am hearing from the OL. They should be fine this year and those two position groups were my biggest concerns.

Losing to teams he isn't supposed to lose to is where he has to step it up to me. Losing to Memphis last year really stung. I want him to run the ball more in those games until they show it can be stopped but I don't care how he does it, I just want wins over less talented teams every time. No excuses please.

I dont give a rats ass about composite ratings

[R2Dawg]

Why we comparing to Mullen? I thought we went the all out passing attack to exceed what Mullen "limited us to" with the power game. We blew up our program to move to a passing offense to try to better compete with AL etc. That's gone great so far right? Leach needs to win 8+ including OM this year. Just how it is. He won't get fired for 7 wins, or losing to OM. But his support will be on life support.
AR went from one of the worst teams in America to better than us with their hire. So did OM. It's time to put the meat on the seat, or the feet on the street.

Cooter i agree. All we've heard is this is how we beat Bama, etc. and compete for championships not just win 6-7 games and get a bowl. We already done that with crappy coaches.

[Ezsoil]

Does suck to have 3rd parties more optimistic than segments of our fan base.


Auburn was the only game I saw as an overachievement.

Should have beaten Arkansas, LSU, and Memphis.

I'd say beating A&M was a solid win

[FISHDAWG]

I can?t speak for anyone else, but I will be happy with any coach who does what Mullen did here. Leach?s offense does give us a shot at beating more teams than Mullen did, but it also is susceptible to getting beat by people you have no business losing to. All in all, if he does what Mullen did he will have done a good job and his trajectory is on pace to do that. If he falls back to 6 or only wins 7 games this year I will not be happy considering what we have returning. I don?t expect him to have a 6-7 win total this year though.

agree with everything you said ... I would also add that I think most of the West teams would be satisfied with 8 & 4 .... exception might be aTm because of an overpaid coach and this years recruiting class .... or possibly LSU whose fanbase has crazy expectations anyway .... Either way, Saban himself couldn't get us to 9-10 wins this year

[Cooterpoot]

agree with everything you said ... I would also add that I think most of the West teams would be satisfied with 8 & 4 .... exception might be aTm because of an overpaid coach and this years recruiting class .... or possibly LSU whose fanbase has crazy expectations anyway .... Either way, Saban himself couldn't get us to 9-10 wins this year

You don't know the SEC West very well then.

[FISHDAWG]

You don't know the SEC West very well then.

OK ... who wouldn't be satisfied with 8 & 4 from: (Bama, LSU, & aTm excluded)
1) OM
2) Arkansas
3) Auburn
4) MSU
5) Vandy

[Coach34]

Auburn fired a coach for going 8-4 consistently

[FISHDAWG]

Auburn fired a coach for going 8-4 consistently

and I'm sure they would be ecstatic with 8 wins this season

[TrapGame]

Auburn fired a coach for going 8-4 consistently

Auburn's gonna fire this coach too. Probably before the season is over.

[Cooterpoot]

OK ... who wouldn't be satisfied with 8 & 4 from: (Bama, LSU, & aTm excluded)
1) OM
2) Arkansas
3) Auburn
4) MSU
5) Vandy

State fans wouldn't if they lost to OM.
AU wouldn't. They want their coach gone at all costs.
Vandy isn't in the west...Jesus
AR fans are already clambering for more.

LSU is never happy with 8 wins, neither is AL. A&M wouldn't be.

[RiverCityDawg]

OK ... who wouldn't be satisfied with 8 & 4 from: (Bama, LSU, & aTm excluded)
1) OM
2) Arkansas
3) Auburn
4) MSU
5) Vandy

You originally said A&M "might" and "possibly" LSU. Didn't even mention Bama.

The only teams in the West that would be okay with 8-4 this year are State and ole miss, both if it includes winning the egg bowl; and Auburn if it includes beating Alabama, and only this year because they have low expectations after the Harsin debacle. No one else at all.

Vandy would, so would Southern Miss, Mississippi College, Akron and Prairie View A&M, none of whom are in the SEC West.

[confucius say]

State fans wouldn't if they lost to OM.
AU wouldn't. They want their coach gone at all costs.
Vandy isn't in the west...Jesus
AR fans are already clambering for more.

LSU is never happy with 8 wins, neither is AL. A&M wouldn't be.

That's a fan problem.

Kinda like your point about why are we comparing to Mullen bc we should be so much better than ******* time here. That's crazy talk. Mullen is the goat. He averaged 7.1-4.9 over a 9 year period at the worst job in the west. His only problem was he didn't want to be here.

I do agree this should be a "up" year based on the veterans we have. But the schedule is brutal.

[MedDawg]

You are the one that said it's ten wins this year or he never will. That may not be ten or bust but it's also not ten or never either.

I don't necessarily believe this will his best team over the next few years. He could get an NFL type QB and everything will change once that guy pops up. I really like Will Rogers and he is an excellent college QB but he has limitations. Yes, some will leave after this year but Leach recruits the offense very well and that defense has a lot of young talent on it.

That may be the disconnect between us. I think the talent will continue to improve because he has better roster management than Mullen had for sure and he has the portal to fill some holes that Mullen didn't. I think consistent winning will be better in the future. My concern is so will the consistent losing to lesser talented teams when the offense lays an egg on a given day.

I don't see why they can't keep improving and get to ten wins with an easier schedule even if it doesn't happen this year.

I agree with this. There isn't really anything particularly special about this 2022 team that Leach can't replicate. 2022 is just an average State team that has played together for a few years. We may be younger in 2023, but there's no reason we can't be better than 2022 in 2024 and 2025. Might be better in 2023 just because of an easier schedule and more offensive players who have been through more practices and games.

Remember when people said, "Just imagine if Leach just had decent defenses at TT and WSU". Well, after a few years of Leach getting his system in place, he will have that at State.

[FISHDAWG]

State fans wouldn't if they lost to OM.
AU wouldn't. They want their coach gone at all costs.
Vandy isn't in the west...Jesus
AR fans are already clambering for more.

LSU is never happy with 8 wins, neither is AL. A&M wouldn't be.

I was speaking about "Realistic" expectations - not wants and wishes
State fans would be happy with 8 wins
Auburn fans always think they should win 11 games but I'm sure next season they would be grateful for 8 given the current state of affairs
Vandy - you're right ... brain fart there
Arky may be clamoring for more but I assure you they would take 8 wins and be satisfied seeing as where they had been in the last several years
LSU would have appreciated 8 wins this season but they, like Bama expect more and next season remains uncertain for them ..... Obviously aTm is satisfied with 8 wins or they would have played their bowl game

[Hot Rock]

I dont give a rats ass about composite ratings

When you play teams with top 5 composite rankings and your is in the 20's then you are not expected to win provided both teams have good coaching. You can still do it from time to time but to expect it is stupid. Anyone says otherwise is a dumbass.

[Hot Rock]

Auburn fired a coach for going 8-4 consistently

And look where they are now. We fired Stans and for years we have had half the fanbase still looking back. Hopefully, this Chris Jans can bring us all back together.

[BrunswickDawg]

I was speaking about "Realistic" expectations - not wants and wishes
State fans would be happy with 8 wins
Auburn fans always think they should win 11 games but I'm sure next season they would be grateful for 8 given the current state of affairs
Vandy - you're right ... brain fart there
Arky may be clamoring for more but I assure you they would take 8 wins and be satisfied seeing as where they had been in the last several years
LSU would have appreciated 8 wins this season but they, like Bama expect more and next season remains uncertain for them ..... Obviously aTm is satisfied with 8 wins or they would have played their bowl game

If LSU isn't careful they are going to spend a decade or so wandering in the wilderness. They have the resources, but they are so dirty and their fan expectations are so high, I can see them ending up like Texas firing coaches every 3 years and never truly competing at the level they should. Outside of 2019, they have already been underachieving since 2014.

[TrapGame]

And look where they are now. We fired Stans and for years we have had half the fanbase still looking back. Hopefully, this Chris Jans can bring us all back together.

That's b/c we hired a terrible coach to replace Stans. But what's really scary for Auburn is Harsin was "the best" guy for the job. Bullshit. They took a chance on Harsin like we did JoMo. And it's about to end the same way.

[Coach34]

And look where they are now. We fired Stans and for years we have had half the fanbase still looking back. Hopefully, this Chris Jans can bring us all back together.

We fired Crooms and hired the most successful coach in our football history.
We fired Richard Williams and hired Stands
We fired Ron Polk and brought in a coach that led us to the NCAA Championship Series

Whats your point?

[confucius say]

We fired Crooms and hired the most successful coach in our football history.
We fired Richard Williams and hired Stands
We fired Ron Polk and brought in a coach that led us to the NCAA Championship Series

Whats your point?

All 3 of those were coming off horrible seasons. And one was fired for off the court issues or else he keeps his job. The other two bottomed out the programs, well below expectations for their respective programs.

Auburn firing Malzahn was different. They paid over 30 million dollars to downgrade. Idiots.

But bigger point is we're not auburn. If us, ark, or OM can consistently be 8-4 we should all be doing cartwheels.

[BuckyIsAB****]

When you play teams with top 5 composite rankings and your is in the 20's then you are not expected to win provided both teams have good coaching. You can still do it from time to time but to expect it is stupid. Anyone says otherwise is a dumbass.

Ok

[Walkerhill]

Nobody is hyping Mississippi State football. Fine, let me do it.
Blake Toppmeyer
USA TODAY NETWORK



You wouldn?t know it from Mississippi State?s performance in the Liberty Bowl, and you wouldn?t know it from those ?too early? preseason rankings, but the Bulldogs are quietly positioned for success in Mike Leach?s third season.

Bowl games have an outsized influence in prognostications for the following season, and not many teams fared worse than MSU in its 34-7 bowl loss to Texas Tech.

Not many teams were as short-handed for their bowl as MSU, either.

Opt-outs and COVID-19-induced absences sidelined a swath of Bulldogs, so I don?t consider that result a useful measuring stick for what MSU can achieve in 2022.

Here?s what I find more relevant:

A third-year starting quarterback
A third-year coach, who had a breakthrough season in Year 3 at a past stop
Veteran running backs and wide receivers
Staff continuity
Top two tacklers return
A talented cornerback returns
No crippling transfer departures
The Sporting News in January compiled nine national media outlets? early top-25 rankings for 2022. Not a single publication ranked Mississippi State.

What am I missing? I see a team that's stocked with experience, coming off a 7-6 season and was one controversial call away from beating Memphis and finishing with eight victories.


The transfer portal is college football?s shiny new toy. Coaches? ability to add plug-and-play transfers means a team?s depth of returning starters doesn?t carry the weight it used to.

Nonetheless, experience and program familiarity still should count for something, and the Bulldogs return eight starters on each side of the ball. MSU brings back more production from last season than any other SEC team, according to metrics compiled by ESPN?s Bill Connelly.



You might recall that in this space a year ago, I positioned Ole Miss as an SEC dark horse. The Rebels returned talented quarterback Matt Corral, veteran playmakers, a top offensive line, and they?d plugged holes on defense.

Ole Miss proved worthy of my spring hype by matching a program record with 10 victories, and it played in the Sugar Bowl. The Rebels beat MSU 31-21 in the Egg Bowl, improving Lane Kiffin?s record to 2-0 vs. Leach in that rivalry game.


This year presents an opportunity for an Egg Bowl script flip.

Corral might prove the toughest player to replace in all of college football, and the Rebels also have a new offensive coordinator in Charlie Weis Jr.

Kiffin dubbed himself the ?Portal King,? an appropriate moniker after Ole Miss assembled more transfer talent than any other program. To be clear, I think Kiffin?s approach to stockpiling quality transfers is shrewd. But it remains largely unproven whether that can become a sustainable model.

The Egg Bowl will offer a snapshot of whether relying on home-built talent or embracing a litany of new faces is a better path.


If MSU is going to deliver a season reminiscent of Ole Miss last year, junior quarterback Will Rogers must continue his ascent.

A quarterback is important in any offense, but no SEC team passes more often than the Bulldogs, meaning Rogers is one of the conference?s most influential players. He threw for 4,739 yards last season, but he wasn?t at his finest in losses to Alabama, Ole Miss and Texas Tech.


Interestingly, Leach?s Texas Tech tenure turned the corner in Year 3, thanks to a big season from third-year starting quarterback Kliff Kingsbury.

A special season also will require the Bulldogs to show defensive improvement after the unit's development stalled from 2020 to 2021. Linebacker Jett Johnson is a linchpin, but he requires more support.


Three things concern me when projecting MSU?s season:

Leach?s teams are often good for a surprise win or two, but also for a head-scratching defeat or two.
MSU must replace offensive tackles Charles Cross and Scott Lashley.
The Bulldogs have one of the nation?s toughest schedules, joining Auburn, Tennessee and Vanderbilt as the only teams that must play Alabama and Georgia in 2022.
Swing games against Auburn, Ole Miss, Kentucky, Arkansas, LSU and Texas A&M will be critical.

The Bulldogs went 3-3 against that six-pack last year.

Improve to 4-2 or better versus that contingent and flip the result in a rematch with Memphis, and the Bulldogs should prove worthy of the Top 25, which is better than any early rankings this spring.

I love optimism but any article that fails to analyze our tackle positions is not credible imo.

In this offense you better have a solid line and especially sound tackles and that is best ?wait and see?.

Agree with the premise that everything else is in place. If we had locked up slam dunk grad transfer or jump tackle help, you are cooking with gas. If we get some ‘next man up’ contributions at tackle, then lookout.

[Cooterpoot]

And look where they are now. We fired Stans and for years we have had half the fanbase still looking back. Hopefully, this Chris Jans can bring us all back together.

Only the uninformed, willfully blind, and ignorant wanted to keep Stans. Tell me, how many Tourneys has Stans seen as a HC since leaving? And I know, we have a large number of people like you that think we shouldn't have shit in athletics, and that's a problem.

[chef dixon]

I don't know why I just don't see this team as a 9-10 win team. We've got veterans but it feels like we lack the true difference makers our old veteran teams had. The only guy on this D that maybe starts in 2018 is Forbes. I think our running backs are veterans but not difference makers. WR+QB is better but I wouldn't say in the same league as Dak and Ross/Bear. In the trenches who on this team scares you? Maybe it's just the Leach/Covid lull we've had the last few years. I'm thinking 7-8 wins especially with UGA on the ticket

[MaroonFlounder]

If Bama and Georgia beat us as bad as I think they will, it will affect more than just those 2 games (in the mindset of the team)

No way we win 8 games if the defending national champ and the runner-up demoralizes us like I think they will.

I would love to be wrong. Our QB will get roughed up this year with pressure off the edges.