Because it is now time for Football

[Cowbell]

9 players made preseason All-SEC by Athlon Sports. 9. Means no excuses.

[Coach34]

As I said- this should be an 8-9 win team this Fall

[viverlibre]

6-6 is the floor, 8-4 the ceiling and 7-5 most likely. If Mike was coming back I'd be more in the 9-win range.

[Coach34]

6-6 is the floor, 8-4 the ceiling and 7-5 most likely. If Mike was coming back I'd be more in the 9-win range.

Mike not returning improves this team by 1 win

[DeltaSwamp]

Schedule really sets up nice. South carolina got hot late but started slow and I expect the same this year. A lot of big games at home could be a special year.

9 should be the expectation

Southeastern Louisiana (H) - W
Arizona(H) - W
LSU (H) - Toss
South Carolina (away) - W
Alabama (H) - L until we beat them
Western Michigan (H) - W
Arkansas (A) - Toss Id say a win but toss since its away
Auburn (A) - W
Kentucky (H) -W
Texas A&M (A) - W until Jumbo leaves
Southern Miss (H) - W
Ole Piss (H) - W

[THE Bruce Dickinson]

9 should be the expectation

Southeastern Louisiana (H) - W
Arizona(H) - W
LSU (H) - Toss
South Carolina (away) - W
Alabama (H) - L until we beat them
Western Michigan (H) - W
Arkansas (A) - Toss Id say a win but toss since its away
Auburn (A) - W
Kentucky (H) -W
Texas A&M (A) - W until Jumbo leaves
Southern Miss (H) - W
Ole Piss (H) - W

How Naive...

We will be playing Ole Miss with a 5-6 record.

[DeltaSwamp]

How Naive...

We will be playing Ole Miss with a 5-6 record.

Ok show me where i am wrong

[the_real_MSU_is_us]

Schedule really sets up nice. South carolina got hot late but started slow and I expect the same this year. A lot of big games at home could be a special year.

9 should be the expectation

Southeastern Louisiana (H) - W
Arizona(H) - W
LSU (H) - Toss
South Carolina (away) - W
Alabama (H) - L until we beat them
Western Michigan (H) - W
Arkansas (A) - Toss Id say a win but toss since its away
Auburn (A) - W
Kentucky (H) -W
Texas A&M (A) - W until Jumbo leaves
Southern Miss (H) - W
Ole Piss (H) - W

You realize we're asking Will and the OL and the WRs to do things they have never done? the OL was trained to pass block, WRs to run to space vs a zone, Will to throw to grass. Hell, we didn't have a TE on the roster 6 months ago. We have all new coaches working together for the first time.

Defense should be good from the start. Special teams should be fine. Team culture I expect to be good. But the offense will have growing pains. LSU and USC are losses unless the offense is much better than it has any right to be in games 3 and 4. Hell, its entirely possible the offense is a train wreck vs Arizona. I still have that as W but crazier things have happened than such a new offense not working at all in game 2 vs a P5 team.

I got us 7-5. Those last 5 SEC games are not wins, they are tossups that lean us. We will loose 2 of them.

[THE Bruce Dickinson]

Southeastern Louisiana (H) - W
Arizona(H) - W
LSU (H) - L
South Carolina (away) - Thinking this is a straight up win is silly. We have never played well there and they drummed Tennessee and beat Clemson last year at home. L
Alabama (H) - L
Western Michigan (H) - W
Arkansas (A) - Agree on the toss. Tough place to play but Pittman is floundering. He's either gonna sink or swim this year. KJ being back won't be a picnic. 50/50
Auburn (A) - They will without a doubt be better under Freeze and it will happen fast. L
Kentucky (H) -Most pivotal game of the season. Have to win this one at home. W
Texas A&M (A) - We have owned them as of late, and it won't last forever. They have players. L
Southern Miss (H) - W
Ole Piss (H) - Playing the rival at home to go to a bowl. 50/50

[THE Bruce Dickinson]

You realize we're asking Will and the OL and the WRs to do things they have never done? the OL was trained to pass block, WRs to run to space vs a zone, Will to throw to grass. Hell, we didn't have a TE on the roster 6 months ago. We have all new coaches working together for the first time.

Defense should be good from the start. Special teams should be fine. Team culture I expect to be good. But the offense will have growing pains. LSU and USC are losses unless the offense is much better than it has any right to be in games 3 and 4. Hell, its entirely possible the offense is a train wreck vs Arizona. I still have that as W but crazier things have happened than such a new offense not working at all in game 2 vs a P5 team.

I got us 7-5. Those last 5 SEC games are not wins, they are tossups that lean us. We will loose 2 of them.

Much better take.

[viverlibre]

Having your hardest two games at home (which are near automatic losses) isn't as great as it sounds. I rather play those two on the road and have Ark and the Barn at home.

[travis]

9 players and 10 spots - Tulu was 1st team KR and 4th team WR. I think only Bama, UGa, LSU and USC had more spots filled.

[TrapGame]

Bo Bounds and Matrix Man dumped a bucket of cold water on our season this morning. They think 6-6 is the most likely outcome. Going 8-4 would be HUGE and prove Arnett is going to be a good one.

[Cowbell]

6-6 is the floor, 8-4 the ceiling and 7-5 most likely. If Mike was coming back I'd be more in the 9-win range.

8-4 is not the ceiling

[Cowbell]

Draftkings has us at 6.5 - I would take that over

[BuckyIsAB****]

Mike not returning improves this team by 1 win

This is an absolutely hot take coming from the Lemonizik man

[BuckyIsAB****]

If we can run the ball we will win 8-10. If we cannot we will be 6-7. That simple. I would like to say there is no excuses but there is no program in the country that has been thru more than ours and we still have won. They will keep proving you wrong as long as we keep the most important parts of Leach?s program and it?s by far not the offense.

[RiverCityDawg]

If we can run the ball we will win 8-10. If we cannot we will be 6-7. That simple. I would like to say there is no excuses but there is no program in the country that has been thru more than ours and we still have won. They will keep proving you wrong as long as we keep the most important parts of Leach?s program and it?s by far not the offense.

Agree, well said.

[msu15]

8-4 is the benchmark. LSU at home in week 3 is the early barometer. We win that I can easily see 9-3. Lose it and I can see 6 or 7.

[DeltaSwamp]

Southeastern Louisiana (H) - W
Arizona(H) - W
LSU (H) - L
South Carolina (away) - Thinking this is a straight up win is silly. We have never played well there and they drummed Tennessee and beat Clemson last year at home. L
Alabama (H) - L
Western Michigan (H) - W
Arkansas (A) - Agree on the toss. Tough place to play but Pittman is floundering. He's either gonna sink or swim this year. KJ being back won't be a picnic. 50/50
Auburn (A) - They will without a doubt be better under Freeze and it will happen fast. L
Kentucky (H) -Most pivotal game of the season. Have to win this one at home. W
Texas A&M (A) - We have owned them as of late, and it won't last forever. They have players. L
Southern Miss (H) - W
Ole Piss (H) - Playing the rival at home to go to a bowl. 50/50

Southeastern Louisiana (H) - W
Arizona(H) - W
LSU (H) - L - this is not in BR and so it is a toss. history says I'm right
South Carolina (away) - I said in original post they got hot at the end after starting slow at worse this is a toss
Alabama (H) - L
Western Michigan (H) - W
Arkansas (A) - Agree on the toss. Tough place to play but Pittman is floundering. He's either gonna sink or swim this year. KJ being back won't be a picnic. 50/50
Auburn (A) - Agree they will be better but there team is going to put ALOT of emotion into the Ole Piss, Bama and UGA game. Freeze will put 150% into Auburn's rivals and not as much into MSU week. even if Auburn has the better record frequently under Freezus I think we will be no worse than 500 against them while he is there
Kentucky (H) -Most pivotal game of the season. Have to win this one at home. W
Texas A&M (A) - Yes we have owned them as of late so I can't understand why you insists this is a loss. At worse a toss L
Southern Miss (H) - W
Ole Piss (H) - Until there coach puts more emphasis on building a team not through the portal they will be gassed by the time they play us I feel very confident this will be a win

You could talk me into a few of my original Ws being tosses, but splitting those should still have us expecting an above average and potentially great year

[the_real_MSU_is_us]

Southeastern Louisiana (H) - W
Arizona(H) - W
LSU (H) - L - this is not in BR and so it is a toss. history says I'm right
South Carolina (away) - I said in original post they got hot at the end after starting slow at worse this is a toss
Alabama (H) - L
Western Michigan (H) - W
Arkansas (A) - Agree on the toss. Tough place to play but Pittman is floundering. He's either gonna sink or swim this year. KJ being back won't be a picnic. 50/50
Auburn (A) - Agree they will be better but there team is going to put ALOT of emotion into the Ole Piss, Bama and UGA game. Freeze will put 150% into Auburn's rivals and not as much into MSU week. even if Auburn has the better record frequently under Freezus I think we will be no worse than 500 against them while he is there
Kentucky (H) -Most pivotal game of the season. Have to win this one at home. W
Texas A&M (A) - Yes we have owned them as of late so I can't understand why you insists this is a loss. At worse a toss L
Southern Miss (H) - W
Ole Piss (H) - Until there coach puts more emphasis on building a team not through the portal they will be gassed by the time they play us I feel very confident this will be a win

You could talk me into a few of my original Ws being tosses, but splitting those should still have us expecting an above average and potentially great year

1) big assumption to assume USC will lstart slow just cause they did last year... but also assuming our new offense will be able to move the ball on the road week 4. It's a toss for me.

2) Kentucky has proven to be a 50/50 game for 7-8 seasons now. Just cause we NEED the win doesn't mean you get to call it a W.

3) OM is the definition of 50/50. Doesn't matter record, momentum, or talent. Either team can win it.

[viverlibre]

Draftkings has us at 6.5 - I would take that over

Cocnur! I'm loading the wagon on the over. Also, USCe is at 6.5, I'll take that over too.

[GoDawgz]

Bo Bounds and Matrix Man dumped a bucket of cold water on our season this morning. They think 6-6 is the most likely outcome. Going 8-4 would be HUGE and prove Arnett is going to be a good one.

Well.... if Bo said it.... then it must be a lock. <<< (Insert sarcasm here)... pandering, pot stirring hack thinks he knows everything.
He only trys to generate interest in his 'yall lifestyle" :rolleyes:

[DeltaSwamp]

1) big assumption to assume USC will lstart slow just cause they did last year... but also assuming our new offense will be able to move the ball on the road week 4. It's a toss for me.

2) Kentucky has proven to be a 50/50 game for 7-8 seasons now. Just cause we NEED the win doesn't mean you get to call it a W.

3) OM is the definition of 50/50. Doesn't matter record, momentum, or talent. Either team can win it.

1. fine if we call it a toss. I think we will win but fine with calling it a toss
2. give me the experienced qb at home over the new one every single time
3. hard disagree

[HancockCountyDog]

There is only one game on our schedule that is a sure loss and that is Bama at home - and to be honest, I'm not ready to call that one yet. We will have an advantage at QB and I think our front seven could be extremely salty with all the seniors we have on the team.

[TrapGame]

Well.... if Bo said it.... then it must be a lock. <<< (Insert sarcasm here)... pandering, pot stirring hack thinks he knows everything.
He only trys to generate interest in his 'yall lifestyle" :rolleyes:

Well, Bo did take Freeze's slobber covered dick out of his mouth long enough to make this prediction. He thinks Freeze is going 10-2 and beating Bama in the IB.

[GoDawgz]

Well, Bo did take Freeze's slobber covered dick out of his mouth long enough to make this prediction. He thinks Freeze is going 10-2 and beating Bama in the IB.

he does love him some freezer! does he still talk about Shea Patterson? I haven't listened to his show for years.

[TrapGame]

he does love him some freezer! does he still talk about Shea Patterson? I haven't listened to his show for years.

I pop over there in the morning to see what the topic is or who the guest happens to be. If he's going on and on about his travels, bourbon, cigars, business acumen or anything like that, I change it to something else.

But he absolutely loves him some Freezus. Thinks he's the Saban Killer and will eventually dominate SEC football. He actually said Freeze will be the reason Saban retires in the next few years.

[BoomBoom]

You realize we're asking Will and the OL and the WRs to do things they have never done? the OL was trained to pass block, WRs to run to space vs a zone, Will to throw to grass. Hell, we didn't have a TE on the roster 6 months ago. We have all new coaches working together for the first time.

Defense should be good from the start. Special teams should be fine. Team culture I expect to be good. But the offense will have growing pains. LSU and USC are losses unless the offense is much better than it has any right to be in games 3 and 4. Hell, its entirely possible the offense is a train wreck vs Arizona. I still have that as W but crazier things have happened than such a new offense not working at all in game 2 vs a P5 team.

I got us 7-5. Those last 5 SEC games are not wins, they are tossups that lean us. We will loose 2 of them.

A WR (or even better two) that can consistently get open in one on one coverage, and a QB that can hit him, opens up everything. "New" offense, coaches, whatever, that all takes backseat to whether someone has the ability to get open and make the catch.

Defense is the opposite. If you have a single weakness, it will be exploited in this conference. A team has a much higher ceiling if the D is all around good.

[PMDawg]

8-4 is the benchmark. LSU at home in week 3 is the early barometer. We win that I can easily see 9-3. Lose it and I can see 6 or 7.

LSU will be in the NC conversation next year. That's a near guaranteed loss.

[TrapGame]

A WR (or even better two) that can consistently get open in one on one coverage, and a QB that can hit him, opens up everything. "New" offense, coaches, whatever, that all takes backseat to whether someone has the ability to get open and make the catch.

Defense is the opposite. If you have a single weakness, it will be exploited in this conference. A team has a much higher ceiling if the D is all around good.

Exactly.

We are going back to an offense that most of these guys played a version of in high school. The weight is off Will's shoulders to consistently find the open receiver. Will is a very accurate passer. If we have a solid run game forcing defenses to go more man coverage Will can pick off a thin backside. If the defense plays above average while the offense is just average we can reach 8-4.

[HancockCountyDog]

Exactly.

We are going back to an offense that most of these guys played a version of in high school. The weight is off Will's shoulders to consistently find the open receiver. Will is a very accurate passer. If we have a solid run game forcing defenses to go more man coverage Will can pick off a thin backside. If the defense plays above average while the offense is just average we can reach 8-4.

My only concern about the transition for Will is that he will play in a more traditional pocket and won't have quick almost 1-2 second reads. I thought Will got in trouble when he had to sit in the pocket for 4-6 seconds to find a WR. Now that is not unique to Willi, but his lack of mobility could be a problem at times.

[viverlibre]

My only concern about the transition for Will is that he will play in a more traditional pocket and won't have quick almost 1-2 second reads. I thought Will got in trouble when he had to sit in the pocket for 4-6 seconds to find a WR. Now that is not unique to Willi, but his lack of mobility could be a problem at times.

I understand these concerns. I think Will will do better than expected. This offense will hopefully take some pressure off him.

[SpaceWranglerDawg]

Southeastern Louisiana (H) - W
Arizona(H) - W
LSU (H) - L
South Carolina (away) - L
Alabama (H) - L
Western Michigan (H) - W
Arkansas (A) - W
Auburn (A) - L
Kentucky (H) -W
Texas A&M (A) - L
Southern Miss (H) - W
Ole Miss (H) - L

Unfortunately, I think we're staring down a 6-6 season. Could flip to a few more wins if we can beat a few of the toss ups.

Jimbo always has a chance to beat himself, but I think they win this year against us.

Absolute ceiling is 8 wins. Floor is 5 IMO.

[HancockCountyDog]

I understand these concerns. I think Will will do better than expected. This offense will hopefully take some pressure off him.

He is a damn good QB and taken for granted by a lot of our fanbase. I think he has a year where he throws for like 25 TD's and less than 5 interceptions.

[HancockCountyDog]

Southeastern Louisiana (H) - W
Arizona(H) - W
LSU (H) - L
South Carolina (away) - L
Alabama (H) - L
Western Michigan (H) - W
Arkansas (A) - W
Auburn (A) - L
Kentucky (H) -W
Texas A&M (A) - L
Southern Miss (H) - W
Ole Miss (H) - L

Unfortunately, I think we're staring down a 6-6 season. Could flip to a few more wins if we can beat a few of the toss ups.

Jimbo always has a chance to beat himself, but I think they win this year against us.

Absolute ceiling is 8 wins. Floor is 5 IMO.

Thinking that the AU game is a loss is mind boggling. Freezus is already telling his new flock to be patient. That is code for "we are going to suck balls".

[Jarius]

LSU will be in the NC conversation next year. That's a near guaranteed loss.

LSU lost 4 games last year, including one to terrible A&M late in the year. They are nowhere near a guaranteed loss. We should have beaten them last year on the road without our best DL on the field.

[HancockCountyDog]

LSU lost 4 games last year, including one to terrible A&M late in the year. They are nowhere near a guaranteed loss. We should have beaten them last year on the road without our best DL on the field.

I think LSU will be the 2nd best team we play and by season's end they may be the best. They are loaded on the DL, have great WR and I think one of the top QB's in the conference. That game will be tough. I wish we had them later in the year so our offense had time to gel.

[TrapGame]

My only concern about the transition for Will is that he will play in a more traditional pocket and won't have quick almost 1-2 second reads. I thought Will got in trouble when he had to sit in the pocket for 4-6 seconds to find a WR. Now that is not unique to Willi, but his lack of mobility could be a problem at times.

A running game will help that out. Defenses knew we were not going to try and run it on them every other down. Defenses also started doing a lot of delayed LB blitzes on Will too. Will isn't going to see a lot of heavy zone now either. I really believe the problem with Will was just the Air Raid offense in general. Leach was putting a lot on his shoulders.

[HancockCountyDog]

A running game will help that out. Defenses knew we were not going to try and run it on them every other down. Defenses also started doing a lot of delayed LB blitzes on Will too. Will isn't going to see a lot of heavy zone now either. I really believe the problem with Will was just the Air Raid offense in general. Leach was putting a lot on his shoulders.

My only concern about the run game is that it is going to take some time to get our OL used to running the damn ball. I think it is easier than transitioning to passing the ball non-stop, but still it will be a transition.

[Jarius]

I think LSU will be the 2nd best team we play and by season's end they may be the best. They are loaded on the DL, have great WR and I think one of the top QB's in the conference. That game will be tough. I wish we had them later in the year so our offense had time to gel.

I think they are the second best team we play as well. They are still extremely beatable though, unless they have improved dramatically. The West is very balanced this year.

[SpaceWranglerDawg]

Thinking that the AU game is a loss is mind boggling. Freezus is already telling his new flock to be patient. That is code for "we are going to suck balls".

I sort of have that same line of thought, just wasn't confident enough to put it as a W yet. If we played them early, before they get a chance to figure things out, I think it's a for sure win. But with the roller coaster of last year, it being away and it being later in the year, I currently think it's an L. Hope I'm wrong. So many current unknowns, it's all a guessing game at this point. Freeze is a good coach. I think it could go either way.

[confucius say]

LSU lost 4 games last year, including one to terrible A&M late in the year. They are nowhere near a guaranteed loss. We should have beaten them last year on the road without our best DL on the field.

They also sucked on the road last year. Lost to 5-7 Aggie, barely beat 6-6 ark, barely beat 5-7 auburn, struggled with 6-6 Florida. I'd pick lsu, but it's not a guaranteed loss for us.

I say we go 7-5.

[TrapGame]

My only concern about the run game is that it is going to take some time to get our OL used to running the damn ball. I think it is easier than transitioning to passing the ball non-stop, but still it will be a transition.

It's not going to be that hard. It was harder teacher our OL to pass block for the Air Raid. This is back to basic fundamental football with regular splits and traditional sets. This is stuff most of these guys ran in high school. It's not going to be this massive transition. My prediction is we see a pretty big jump in offensive proficiency after the first couple of games, more so than with the Air Raid.

[Jarius]

I sort of have that same line of thought, just wasn't confident enough to put it as a W yet. If we played them early, before they get a chance to figure things out, I think it's a for sure win. But with the roller coaster of last year, it being away and it being later in the year, I currently think it's an L. Hope I'm wrong. So many current unknowns, it's all a guessing game at this point. Freeze is a good coach. I think it could go either way.

Auburn's quarterback hasn't even gotten to campus yet. Didn't go through the spring. He's also just an above average guy in normal situations. For all of the talk about our new scheme, Auburn is also changing schemes. Last I checked, OM wasn't some juggernaut in Freeze's first year at OM, and they had their quarterback all spring.

[the_real_MSU_is_us]

I agree the offense has potential, and I think it's right to say that it's mostly depended on the OL being able to run block.

I'm saying I think it's likely we won't be anywhere near that potential till late in the season. Remember 2016? First year of Fitz? We had an O that was doing exactly what they had always done, but that O took time to get going because the QBs hadn't settled in. 1 position woth a new player made the offense struggle early. Well, now we've got 11 players being asked to do something new to a degree. I can't believe they'll all be clicking immediately

[TrapGame]

I agree the offense has potential, and I think it's right to say that it's mostly depended on the OL being able to run block.

I'm saying I think it's likely we won't be anywhere near that potential till late in the season. Remember 2016? First year of Fitz? We had an O that was doing exactly what they had always done, but that O took time to get going because the QBs hadn't settled in. 1 position woth a new player made the offense struggle early. Well, now we've got 11 players being asked to do something new to a degree. I can't believe they'll all be clicking immediately

You mean the year Peter Sirmon used Swiss Cheese as a defensive scheme? We got in a shoot out with both Kentucky and BYU. Just an average defense that year and we win 8 games easy.

Transitioning to Barbay's offense is going to be a lot easier than transitioning to Leach's. Barbay isn't trying to reinvent the wheel.

[the_real_MSU_is_us]

You mean the year Peter Sirmon used Swiss Cheese as a defensive scheme? We got in a shoot out with both Kentucky and BYU. Just an average defense that year and we win 8 games easy.

Transitioning to Barbay's offense is going to be a lot easier than transitioning to Leach's. Barbay isn't trying to reinvent the wheel.

I'm aware that Peter sirmon was the biggest problem of that team. But I'm talking offense. They didn't really put it together till the 2nd half:

20 vs USA
27 vs USC
20 vs LSU
47 vs UMass
14 vs Auburn
21 vs BYU (OT)

After that we turned it on:

38 vs Kentucky
56 vs Samford
35 vs A&M
3 vs Bama
42 vs Arky
55 vs OM

Let's remove the FCS and Bama blowouts to get a good look at peer competition. The first half of the season we averaged 20.4 ppg. The 2nd half we averaged 42.5 ppg.

[TrapGame]

I'm aware that Peter sirmon was the biggest problem of that team. But I'm talking offense. They didn't really put it together till the 2nd half:

20 vs USA
27 vs USC
20 vs LSU
47 vs UMass
14 vs Auburn
21 vs BYU (OT)

After that we turned it on:

38 vs Kentucky
56 vs Samford
35 vs A&M
3 vs Bama
42 vs Arky
55 vs OM

Let's remove the FCS and Bama blowouts to get a good look at peer competition. The first half of the season we averaged 20.4 ppg. The 2nd half we averaged 42.5 ppg.

But having a defense with a pulse we don't need to average 42.5 a game. And, hell, that 42.5 a game was b/c our defense was running around clueless. We had to keep scoring.

[SpaceWranglerDawg]

Auburn's quarterback hasn't even gotten to campus yet. Didn't go through the spring. He's also just an above average guy in normal situations. For all of the talk about our new scheme, Auburn is also changing schemes. Last I checked, OM wasn't some juggernaut in Freeze's first year at OM, and they had their quarterback all spring.

He beat us.

[BuckyIsAB****]

He beat us.

Last time Rev. Bucky played us we thrashed him and sent him to coaching rehab

[Jarius]

He beat us.

That doesn’t change what his offense was in year 1. Just decent. He’s not some damn coaching genius but our fans act scared to death of his goofy ass. He’s had 2 good seasons in 5 years of FBS football. He went 5-7 and got boatraced the last time we faced him. No one in this conference is scared of Hugh Freeze, particularly in year 1. They don’t have the talent they need to scare anyone.

[msu15]

Last time Rev. Bucky played us we thrashed him and sent him to coaching rehab

His reply was to a comment about how Ole Miss wasn't a juggernaut in 2012 and he correctly pointed out that they kicked our ass that year.

[Jarius]

His reply was to a comment about how Ole Miss wasn't a juggernaut in 2012 and he correctly pointed out that they kicked our ass that year.

And that doesn’t change that his team went 6-6 and to the Birmingham Bowl. They weren’t very good. Our 2012 team wasn’t either. If we play to our potential with this 2023 team we will beat Auburn this year, just like we have the past 2 years. They are not going to be very good in 2023. If they beat us it will say a lot more about us than it does them.

[BuckyIsAB****]

His reply was to a comment about how Ole Miss wasn't a juggernaut in 2012 and he correctly pointed out that they kicked our ass that year.

I understand that

[TrapGame]

And that doesn’t change that his team went 6-6 and to the Birmingham Bowl. They weren’t very good. Our 2012 team wasn’t either. If we play to our potential with this 2023 team we will beat Auburn this year, just like we have the past 2 years. They are not going to be very good in 2023. If they beat us it will say a lot more about us than it does them.

And let us not forget the late season pimping of Dan Mullen. I believe Dan was pimping himself to UConn that November.

[sandjunky]

As I said- this should be an 8-9 win team this Fall

So what say you when we go 4-8 this year?

[Captain Falcon]

Mike not returning improves this team by 1 win

Good gosh man, kind of a cruel thing to say given the circumstances.

Also no idea how one can confidently say that given what Leach?s track record of success over 20 years was and now we are operating with a first time, 36 year old head coach. I like Arnett but he has proven absolutely nothing so far. Leach was not perfect but there was a bare minimum standard you felt like you could trust him to meet.

[PikeDawg15]

8-4 is the benchmark. LSU at home in week 3 is the early barometer. We win that I can easily see 9-3. Lose it and I can see 6 or 7.

Ehhh?.

The barometer for me is @ South Carolina the next week

I?m very high on LSU this year, I think they repeat as West division champs.

Our team this year imo is a 8-4 team maybe 9-3 if we can win @ South Carolina

If we beat LSU in week 3 I?m going to buy tickets to the SEC championship game.

[PikeDawg15]

So what say you when we go 4-8 this year?

We won?t go 4-8. Mark it down. The defense is too good. And at the very least the offense will be the same as last year in terms of ppg.

[TrapGame]

Ehhh?.

The barometer for me is @ South Carolina the next week

I?m very high on LSU this year, I think they repeat as West division champs.

Our team this year imo is a 8-4 team maybe 9-3 if we can win @ South Carolina

If we beat LSU in week 3 I?m going to buy tickets to the SEC championship game.

Yeah, I agree on the South Carolina barometer. LSU and Bama are well out of our league. If Arnett can keep us competitive in those games that's a win for us. But, going on the road and beating Beamer would be a nice feather in the cap for a first year head coach. We will have the better defense for sure in that match up.

[PMDawg]

LSU lost 4 games last year, including one to terrible A&M late in the year. They are nowhere near a guaranteed loss. We should have beaten them last year on the road without our best DL on the field.

Well, I said "near guaranteed loss". But if you're playing the game of marking "W" "L" or "toss up" on our schedule, they don't fit under "W" or "toss up". That's about an 80% "L". Could we beat them? Sure. But they're the better team, by far. If you had to put a year's salary on the outcome of the game, I think you would have to pick them. They'll be a double digit favorite, I suspect.

ETA: FPI is out. Not that it's that great or anything, but it's a data point.
Alabama Crimson Tide – FPI: 28.2, Record: 11.1-1.6
Georgia Bulldogs – FPI: 27.4, Record: 11.7-1.2
LSU Tigers – FPI: 22.1, Record 9.6-2.6
Tennessee Volunteers – FPI: 15.2, Record: 8.2-3.9
Ole Miss Rebels – FPI: 13.4, Record: 7.6-4.4
Florida Gators – FPI: 12.7, Record: 6.8-5.2
Texas A&M Aggies – FPI: 12.7, Record: 7.5-4.5
Kentucky Wildcats – FPI: 9.7, Record: 7.2-4.9
Arkansas Razorbacks – FPI: 9.0, Record: 6.8-5.2
Mississippi State Bulldogs – FPI: 7.8, Record: 6.3-5.7
Auburn Tigers – FPI: 6.9, Record: 5.8-6.2
Missouri Tigers – FPI: 6.4, Record: 6.0-6.0
South Carolina Gamecocks – FPI: 5.6, Record: 5.5-6.5
Vanderbilt Commodores -FPI: -2.8, Record: 4.0-8.0

[PikeDawg15]

Well, I said "near guaranteed loss". But if you're playing the game of marking "W" "L" or "toss up" on our schedule, they don't fit under "W" or "toss up". That's about an 80% "L". Could we beat them? Sure. But they're the better team, by far. If you had to put a year's salary on the outcome of the game, I think you would have to pick them. They'll be a double digit favorite, I suspect.

ETA: FPI is out. Not that it's that great or anything, but it's a data point.
Alabama Crimson Tide – FPI: 28.2, Record: 11.1-1.6
Georgia Bulldogs – FPI: 27.4, Record: 11.7-1.2
LSU Tigers – FPI: 22.1, Record 9.6-2.6
Tennessee Volunteers – FPI: 15.2, Record: 8.2-3.9
Ole Miss Rebels – FPI: 13.4, Record: 7.6-4.4
Florida Gators – FPI: 12.7, Record: 6.8-5.2
Texas A&M Aggies – FPI: 12.7, Record: 7.5-4.5
Kentucky Wildcats – FPI: 9.7, Record: 7.2-4.9
Arkansas Razorbacks – FPI: 9.0, Record: 6.8-5.2
Mississippi State Bulldogs – FPI: 7.8, Record: 6.3-5.7
Auburn Tigers – FPI: 6.9, Record: 5.8-6.2
Missouri Tigers – FPI: 6.4, Record: 6.0-6.0
South Carolina Gamecocks – FPI: 5.6, Record: 5.5-6.5
Vanderbilt Commodores -FPI: -2.8, Record: 4.0-8.0

I still don?t believe there?s a for sure loss on our schedule this year. Mainly because we get bama and lsu at home this year even tho I would say it?s above 90% chance we lose to both of them by double digits.

I wish we could have swapped those 2 home games for 2 home games against South Carolina and auburn

[PikeDawg15]

I think Texas A&M will be slightly improved and Arkansas will be very similar to last season, if not slightly worse.

Arkansas losing Kendall briles is going to hurt them badly. Also losing Barry odom will hurt badly and they tried to blame the defense all on him last year but Arkansas recruiting the past few years hasn?t been focused on defensive players. Pretty sure they had 3 walk ons playing majority of snaps last season on defense

[BigDawg81]

Mike not returning improves this team by 1 win This team is a 9-10 win with Leach

[BigDawg81]

Schedule really sets up nice. South carolina got hot late but started slow and I expect the same this year. A lot of big games at home could be a special year.

9 should be the expectation

Southeastern Louisiana (H) - W
Arizona(H) - W
LSU (H) - Toss
South Carolina (away) - W
Alabama (H) - L until we beat them
Western Michigan (H) - W
Arkansas (A) - Toss Id say a win but toss since its away
Auburn (A) - W
Kentucky (H) -W
Texas A&M (A) - W until Jumbo leaves
Southern Miss (H) - W
Ole Piss (H) - W
SELA - W
Zona - W
LSU - L
SC - Toss( today , I will call it a win)
Bama - L
WM- W
Arkansas - Toss ( I have no clue)
Auburn - W
Kentucky - W
Texas A&M - Toss ( I?m calling a win. We have their number)
Southern Miss -Win
Ole Miss - Toss ( I?m calling a win)

[Jarius]

Yeah, I agree on the South Carolina barometer. LSU and Bama are well out of our league. If Arnett can keep us competitive in those games that's a win for us. But, going on the road and beating Beamer would be a nice feather in the cap for a first year head coach. We will have the better defense for sure in that match up.

LSU is not out of our league. We had them on the ropes last year on the road. They barely beat a really bad Auburn and Florida team and got their asses kicked by a horrible A&M team, along with losing to Tennessee by almost 30 points. They will be favored to beat us but that’s going to be a really good football game that could go either way, as it has been for a decade now.

[Jarius]

Well, I said "near guaranteed loss". But if you're playing the game of marking "W" "L" or "toss up" on our schedule, they don't fit under "W" or "toss up". That's about an 80% "L". Could we beat them? Sure. But they're the better team, by far. If you had to put a year's salary on the outcome of the game, I think you would have to pick them. They'll be a double digit favorite, I suspect.

ETA: FPI is out. Not that it's that great or anything, but it's a data point.
Alabama Crimson Tide – FPI: 28.2, Record: 11.1-1.6
Georgia Bulldogs – FPI: 27.4, Record: 11.7-1.2
LSU Tigers – FPI: 22.1, Record 9.6-2.6
Tennessee Volunteers – FPI: 15.2, Record: 8.2-3.9
Ole Miss Rebels – FPI: 13.4, Record: 7.6-4.4
Florida Gators – FPI: 12.7, Record: 6.8-5.2
Texas A&M Aggies – FPI: 12.7, Record: 7.5-4.5
Kentucky Wildcats – FPI: 9.7, Record: 7.2-4.9
Arkansas Razorbacks – FPI: 9.0, Record: 6.8-5.2
Mississippi State Bulldogs – FPI: 7.8, Record: 6.3-5.7
Auburn Tigers – FPI: 6.9, Record: 5.8-6.2
Missouri Tigers – FPI: 6.4, Record: 6.0-6.0
South Carolina Gamecocks – FPI: 5.6, Record: 5.5-6.5
Vanderbilt Commodores -FPI: -2.8, Record: 4.0-8.0


LSU at home is closer to a tossup than a guaranteed loss. They were not some overpowering force last year.

[TrapGame]

LSU is not out of our league. We had them on the ropes last year on the road. They barely beat a really bad Auburn and Florida team and got their asses kicked by a horrible A&M team, along with losing to Tennessee by almost 30 points. They will be favored to beat us but that’s going to be a really good football game that could go either way, as it has been for a decade now.

They will be better this year. That was Brian Kelly's first year. They out recruit us by a mile. We could pull it out but I highly doubt it. But it would be so MSU to thump LSU one Saturday and then go to USC the next and get murdered by Shane Beamer.

[Cowbell]

They will be better this year. That was Brian Kelly's first year. They out recruit us by a mile. We could pull it out but I highly doubt it. But it would be so MSU to thump LSU one Saturday and then go to USC the next and get murdered by Shane Beamer.

They have out recruited us forever and so has A&M but ask Jimbo how that paper tiger has worked out...

[Cowbell]

LSU at home is closer to a tossup than a guaranteed loss. They were not some overpowering force last year.

The logo on the helmet instills more fear in fans than it does players

[viverlibre]

LSU is not out of our league. We had them on the ropes last year on the road. They barely beat a really bad Auburn and Florida team and got their asses kicked by a horrible A&M team, along with losing to Tennessee by almost 30 points. They will be favored to beat us but that’s going to be a really good football game that could go either way, as it has been for a decade now.

They are out of league. They have a top 5 coach and a ton of momentum. We have a first year coach and new offensive philosophy. It will take some game action to get our new offense down pat. Plus they "out talent" us by a mile (they 4th in the SEC and we are 12th). Talent doesn't mean everything (we punch way over our head in this area), but add talent to a good coach and more turning starters and you have the situation we are faced with. We have a chance, but when counting wins and losses before the season, you count that as a loss. We only have two high probability losses, which is pretty good.

[PMDawg]

LSU at home is closer to a tossup than a guaranteed loss. They were not some overpowering force last year.

Should be fairly obvious that we're not playing last year's LSU team. They played a lot of young guys on the OL, and got better as the year went on. Their QB got better too. Yes, they lost to A&M, but that's become quite a rivalry game. It's kind of like the Egg Bowl - throw the records and expectations out. That outcome doesn't color my outlook.

Of course I can't guarantee the outcome of that game. But, LSU will (as usual) finish ahead of us in the SECW standings, and they will be favored against us. Their O/U for the season, per Vegas, is 9.5 wins. Ours is 6.5. They'll be a heavy favorite unless something crazy happens between now and then. But, hey, NCAAF can be totally unpredictable. Perhaps they end up being an overrated team that falls flat on their face. I'm willing to accept that I could be wrong on this. Personally, I don't think that's the barometer game because I think it's the 2nd hardest game on our schedule. But, if that's your barometer game, so be it.

[PMDawg]

They are out of league. They have a top 5 coach and a ton of momentum. We have a first year coach and new offensive philosophy. It will take some game action to get our new offense down pat. Plus they "out talent" us by a mile (they 4th in the SEC and we are 12th). Talent doesn't mean everything (we punch way over our head in this area), but add talent to a good coach and more turning starters and you have the situation we are faced with. We have a chance, but when counting wins and losses before the season, you count that as a loss. We only have two high probability losses, which is pretty good.

^^^^This^^^^

[Cooterpoot]

The only guaranteed loss is Alabama. Our sacks shrink up at the sight of them.
We can win any of the others. I still say we win 8 or 9 this year if the offense comes along.

[Activated Alpha]

LSU is not out of our league. We had them on the ropes last year on the road. They barely beat a really bad Auburn and Florida team and got their asses kicked by a horrible A&M team, along with losing to Tennessee by almost 30 points. They will be favored to beat us but that?s going to be a really good football game that could go either way, as it has been for a decade now.

I seem to remember that we also barely beat a very bad, disorganized, Cadillac williams led Auburn team. They also beat Alabama who beat us soundly. Over the past decade it has been a toss up, but what is our w/l against them over the last ten years?

[Offshore Dawg]

LSU has a running QB and the Dawgs can't catch a running QB. Proved that all last year.

[Jarius]

They will be better this year. That was Brian Kelly's first year. They out recruit us by a mile. We could pull it out but I highly doubt it. But it would be so MSU to thump LSU one Saturday and then go to USC the next and get murdered by Shane Beamer.

We will be better on defense this year and our offense changing styles is not going to make that much of a difference because it was very mediocre last year. We have them at home. It’s not going to be a huge surprise to beat a team that lost 4 games last year at home.

[Jarius]

I seem to remember that we also barely beat a very bad, disorganized, Cadillac williams led Auburn team. They also beat Alabama who beat us soundly. Over the past decade it has been a toss up, but what is our w/l against them over the last ten years?

I seem to remember us beating the shit out of a bad Texas A&M team that stomped a mud hole in their ass last year. I seem to remember them barely beating that same auburn team. I seem to remember them barely beating a bad Florida team. I seem to remember them barely beating a bad Arkansas team. I seem to remember them getting boatraced by Tennessee. We are 3-7 the past ten years. We aren’t going to be favored, but it’s not going to be that big of an upset if we beat them. They are just ok offensively.

[Jarius]

They are out of league. They have a top 5 coach and a ton of momentum. We have a first year coach and new offensive philosophy. It will take some game action to get our new offense down pat. Plus they "out talent" us by a mile (they 4th in the SEC and we are 12th). Talent doesn't mean everything (we punch way over our head in this area), but add talent to a good coach and more turning starters and you have the situation we are faced with. We have a chance, but when counting wins and losses before the season, you count that as a loss. We only have two high probability losses, which is pretty good.

They are not out of our league on the field of play. We had a 1 game difference in record last year and we return a ton just like they do and get them at home. They don’t have a ton of momentum. They lost 4 games. That’s not good by LSU standards. They took advantage of the SEC West when it was down and Alabama was not normal Alabama and then proceeded to get murdered every time they played a good sec opponent outside Alabama. The game will be very close. I think a lot of you are just looking at the fact that they won the West and beat Alabama without adding in the context of how they played the rest of the year against common opponents, along with the fact that Alabama wasn’t normal Alabama last year. Yea, Alabama boatraced us last year and will this year too because we piss our pants every time we see their uniform on the field with us, but they could have easily been 8-4 last year.

[Coach34]

This team is a 9-10 win with Leach

We will be better offensively in 2023 than we were in 2022

[PikeDawg15]

We will be better offensively in 2023 than we were in 2022

It shouldn?t take too much to achieve that. Last year was really bad

[Coach34]

It shouldn?t take too much to achieve that. Last year was really bad

agree completely

[Cowbell]

LSU has a running QB and the Dawgs can't catch a running QB. Proved that all last year.

Our speed on defense will be our #1 improvement

[R2Dawg]

LSU is not out of our league. We had them on the ropes last year on the road. They barely beat a really bad Auburn and Florida team and got their asses kicked by a horrible A&M team, along with losing to Tennessee by almost 30 points. They will be favored to beat us but that?s going to be a really good football game that could go either way, as it has been for a decade now.

Agree LSU at DWS is not a game we can't win. The helmet worship is nauseating. Leach said so too. I big time competitor doesn't look at any game that way either. I don't think CZA is chalking up a loss either.

[Coach34]

Agree LSU at DWS is not a game we can't win. The helmet worship is nauseating. Leach said so too. I big time competitor doesn't look at any game that way either. I don't think CZA is chalking up a loss either.

Probably ends up a heart-breaking loss ala 2015

[THE Bruce Dickinson]

We will be better offensively in 2023 than we were in 2022

No we won't

[msu15]

No we won't

We absolutely will. We averaged about 32 ppg last year and we'll be around 35 this year if not higher.

[THE Bruce Dickinson]

We absolutely will. We averaged about 32 ppg last year and we'll be around 35 this year if not higher.

K

[THE Bruce Dickinson]

We absolutely will. We averaged about 32 ppg last year and we'll be around 35 this year if not higher.

I seem to remember this crowd talking about how Moorhead was going to revolutionize the offense too.

[SpaceWranglerDawg]

I seem to remember this crowd talking about how Moorhead was going to revolutionize the offense too.

You know the optimism that shows up around here with a new coach...and i'm on team Arnett. I think he can do a great job. But some of this offensive optimism is something I hope a lot of yall are right about.

[THE Bruce Dickinson]

You know the optimism that shows up around here with a new coach...and i'm on team Arnett. I think he can do a great job. But some of this offensive optimism is something I hope a lot of yall are right about.

I hope so too, but changing a complete offensive scheme with 4 years of players not brought here to run the ball 35 times a game makes me have doubts.

[Coach34]

No we won't

Why not? We have a veteran offense with a vet QB. We'll be more balanced which will certainly help and keep DC's guessing.

[CaptainObvious]

Why not? We have a veteran offense with a vet QB. We'll be more balanced which will certainly help and keep DC's guessing.

They were guessing last year. Which 5 yard hitch do we cover guys. 😂😂😂😂

[THE Bruce Dickinson]

Why not? We have a veteran offense with a vet QB. We'll be more balanced which will certainly help and keep DC's guessing.

QB running a complete new system, OL that has never been relied upon to run block, and a first time inexperienced head coach. Defense will keep us in games but we wont win because we wont score. Fitz was awesome in Jomo's RPO first year amiright?

[Todd4State]

You know the optimism that shows up around here with a new coach...and i'm on team Arnett. I think he can do a great job. But some of this offensive optimism is something I hope a lot of yall are right about.

You weren't fired up by the 17 point explosion in the spring game?**

[R2Dawg]

QB running a complete new system, OL that has never been relied upon to run block, and a first time inexperienced head coach. Defense will keep us in games but we wont win because we wont score. Fitz was awesome in Jomo's RPO first year amiright?

He was when we ran the ball.

[R2Dawg]

You weren't fired up by the 17 point explosion in the spring game?**

And if the O had scored 40 then chicken little sky falling on D. You can't judge anything on spring game unless it is scoreless ala Croom.

We were vanilla in spring but showed some different run looks. They showed they know who our playmakers are and they are going to get the ball.

Also the new RBs looked good. OL looked better than expected.

But a lot of guys were out too so who knows.

I'm looking for a big year myself even with a first year HC but team full of seniors and talent.

[TrapGame]

And if the O had scored 40 then chicken little sky falling on D. You can't judge anything on spring game unless it is scoreless ala Croom.

We were vanilla in spring but showed some different run looks. They showed they know who our playmakers are and they are going to get the ball.

Also the new RBs looked good. OL looked better than expected.

But a lot of guys were out too so who knows.

I'm looking for a big year myself even with a first year HC but team full of seniors and talent.

Bingo.

Spring games are for the coaches, not the fans. That offense and defense were so vanilla you could have called one Breyers and the other Blue Bell.

We are actually going to have a ground game this season. I know it totally scares the piss out of some people that we may be actually good at running the ball, but it takes a load off the QB's shoulders.

And I really do not understand this unwarranted fear, or assumption, that somehow the OL are a bunch of morons that can't pick up fundamental run/block schemes. Getting these guys to learn Leach's OL for the Air Raid was tougher.

[Coach34]

QB running a complete new system, OL that has never been relied upon to run block, and a first time inexperienced head coach. Defense will keep us in games but we wont win because we wont score. Fitz was awesome in Jomo's RPO first year amiright?

How about our 1st year in Mullen's system? Wasnt he a 1st time HC as well?

[Coach34]

Bingo.

And I really do not understand this unwarranted fear, or assumption, that somehow the OL are a bunch of morons that can't pick up fundamental run/block schemes. Getting these guys to learn Leach's OL for the Air Raid was tougher.

run blocking is easier than pass-blocking. Wish our fans understood this

[Jarius]

QB running a complete new system, OL that has never been relied upon to run block, and a first time inexperienced head coach. Defense will keep us in games but we wont win because we wont score. Fitz was awesome in Jomo's RPO first year amiright?

We won 9 games last year with an offense that averaged 21 ppg of offensive production within the SEC. I’m not sure what offense you watched last year to think that a change is going to somehow make us worse than that, but Leach’s offense was on par with Moorhead’s within the SEC when you take out defensive / special team scoring that has zero to do with offense. Leach the head coach was much better than Leach the OC. As actual coaches on here have said, run blocking is much easier to transition to than pass blocking. We have 4 returning starters that have been playing football for a long time. This is not going to be an excuse that is acceptable. If our offense isn’t good it’s because we hired the wrong guy.

[BuckyIsAB****]

We won 9 games last year with an offense that averaged 21 ppg of offensive production within the SEC. I’m not sure what offense you watched last year to think that a change is going to somehow make us worse than that, but Leach’s offense was on par with Moorhead’s within the SEC when you take out defensive / special team scoring that has zero to do with offense. Leach the head coach was much better than Leach the OC. As actual coaches on here have said, run blocking is much easier to transition to than pass blocking. We have 4 returning starters that have been playing football for a long time. This is not going to be an excuse that is acceptable. If our offense isn’t good it’s because we hired the wrong guy.

If the offense isnt good its bc we are seeing 7 man boxes and cover one and we cant get open or run the ball consistently. Man takes away the pass option of RPO and 6 1/2 7 man boxes can make you take 2-3 yards and be patient. I personally think the OL will be good but not great. We have some tough kids that have played a lot of ball. RB will be the same way.

If we can run the ball we will be fine. If not idk if we are good enough outside to beat good teams. I do think Walley, Zavion, Whittemore and Tulu have a chance vs man but that was a big reason Tulu didnt do as much as we wanted, there is more to playing WR that running straight ahead really fast. Robinson/Roberson need to be able to run a fade or retrace on 3rd and 7 and win.

[BuckyIsAB****]

Adding a TE/H and some creativity to our run game is going to do wonders. So is 2nd/3rd level RPOs

[Jarius]

If the offense isnt good its bc we are seeing 7 man boxes and cover one and we cant get open or run the ball consistently. Man takes away the pass option of RPO and 6 1/2 7 man boxes can make you take 2-3 yards and be patient. I personally think the OL will be good but not great. We have some tough kids that have played a lot of ball. RB will be the same way.

If we can run the ball we will be fine. If not idk if we are good enough outside to beat good teams. I do think Walley, Zavion, Whittemore and Tulu have a chance vs man but that was a big reason Tulu didnt do as much as we wanted, there is more to playing WR that running straight ahead really fast. Robinson/Roberson need to be able to run a fade or retrace on 3rd and 7 and win.

Tulu being put in the slot is going to be a big difference. I have been a big Will critic, but I believe he is perfect for this offense. There was too much on his plate in the air raid and I like the OL. The running game is going to make his job much easier. When we ran the ball last year Will was fantastic. It will be the same with this offense.

[BuckyIsAB****]

Tulu being put in the slot is going to be a big difference. I have been a big Will critic, but I believe he is perfect for this offense. There was too much on his plate in the air raid and I like the OL. The running game is going to make his job much easier. When we ran the ball last year Will was fantastic. It will be the same with this offense.

Tulu made the play of the year on the fumble in the Egg. I like him and he has been good for us, but im not sure he will ever be a true WR that knows how to beat man or sit down when he needs to. Again im not down on him but this is a huge year for him to show he can do it. He has made some big plays good and bad. Needs to be consistent. Needs to be more than a speed sweep and returner. Leach didnt not use him on purpose

[Offshore Dawg]

It will be interesting too se at the end of football season who comes back and eats CROW based on all the predictions of doom and gloom in both directions !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! more or less passing and more and less running.

[viverlibre]

run blocking is easier than pass-blocking. Wish our fans understood this

I think most understand this, but blowing the DL off the ball to open a gap, or OL having the speed to pull around the end or get downfield is what will make the difference. As long as we run an unpredictable offense, that keeps the DC guessing, we'll likely be fine. I saw the Ap State vs UNC game last year, the Ap State Offense was spectacular.

[THE Bruce Dickinson]

How about our 1st year in Mullen's system? Wasnt he a 1st time HC as well?

That year we went 5-7? Yes I believe he was.

[the_real_MSU_is_us]

We have a talented, veteran team. All the unknowns -such as how well the offense will be day 1- are just that, unknown. We can argue about the difficulty of say, the OL blocking, but whether you say "it's really hard" or "its really easy", all you're doing is saying what you think is likely to happen. But it's possible they surprise us in either direction.

We have to see them play to find out the truth. I like the staff and the players so I think our ceiling is 9 wins... but we also have a lot of new stuff on offense so I could see a floor or 6-6. By guess is 7-5/8-4 with how a down to the wire game goes being the difference in the 2.

[Jarius]

That year we went 5-7? Yes I believe he was.

That offense averaged virtually the same offensive scoring output in SEC play in year 1 with nothing but Croom recruits that Leach’s offense gave us in year 3. That 2009 team also faced the #2 SOS in the country, where last year we had the #24 post season SOS.

[Coach34]

That offense averaged virtually the same offensive scoring output in SEC play in year 1 with nothing but Croom recruits that Leach’s offense gave us in year 3. That 2009 team also faced the #2 SOS in the country, where last year we had the #24 post season SOS.

Exactly

[Todd4State]

That offense averaged virtually the same offensive scoring output in SEC play in year 1 with nothing but Croom recruits that Leach’s offense gave us in year 3. That 2009 team also faced the #2 SOS in the country, where last year we had the #24 post season SOS.

What?

2009- we averaged 22.5 PPG in SEC play and 25.6 for the season.

2022- we averaged 25.4 PPG in SEC play and 31.6 for the season.

[Todd4State]

If the offense isnt good its bc we are seeing 7 man boxes and cover one and we cant get open or run the ball consistently. Man takes away the pass option of RPO and 6 1/2 7 man boxes can make you take 2-3 yards and be patient. I personally think the OL will be good but not great. We have some tough kids that have played a lot of ball. RB will be the same way.

If we can run the ball we will be fine. If not idk if we are good enough outside to beat good teams. I do think Walley, Zavion, Whittemore and Tulu have a chance vs man but that was a big reason Tulu didnt do as much as we wanted, there is more to playing WR that running straight ahead really fast. Robinson/Roberson need to be able to run a fade or retrace on 3rd and 7 and win.

Our running backs- or more or less their durability- is a bigger issue than many want to admit.

We're going to have to throw the ball to maximize the players that we currently have. If Barbay is hard headed and demands that we establish the run with this group it's simply not going to maximize our talent. The fact that we threw it more with Will in during the spring game was encouraging to me though.

But I'll be perfectly honest- I'm not worried about our offense this year. 2024 though is another matter.

People should be a little more concerned about our defense too. The secondary is a huge question mark.

[RiverCityDawg]

Our running backs- or more or less their durability- is a bigger issue than many want to admit.

We're going to have to throw the ball to maximize the players that we currently have. If Barbay is hard headed and demands that we establish the run with this group it's simply not going to maximize our talent. The fact that we threw it more with Will in during the spring game was encouraging to me though.

But I'll be perfectly honest- I'm not worried about our offense this year. 2024 though is another matter.

People should be a little more concerned about our defense too. The secondary is a huge question mark.

This is the point people are glossing over. I don't think our offense will be worse next year, but what if it's about the same or only slightly better AND our defense takes a step back? People are acting like that's not possible.

Yes, we return a lot of guys that have played, but we also lost 7 starters. Those guys were starters for a reason and I don't think the replacements for Forbes, Young and Wheat are going to be nearly as good. Maybe not for Charlton and Green either.

I like our defensive coaches and we do have some guys who have flashed that might be ready to step up, but in a league where the margin of error is VERY small, it only takes a little step back to cause another L or two, especially with more toss up games on the road this year.

The SC game is HUGE, and we need Arkansas, A&M and Auburn to be no better than last year.

I definitely think 8-4 is possible, heck maybe 9-3 if everything breaks perfectly our way, but I think 6-6 is possible as well.

[Really Clark?]

What?

2009- we averaged 22.5 PPG in SEC play and 25.6 for the season.

2022- we averaged 25.4 PPG in SEC play and 31.6 for the season.

Take away all the defensive and special team scores. Those numbers look a lot closer in SEC play in 2009 and 2022 when you do that. We lead the league in that last year.

[BuckyIsAB****]

Our running backs- or more or less their durability- is a bigger issue than many want to admit.

We're going to have to throw the ball to maximize the players that we currently have. If Barbay is hard headed and demands that we establish the run with this group it's simply not going to maximize our talent. The fact that we threw it more with Will in during the spring game was encouraging to me though.

But I'll be perfectly honest- I'm not worried about our offense this year. 2024 though is another matter.

People should be a little more concerned about our defense too. The secondary is a huge question mark.

Well we have 4 running backs. You cant carry more than 4 scholarship RBs. If they get hurt you did your part. Cant worry about that.

Corner is going to be fine. Safety could
Be a problem but not bc we dont have talent. They are way more talented now than we were in 2020. It is the hardest position to play in this defense

[confucius say]

Bingo.

Spring games are for the coaches, not the fans. That offense and defense were so vanilla you could have called one Breyers and the other Blue Bell.

We are actually going to have a ground game this season. I know it totally scares the piss out of some people that we may be actually good at running the ball, but it takes a load off the QB's shoulders.

And I really do not understand this unwarranted fear, or assumption, that somehow the OL are a bunch of morons that can't pick up fundamental run/block schemes. Getting these guys to learn Leach's OL for the Air Raid was tougher.

It's not the mental side from the OL I worry about. It's the physical side.

[Really Clark?]

Well we have 4 running backs. You cant carry more than 4 scholarship RBs. If they get hurt you did your part. Cant worry about that.

Corner is going to be fine. Safety could
Be a problem but not bc we dont have talent. They are way more talented now than we were in 2020. It is the hardest position to play in this defense

We have 5 RB's now with the transfer Lee coming in.

[Jarius]

What?

2009- we averaged 22.5 PPG in SEC play and 25.6 for the season.

2022- we averaged 25.4 PPG in SEC play and 31.6 for the season.

Yea, that's why I said offensive scoring output. Forbes returning pick 6's and Tulu running back kickoffs for touchdowns has nothing to do with the offensive scheme. Leach's offense was mediocre at best last year against virtually the entire conference. Mullen's first team was as well, but he was having to deal with Croom offensive players in year 1. OOC scoring is pretty pointless to talk about, however the 09 team faced 2 really good OOC opponents and last year we faced 4 horrible defenses. That's a huge reason for the overall scoring difference.

[confucius say]

Take away all the defensive and special team scores. Those numbers look a lot closer in SEC play in 2009 and 2022 when you do that. We lead the league in that last year.

That assumes we would not have scored on offense had the special teams or defense not scored though. Football is sequential.

[confucius say]

That offense averaged virtually the same offensive scoring output in SEC play in year 1 with nothing but Croom recruits that Leach’s offense gave us in year 3. That 2009 team also faced the #2 SOS in the country, where last year we had the #24 post season SOS.

I would take 2009 RB (nfl guy) and OL (first round tackle and guys that could run block) over what we have now for the offense we are about to run. Hopefully will can make up the difference.

[TrapGame]

It's not the mental side from the OL I worry about. It's the physical side.

With our head coach I ain't really worried about that. If our team takes on that demeanor we'll be hell to deal with.

[Jarius]

I would take 2009 RB (nfl guy) and OL (first round tackle and guys that could run block) over what we have now for the offense we are about to run. Hopefully will can make up the difference.

No offense with Tyson Lee should be better than any offense with Will Rogers, and I'm not a Will Rogers hype guy as everyone knows. That's a very large difference in the most important position on the field. Our OL has a whole bunch of older guys on it, many which were signed to play in a Moorhead scheme or have played in other balanced schemes prior to MSU. The 2023 WR room is also much better than the 09 room.

[Really Clark?]

That assumes we would not have scored on offense had the special teams or defense not scored though. Football is sequential.

You don't have to assume after the fact and with us leading the league in defensive and ST scores. We also have the facts of an offense that stalled during significant portions of games. If you go that route, then the defense also had to shoulder more than their share of possessions during games, with limited rest that effected their overall performance and stats.

[Coach34]

That assumes we would not have scored on offense had the special teams or defense not scored though. Football is sequential.

The Pick 6's and punt return TD's simply arent offense. We proved vs Kentucky and Georgia we werent going to score anymore offensively

[confucius say]

The Pick 6's and punt return TD's simply arent offense. We proved vs Kentucky and Georgia we werent going to score anymore offensively

I agree. But you can't say the same about vs Aggie or special teams giving away possessions against lsu. Plus we had non offensive td in sec games in 2009 too.

[confucius say]

You don't have to assume after the fact and with us leading the league in defensive and ST scores. We also have the facts of an offense that stalled during significant portions of games. If you go that route, then the defense also had to shoulder more than their share of possessions during games, with limited rest that effected their overall performance and stats.

I agree. It's sequential. Our offense put our defense in bad situations. The defense and special teams also squandered possessions for our offense, albeit not as often. LSU comes to mind.

[confucius say]

No offense with Tyson Lee should be better than any offense with Will Rogers, and I'm not a Will Rogers hype guy as everyone knows. That's a very large difference in the most important position on the field. Our OL has a whole bunch of older guys on it, many which were signed to play in a Moorhead scheme or have played in other balanced schemes prior to MSU. The 2023 WR room is also much better than the 09 room.

I agree with all of that except the last sentence. I don't think our top 5-6 WR/TE will be much better than the 2009 top 5/6 from a talent standpoint.

[R2Dawg]

Our running backs- or more or less their durability- is a bigger issue than many want to admit.

We're going to have to throw the ball to maximize the players that we currently have. If Barbay is hard headed and demands that we establish the run with this group it's simply not going to maximize our talent. The fact that we threw it more with Will in during the spring game was encouraging to me though.

But I'll be perfectly honest- I'm not worried about our offense this year. 2024 though is another matter.

People should be a little more concerned about our defense too. The secondary is a huge question mark.

We gonna run the ball with some other guys too. You saw it in the spring game a few plays for big yardage - one long TD even.

We got some good backs - Marks, Price, Davis and Pittman. That is a good group. We'll be fine.

[BuckyIsAB****]

We have 5 RB's now with the transfer Lee coming in.

We wont keep all 5 for long

[RiverCityDawg]

We wont keep all 5 for long

How's that?

[Jarius]

I agree with all of that except the last sentence. I don't think our top 5-6 WR/TE will be much better than the 2009 top 5/6 from a talent standpoint.

I don't agree with that at all. Most of that WR room in 09 was extremely young. You had Leon Berry and then a bunch of young guys not ready to play as much as they had to play.

[Really Clark?]

We wont keep all 5 for long

As of right now we have 5 not 4. I expect we keep them through fall. I don't see Price not playing through the fall to hit the next portal window in December, if he does decide to transfer.

[confucius say]

I don't agree with that at all. Most of that WR room in 09 was extremely young. You had Leon Berry and then a bunch of young guys not ready to play as much as they had to play.

Bumphis and heavens and Chris smith were young. McRae and berry were old. Marcus green was a 3rd year guy and way more proven than any TE we have now.
I agree this group is better, but not much better. None of them are impact guys or have sniffed all sec despite us throwing the ball 50 times a game. I hope Zavion and creed can be impact guys.

[Jarius]

Bumphis and heavens and Chris smith were young. McRae and berry were old. Marcus green was a 3rd year guy and way more proven than any TE we have now.
I agree this group is better, but not much better. None of them are impact guys or have sniffed all sec despite us throwing the ball 50 times a game. I hope Zavion and creed can be impact guys.

McRae was basically a nonfactor after his injury. He would not play on this team. Heavens washed out. Chris Smith did almost nothing as a freshman. This group is ten times better than that one. Now, when bump and smith grew up they made the group better but as true freshman they were not ready to play as much as they had to play. The is really isn’t saying our current group is all world. The 09 receiver room was just very bad by SEC standards. There were some players on the 09 team that ended up being pretty good, but in that particular year they were not.

[BuckyIsAB****]

How's that?

One will leave by the end of the year or at the end of it. I hope they all stay personally but sadly its the way it is now