Because it is now time for Football

[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.