The "perception" that we are trending down

[HancockCountyDog]

Even if we lose, our talent level is not down.

This team has one of the most solid two-deeps that we've had in years. Many of our third-string guys are very good. Quay is not even on the depth chart. Guys like Will Redmond and Torrey Dale aren't on the depth chart, but they are very good players. Anybody looking at our roster and current depth chart and thinks that our talent is down is not very knowledgeable about football. Much less MSU football.

I'm not predicting that we will win in Houston, but I do think we have a very good chance to walk out of there with a victory.

I agree with you to an extent. I agree that in my opinion we have never been this talented before. My concern is that I am a little bit biased and that I am simply hoping that all of these stars and such are actually good football players.

If we are as talented as we both seem to think, then there is very little excuse to lose to an OSU team that is replacing so many starters on the OL. I feel like too many of our fans want to say how talented we are, but then don't want to say we should expect to win games like the OSU game.

I mean we are either talented or we aren't. We have out recruited OSU almost every year, and we have a coach that has his program in its fifth year which means that this is his team and his program. There can't be many excuses about talent gaps from the last coach in year 5.

I guess Im just not scared to say we are good and should expect to beat OSU.

[War Machine Dawg]

I'm one of the ones that think we only win 5 or 6, but not because I don't think we will be improved. I am simply not liking the schedule, and I feel like our offense will be about like it was last year.

I definitely think our D improves, and if we come out and show offensive improvement I will immediately say I was wrong, and be glad I was.

I guess the way I look at it is, we could be better than last year and still only win 6 games against this schedule. Winning at Auburn and at Arkansas is never easy no matter how good we are. Even if we're really improved we can lose to LSU, Bama, A&M, and USC. Add OSU to that list and it's possible to be better but have a worse record imo. So, while my prediction may agree with a lot of SPS predictions...mine is based on offense and schedule. I could easily see 7 wins if the offense makes the improvement that I see the defense making.

We're on the same page aGAIN, CD. For me personally, there's no doubt we'll be a "better" team than last season. Plenty of returning talent, a change in defensive schemes, and a motivated Mullen tell me we'll be "better." I just don't like the schedule and think the record might not show the level of improvement. I think we'll win 6 or 7, but I can't put Arkansas down as a W when we're 0-for-eternity in the state of Arkansas. I don't care if they did lose a lot of talent. I also always mark LSU as an L. If there's a year to break their streak, this is it.....but it's going to take a hell of an effort. This is the first year I've actually thought we have a shot in that game, so we'll see what happens.

You're also spot on with the offensive concerns. That's what's keeping me from going 7+ in my predictions. I just have a strong suspicion all this hype about tweaking the O for Russell is the usual MSU offseason bullshit that never actually happens. Plus a little birdie told me in spring that Russell still has MAJOR issues with his footwork under center. So even if we actually have tweaked the O for him, I'm not entirely sure what it'll look like. We've discussed the RB situation about 850 million times, so I won't get into that aGAIN. I'm excited about the potential of our WRs, but that's all it is right now - potential. We've seen flashes, but until they do it consistently in actual games it's hard to say we're improved there, either.

I also agree with C34 & Farm. If we split Okie State & Auburn, we *should* be pretty good in terms of record. If by some miracle we're 3-0, my wool is going to be itchy as hell. 1-2.....I'll be damn nervous and pissed for being right about the schedule. Hope like hell C34 & others are right, cause I really do believe in terms of raw talent/potential this could be an 8-9 win type of team. Just need to see a few things first, particularly offensively, for me to really get totally on board with that idea.

[gravedigger]

I'd say the pessimism is primarily due to the fact of the way we lost to a 6-6 team last year. Bama, a&m, LSU games were tough beat downs, but they are top teams in the country. We didn't compete against 2 teams we shouldn't have had to work all that hard to compete against with our talent last year. Beast has said it correctly, poor positioning of our talent along with a non aggressive defense and the poor attitudes that came with it produced what we saw in late November and January.

I don't think that has to be the case this fall. OSU will be tough and the Auburn game will be a difficult road trip, but we should see a different product REGARDLESS of the talent we have.

This is Tyler Russell's year to show if he's the stuff of Sunday football. He cannot just use his arm strength. He will have to show he can read a defense and pick it apart. Control the field by changing the play at the line of scrimmage, eating clock when necessary and if not scoring, flipping the field to make it harder on teams to score against us.

We not be very pretty on offense at times but that is not a reason to say we cannot compete with the best in the league.

The OSU and Auburn games can go a LONG way to making a difference in the 2nd half of the season. Winning the egg bowl can take us further. If we have a shot at the Chick fil a at the end of the season, and by some chance get to it, Mullen will have flipped the momentum back to Starkville. The national spotlight will only be so kind to our rival if they win the egg. Lose it and preacher boy is going to have to answer some tough questions.

[biscuit]

I don't care about where we're picked preseason. I don't care about people's opinions. That's why we play the game. The only thing that really matters is wins and losses. That's it.

AMEN

[BHildreth3]

I'm on the fence with Mullen and it can change in the first quarter of the game vs. Oklahoma State. If we don't do some things different in the running game with lead blocking i'm going to be very pissed off. I go back to the bowl game. LaDarius looked good when we pulled a guard, or had a TE blocking in front of him. I know we can't do it every play, but again, we don't have an Alabama line and we can't run out of the Ace formation or Shotgun that well (one back for those who aren't following). We have productive running plays with the Pistol offense b/c most of the time we have an Hback playing a FB type role in the backfield.

Controlling the clock with the ground game vs. OKLA STATE AND AUBURN is a very important thing to watch for early in the season.

[FlabLoser]

I agree, we need an upset win over an upper-level SEC team. We should be better this year, but our schedule is tougher than last years..

If there is anything I am sick and damned tired of reading it is "but out schedule is so tough this year".

The schedule is tough every year. Every damn year its "we could be better and not have more wins". Every year. **** that. We live in the SEC. Deal with it.

We ought to be able to compete with anybody on our schedule this year except for Alabama. I'm not going to predict 11 wins. But don't give me this woe is us our schedule is so hard shit.

[Political Hack]

beat Okie State, A&M, and SC, finish 10-2, and we'll be ranked in the middle of the pack next year in the SEC West. That's the reality of the division.

Out of the watch list players named, who would start at Bama or LSU? I'd say TR at LSU. Gabe and likely BMac at both. I don't think any of the others start at those two. You could also say that TR wouldn't start at A&M. Point being, our talent is as good as it's ever been, but it doesn't negate the fact that we're playing in the NFC SouthEast.

[The Croom Diaries]

If there is anything I am sick and damned tired of reading it is "but out schedule is so tough this year".

The schedule is tough every year. Every damn year its "we could be better and not have more wins". Every year. **** that. We live in the SEC. Deal with it.

We ought to be able to compete with anybody on our schedule this year except for Alabama. I'm not going to predict 11 wins. But don't give me this woe is us our schedule is so hard shit.

I don't buy this at all.

Let's take the last two years.

2011 - going into the season we knew Auburn, Kentucky and Ole Miss would all be trending down while UGA, USC and UPig would be trending up and Bama and LSU are juggernauts. General thought was we had an 8-9 win team. What we didn't know was that we'd lose to Auburn like we did and play horribly against Georgia.

2012 - going into the season we knew Arkansas and UK were trending down, possibly Tennessee. Auburn and A&M were expected to be roughly the same, slightly up (because that was the only place to go) for OM. Bama and LSU are juggernauts. General thought was 8-9 wins. We got that. What we didn't know is how much better A&M and OM would be than everyone thought. But by the same token how bad Auburn and Ark would be.

2013 - going into the season we know no one on our schedule is trending down. Arkansas, Auburn, Ole Miss, Kentucky all up. South Carolina and A&M are expected to possibly be even better. Bama and LSU are juggernauts. On top of all that we add Oklahoma State - a high level BCS opponent we haven't had in the last few years. What's more is we are facing a MAC team expected to win their division and an always scrappy Sun Belt team. General thought is 5-6 wins, 7 if you're a little more optimistic like myself and others on this board. But the "schedule is so tough this year" is a valid argument. We really could be better just not have as good of a record. Every year in the SEC is tough, but not all schedules are created equal. Just ask South Carolina who has beaten UGA the last 3 years but only won the East once because they had to play a really good Arkansas team in 2011 and LSU in 2012 while Georgia breezed through the easiest road in the conference both years.

[Political Hack]

in 2099, I thought we'd win 6. We won 5.
in 2010, I thought we'd win 8. We won 9.
in 2011, I thought we'd win 9. We won 7.
in 2012, I thought we'd win 9 or 10. We won 8.

In 2013, I think we'll win between 5 and 7.

[Behrdawg]

Good post Coach.

Im excited about seeing this guy play....

Quandry Antoine:

[Ronny]

...good laugh at how the rebels always "upward trend" when expected by everybody to upward trend, here's one that'll make your day:

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vau...eatured/11280/

"The Rebels Have the Firepower to Shake up the BSC" so goes the claim.

The only shaking up they achieved that year was having Chris Relf stomp them up & down the field in the Egg Bowl.

I could go back 50 years & provide you dozens of similar examples of how these idiots are the biggest ****-ups on the planet once the media climbs up their ass.

Yet every year MSU fan cowers at the looming apocalypse of the Rebel/Bear football juggernaut looming on the horizon.

Grow the hell up & see them for the perennial screw-ups they are.

And that's not me talking; that's history talking.

[CadaverDawg]

...good laugh at how the rebels always "upward trend" when expected by everybody to upward trend, here's one that'll make your day:

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vau...eatured/11280/

"The Rebels Have the Firepower to Shake up the BSC" so goes the claim.

The only shaking up they achieved that year was having Chris Relf stomp them up & down the field in the Egg Bowl.

I could go back 50 years & provide you dozens of similar examples of how these idiots are the biggest ****-ups on the planet once the media climbs up their ass.

Yet every year MSU fan cowers at the looming apocalypse of the Rebel/Bear football juggernaut looming on the horizon.

Grow the hell up & see them for the perennial screw-ups they are.

And that's not me talking; that's history talking.

Not only is this your greatest post...it may be my favorite ever about OM. Well done

[biscuit]

...good laugh at how the rebels always "upward trend" when expected by everybody to upward trend, here's one that'll make your day:

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vau...eatured/11280/

"The Rebels Have the Firepower to Shake up the BSC" so goes the claim.

The only shaking up they achieved that year was having Chris Relf stomp them up & down the field in the Egg Bowl.

I could go back 50 years & provide you dozens of similar examples of how these idiots are the biggest ****-ups on the planet once the media climbs up their ass.

Yet every year MSU fan cowers at the looming apocalypse of the Rebel/Bear football juggernaut looming on the horizon.

Grow the hell up & see them for the perennial screw-ups they are.

And that's not me talking; that's history talking.

Now that's funny stuff right there.

[PMDawg]

At the end of the day it seems one portion of our fan base is going to look pretty silly come August 31.

There seem to be those on SPS that are saying we won't even cover a double digit spread, while most on here (myself included) are predicting a win.

If the SPS are right and our talent level is down then we will get beat because OSU is a solid but not spectacular team.

If we are right, we will win because at the end of the day, a talented SEC team beats a solid Big XII team almost every time. Now, something weird could happen with turnovers or injuries, but in my opinion all things being equal we win the game if ED is right and I think the posters here are right.

I think everyone on the pack predicting doom and gloom are simply remembering the negative games last year and are ignoring the beat downs on AU, Ark, UT, MTSU and UK.

Anyway, some portion of our fan base is going to look pretty foolish, and as most of them learned during baseball season, it won't be the ones predicting success for MSU.

I don't think the talent level is it. I think the perception is based on our coaching. In 2011, we were supposed to be really good. We won 6 games (7 with the bowl). In 2012, a lot of people pegged us for 9 or 10 wins. We won 8 and lost our bowl. And it has to do with how bad we looked losing those 5 games, especially the last two. That's all anyone from the media remembers. I think the perception from the outside is that we haven't played up to our potential, and that's on coaching. When you look at how Les has called games the last two seasons and what we had at DC last year, it's hard to argue. Now, if we're truly better (as is rumored) at both of those facets of the game this year, we will be substantially improved (at least eye-test wise). Then, the schedule becomes the problem. So, while I think we are a very, very talented team, there are a lot of unknowns and/or things not in our favor right now. I understand the skepticism from the outside. From within our own fanbase though, not so much. I expect to win 7 or 8 games this year. Anything less will tick me off.

[dickiedawg]

Good post Coach.

Im excited about seeing this guy play....

Quandry Antoine:

Seems to draw a lot of flags.

[fishwater99]

in 2099, I thought we'd win 6. We won 5.
in 2010, I thought we'd win 8. We won 9.
in 2011, I thought we'd win 9. We won 7.
in 2012, I thought we'd win 9 or 10. We won 8.

In 2013, I think we'll win between 5 and 7.

So we have peaked under Mullen.
Why shouldn't we be better than last year? TR is a senior and is the best QB in MSU history...

[bocfarm]

So we have peaked under Mullen.
Why shouldn't we be better than last year? TR is a senior and is the best QB in MSU history...

I'm sure Ark fans thought the same thing last yr

[Coach34]

is the best QB in MSU history...

No, no he isn't. He is the best passing QB in MSU history

[CadaverDawg]

So we have peaked under Mullen.
Why shouldn't we be better than last year? TR is a senior and is the best QB in MSU history...

Does this really need to be explained? Have you compared last year's schedule to this year's? If so, you know the answer.

We WILL be better this year, but our record may be worse.

[fishwater99]

Does this really need to be explained? Have you compared last year's schedule to this year's? If so, you know the answer.

We WILL be better this year, but our record may be worse.

We should have won 10 games last year.. I am not saying our schedule is not tougher..