My prediction thread on this incarnation of our beloved Maroons

[Coach 57]

Since we have both sunshine pumpers & (our favorites) dumpster scrapers. Let me give my predictions for this season.

Before I go on let me say this.
1.) As a fanbase we don't need to judge Mullen on this season too harshly. He still has yet to coach HIS qb (one he recruited). And for the dummies who think he can't recruit the more he makes guys like Mckinney & Banks job getting into the NFL get is proving you wrong.

2.) Be ready for a better defense that's far more athletic & faster to tie ball.

Ok State- this game we will be up for! I can assure you. It will be very intense & be up & down. OSU gets up & down the field but I think Collins' defense will be opportunistic & will cause a TO to make it close. Back & forth game but I think we lose. Then Dan's job TRULY begins as in the past we haven't responded well after a heartbreaking loss. (0-1)


Alcorn- win. Best thing after a loss is a pick me up game. This will be a teaching game. Dan will have to break out the pencils & lose leaf paper for this one. We'll win big but.....how much do we learn DURING THIS GAME?
(1-1)


AU- Bogey's favorite CFB team. Gus is a great coach! They will be up for us no doubt. But it MUST be stressed to our kids after the Alcorn game....WE MUST WIN THIS GAME! And after a few well timed crossing routes across the middle of their defense it will set up the back breaker @ the Plains. The mesh corner route! Boom! V-I-C-T-O-R-Y! (2-1)


Troy- is NOT the same team on the road they ate at home. We win late in the 4th though ad their offense is good enough with an experienced QB to keep it close late. Could also be looking tpward LSU the following week too. Very reminiscent of the La Tech game from 11'. (3-1)



LSU- This is the game Dan has been waiting for his entire career. It sets up perfectly for him (of we take care of Troy.....which we should). Our game with them is sandwiched (for them) between two VERY physical SEC EAST teams. They might even make the mistake of overlooking us too. Tyler torched their defense last year moreso than any other QB (295 pass yds). We will WIN this game! It will be Dan's greatest victory in his short career! (4-1)

BG- Hard to get up after a big game from the week before. Plus BG has a great DC who'll be coaching after a better job. He'll use us as a staple on his resume. After a close game, we'll win. (5-1)


UK- This game really worries me. It's a perfect trap game for us. As much as we are one for LSU. They will be ready for us. We will be down & I actually think we won't beat BOTH UK & AU. And the reason I think we beat AU is because of the teaching game (Alcorn) prior to. But I see us.....believe it or not we'll lose. (5-2)


SC- careful......careful.......careful! This game could be catastrophic for us depending on how we play. If we get down early it could get bad for us. We will lose. (5-3)


aTm- loss (5-4)
Bama- loss (5-5)
Arky- our season will come down to these last 2 games. I personally don't think we'll beat both Arky & UM. Loss. (5-6)

UM- FIGHT 4 MISSISSIPPI STATE! This is what it comes down to. I personally think we'll both be seeking bowl eligibility in this game. MSU is 4-0 in home Egg Bowls. I think Tyler has a game that we'll remember for a long time! Our defense will go our there and try to kill Wallace & Moncreif. We will win and send the bears packing! (6-6)

I think this season not only will Tyler break the rest of the passing records. I think it will go down as a season people will still question Dan's leadership. But wait till next year w/ his QB at the helm!

[FlabLoser]

Arkansas is a wildcard running an offense that it isn't built for. I think we FINALLY win in the state of Arkansas.

[Jack Lambert]

I agree totally! They are going to run a Big 10 smash mouth offense with Spread players. They are at lest two years away. As far as Ole Miss we get them at home and KY at home. Both those will be wins.

[bocfarm]

Lose to KY at home on a thurs night prime time? I don't see that one. I agree with it coming down to the last two games but I think we lose either aub or lsu not ky.

[Bass Chaser]

Bye week prior to Ky won't lose that one.

[hailmari]

I agree KY could be a trap game but I think we handle them and Arky. I'm more optimistic about OSU than Auburn, actually.

[Saltydog]

about nothing, IMO. He's had plenty of time to get a QB that fits his system.

[It_Could_Happen]

No way we lose to KY at home. I can easily see us losing at Auburn on the road or LS-Who at home but not Ky. Also see us winning both of the final two games

[Coach 57]

Actually we were REALLY close to having Dak lead THIS YEARS TEAM. Dan halfway through the Houston game told Les to get Tyler ready to go into the game.

The fact is that Dan won't go after another pure pocket passer (IMO). Proof so far we need a dual threat QB to help stabilize this offense.

[cujo]

Differences between mine & your predictions:
We lose to LSU, beat KY, beat Arky
7-5

[Coach 57]

Here's a good question for you guys. Would you rather us beat LSU & finish 6-6 or lose to them & be 7-5?

[SnakePlissken]

Here's a good question for you guys. Would you rather us beat LSU & finish 6-6 or lose to them & be 7-5?

Great question. While everyone likes more wins for a better bowl, I think beating LSU would be better overall for the program (and for Dan). I'd take a win over LSU and 6-6 record.

[BogeyGolfer]

1.) As a fanbase we don't need to judge Mullen on this season too harshly. He still has yet to coach HIS qb (one he recruited). And for the dummies who think he can't recruit the more he makes guys like Mckinney & Banks job getting into the NFL get is proving you wrong.

I'm sorry, but I just can't sit by and let you get away with this....as a fan-base we have every right to judge Mullen on his ability to coach Tyler who has been red-shirted and this will be Dak's third year in the program. This is Mullen's 5th year and I want to see continuous improvement. As I stated, in my predication thread, I don't think we will see it this year but I do expect we can make a run in 2014.

I agree that our D-line will be better but our LB's will still be average for SEC. I know I'm beating a dead horse here but to cover back's out of the backfield and TE's with SEC speed, linebackers are key to having a successful defense. Here's a list of SEC preseason LB's, notice we don't have any on the first three teams:

1st Team Pre-season SEC
Mosley-Bama
Johnson-TN
Nkemdiche-Mississippi

2nd Team Pre-Season SEC
Hubbard-Bama
Jenkins-UGA
Barrow-LSU
3rd Team SEC Pre-Season
Jones-LSU
DePriest-Bama
Williams-UK

I can't believe that you think we will lose to UK, hell even Croom was able to beat Kentucky a few times, we won't lose that game. As I stated in my original prediction thread, if we are able to beat AU or ARK it would make a difference in our season. I thought we were the better team in 2011 but AU was still able to beat us....Our record in Arkansas speaks for itself...

[Ronny]

..on Dan Mullen's coaching ability for all you "realists" to keep picking this team to either have a losing record or a 6 win season.

Interesting how this will be Dan's 5th season, yet all I am seeing in the predictions is a deterioration back to his first season, when we had no players.

Do you have players now? Empirical evidence suggests we do. But what use is empirical evidence to people who judge everything according to fear & gut feeling.

Mullen's 5th year + accumulation of SEC caliber players over the last 4 years = minimum of 7 wins.

If Mullen is going to cast this 2013 team back to the throes of 2009 squad like many of you think he is, then Mullen needs to start uodating his resume.

[bluelightstar]

Kentucky shouldn't even be able to stay on the field with us in Starkville

[CadaverDawg]

about nothing, IMO. He's had plenty of time to get a QB that fits his system.

I totally disagree about the QB statement.

Yes, Dan has had time to get "his" QB, and he's got him....Dak Prescott. However, our fans would enter ****ing meltdown mode if he played Dak Prescott (who fits his system better) over the beloved, all time passing leader at MsU, Tyler Russell.

Now, I will admit that Dan didn't get his type of dual threat guy in the first few years, and that is what is forcing us to change offensive schemes right now. But deep down, Mullen would MUCH rather be running the Mullen offense (Relf Coast offense) right now with Dak Prescott, but he knows that he can't bench a Senior that broke all of the school records if he wants to be able to draw in great QBs in the future. It is what it is.

[Political Hack]

..on Dan Mullen's coaching ability for all you "realists" to keep picking this team to either have a losing record or a 6 win season.

Interesting how this will be Dan's 5th season, yet all I am seeing in the predictions is a deterioration back to his first season, when we had no players.

Do you have players now? Empirical evidence suggests we do. But what use is empirical evidence to people who judge everything according to fear & gut feeling.

Mullen's 5th year + accumulation of SEC caliber players over the last 4 years = minimum of 7 wins.

If Mullen is going to cast this 2013 team back to the throes of 2009 squad like many of you think he is, then Mullen needs to start uodating his resume.

I don't think it's an indictment on Dan. The program has headed in the right direction since he arrived, but some people are worried we've peaked. A 6-6 season would go a long ways to suggesting that's the case, but I think it's more an issue of scheduling. Bringing A&M into the West, scheduling SC out of the East, and adding Okie State to the schedule is a possible 3 game W/L curve and the difference between 6 or 9 wins. We can blame Slive and LT for two of those games, but the 3rd one falls squarely on the grasshopper.

[Coach34]

I don't think it's an indictment on Dan. The program has headed in the right direction since he arrived, but some people are worried we've peaked. A 6-6 season would go a long ways to suggesting that's the case.

And when I see people post this I cant help but laugh and wonder how damn stupid they are.

Jackie's 1st 5 years:

7-5
7-5
4-5-2
8-4
3-8

Should we have just fired Jackie after year 5? He had a losing season- obviously he had peeked and was never going to get us anywhere

Any program is not going to have a constant upward trajectory. You will have peaks and valleys along the way. The bottom line is- do you think the guy leading your program is doing a good job and taking care of business?

Too many people think the grass can be greener with Hud- and I hate to tell them, but Hud aint going to have Miss State winning 10+ games per season. It's not going to happen. We can get there- but it will be an occasional occurance- not a year in and year out happening

[Political Hack]

And when I see people post this I cant help but laugh and wonder how damn stupid they are.

Jackie's 1st 5 years:

7-5
7-5
4-5-2
8-4
3-8

Should we have just fired Jackie after year 5? He had a losing season- obviously he had peeked and was never going to get us anywhere

Any program is not going to have a constant upward trajectory. You will have peaks and valleys along the way. The bottom line is- do you think the guy leading your program is doing a good job and taking care of business?

Too many people think the grass can be greener with Hud- and I hate to tell them, but Hud aint going to have Miss State winning 10+ games per season. It's not going to happen. We can get there- but it will be an occasional occurance- not a year in and year out happening

Wait, so do you think we've peaked in the 7-9 win range or do you think we'll become a consistent 10 win team with CDM?

[ShotgunDawg]

Your completely correct Coach. Here is an article in the Chicago Sun-Times yesterday where Theo Epstein is saying essentially the same thing in regards to rebuilding the Cubs:

No wonder team president Theo Epstein happily points to July as having been an all-around winning month for the Cubs.
The team signed top collegiate hitter and No. 2 overall draft pick Kris Bryant, stockpiled more young pitching arms in its farm system through trades, saw its major-league club post a winning record and won City Hall approval of long-sought Wrigley Field renovations.
"It's been a great month for the Cubs," Epstein said Friday before the Cubs fell 6-2 to the visiting Los Angeles Dodgers. "Right now, it's a good time for people who are wanting things to go well and looking for progress to seize onto it."
But there's always a "but" the one Epstein says the organization, as much as fans, must remember.
"It's an important time to remind everyone and ourselves that the progress won't be linear," he said.
"There are going to be other really bad months. There are going to be prospects who go through difficult months, half-seasons and seasons. And you think, 'Hey, you thought these guys were going to be impact guys, and now they're scuffling. What's going on" There are going to be times we have really difficult times in the big leagues. Unfortunately, just like a player's development, the progress of an organization isn't always linear."
Keeping a volume of young pitching prospects and maintaining a development process throughout the farm system continues to be the Cubs' focus. That's still the ideal in baseball, even for teams such as the Dodgers that have the option of being big spenders to augment their rosters.
"I'm a big believer in Theo and [general manager] Jed [Hoyer] as people and professionals," Dodgers president Stan Kasten said, "and also in what their plan is and going about the exact right way, in my estimation and they've made real progress. I love the moves they've made this month. So I know they're going to have success here. I think that's the right way to do it."
Kasten built the once-struggling Atlanta Braves into the National League powerhouse of the 1990s largely on pitching and a farm system that produced steady quality.
Times have changed since then in baseball's financial structure and operational rules. It can take longer now to reach sustained success.
Kasten has been able to tap into the Dodgers' lucrative television resources to help turn things around quickly this season.
"But if I could choose one or the other and almost every franchise does have to choose I would choose the Theo and Jed plan because that's what I believe in as well," he said.
Epstein won?t even estimate when the Cubs will turn "potential" into "contender" because he can't.