5 keys to a successful season for Mississippi State
Mississippi State football just finished by far its best two-year period in program history. The 2014 campaign saw the Bulldogs atop the rankings for the first time, and more than any other team in the country during that season. To say that Mississippi State is in a rebuilding mode would be an understatement. The definition of success this year is far different than it was for each of the last two years. Five ways Mississippi State can define success includes specific wins, season-long goals and moving on without the best player in program history.
1) An upset, and Ole Miss doesn’t count
The Bulldogs travel to Tuscaloosa and Baton Rouge this year and host Texas A&M and Auburn. Big wins tend to spark programs both during the season and during recruiting. It was a win over LSU in 2014 that started the Dak Prescott mania.
Auburn, Alabama and Texas A&M play Mississippi State at a fairly good point in their respective schedules, but LSU could be caught looking ahead to its trip to Auburn a week later. Regardless, winning just one of these games is a cornerstone of a successful season for Mississippi State.
2) Bowl eligibility
Playing in a bowl has some obvious advantages such as more exposure and prestige. There is one massive advantage that isn’t often discussed, though. That extra week or two of practice can make a world of difference for a young and rebuilding squad. It is literally hundreds of reps and dozens of hours together, often during the break and without distractions and/or scholastic obligations.
Despite playing in the West, the Bulldogs have a favorable non-conference and cross-conference schedule. They host a reeling South Carolina early in the season and play Kentucky, the only SEC team who has failed to be ranked in the past four seasons.
In non-conference play, the Bulldogs will travel way up north to play arguably the worst Division I college football team in history, UMass, and will host Samford and South Alabama. By beating South Carolina, UMass, South Alabama, Samford and Kentucky, the Bulldogs will need one upset win to qualify. Possibly over their lone non-conference challenge, BYU. That would extend Mississippi State’s bowl appearance streak to seven.
3) Beat BYU
The Cougars are quite an intriguing premise for highly competitive schools to schedule. Beating BYU does not steal recruits from them due to the religious aspect of the university and/or the required honor code. Beating BYU does not lead to great prestige the way beating other dark horses like Boise State and Houston does. Conversely, losing to BYU signifies that a team is not legitimate.
However, due to BYU’s bizarre deal with ESPN, playing them in Provo takes place on Fridays (as is the case for the Bulldogs) and will therefore lead to pretty solid exposure. The Cougars will return (for what feels like the 10th year in a row) a quarterback who they believe in, but they will have a new coach for the first time in what feels like forever.
Make no mistake, with a short week of practice, a long road trip to a hostile environment at high elevation, and nestled between beatable Auburn and must-win Kentucky, BYU is by far the biggest non-conference test for the Bulldogs in years. Beating them would show the conference and country that the rebuild will happen in one or two years instead of three or four.
Remember, Dan Mullen coached at Utah, and quarterbacks coach Brian Johnson served as the offensive coordinator and beloved quarterback at Utah, which will be advantageous. Many would argue that the Utah-BYU rivalry may be the nastiest and most mean-spirited in all of college football. In fact, 12 years after departing for Florida, Urban Meyer still won’t address them as “BYU,” opting instead for “that team down south.” You can bet Mullen and Johnson still want to beat them as badly as they did when they were in Salt Lake City.
4) Beat Ole Miss
Obviously. The 2016 game will be the most difficult for the Bulldogs under Mullen. The road team in the Egg Bowl does not do well with the notable exception being last year. The Rebels return a ton of speed on offense and the best quarterback in the conference. On the other side, the Bulldogs will have a new quarterback and questions at key defensive positions.
However, the Bulldogs had the best quarterback last year and the Rebels had questions. It’s a rivalry game. The Rebels have more to lose, and no one will expect Mississippi State to pull it off. Smells like an upset already.
Despite the likelihood that Ole Miss will be favored to win, this will not be the same as any other upset that the Bulldogs need. This is a rivalry game and beating the Rebels is an expectation, but winning the game this year would be a big deal.
5) Get over Dak
Living in the glory years of a quarterback can really harm the prowess of a team and its ability to recruit. Florida did not move on from Tim Tebow, and it impacted everything, compounded by the departure of Meyer. Auburn moved on from Cam Newton with only one hangover year and had immediate recruiting and on-field success.
Prescott will not likely be rivaled as the king of State, but the next signal-caller needs support without expectations. State fans need to see Dak as a product of the team, not the team as a product of Dak.