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Having high expectations is a good thing because when you have lofty expectations, it normally means your team is going to be pretty good. High expectations can be bad though.
When a team doesn't meet those expectations, it can make being a fan of a team a difficult venture. And when a team falls way short of those expectations, being a fan can be a torturous experience.
That brings us to our poll question for this week. While expectations for the 2016 season weren't sky high, most people thought a seven or eight win season with a bowl trip was easily attainable. The schedule looked manageable, and those expectations really weren't out of line. After five games, the Bulldogs are 2-3 with a disappointing loss to the South Alabama Jaguars and an absolutely embarrassing performance against the Auburn Tigers. Continuing the bowl streak Dan Mullen started in 2010 seems dim at this point.
2001 brought talks of competing with Alabama for an SEC West Championship was all over the media. The Mississippi St. Bulldogs were many people's dark horse pick to win the SEC Championship. Steve Robertson of Gene's Page infamously picked the Bulldogs to go to the Rose Bowl in 2001. What followed was a 3-8 season in which the Bulldogs had an embarrassing loss to Troy and a complete beat down to Florida in Gainseville.
If you are old enough to remember both seasons, which one of them has been more disappointing? Is it the season with moderate expectations which might kill off all the good things Dan Mullen had done in his previous seven seasons, or is it the season where the Bulldogs were expected to make noise on a national level but fell well short of those lofty goals? Tell us in the comments section why you voted the way you did.