JK’s Week 8 Best/Worst/Bold Prediction

Good afternoon Bulldog faithful! Welcome to “Rivalry” Week! Yep, it’s that time of year where tempers flare remain pretty calm tbh, and our yearly matchup with the vaunted pretty much below average every year Kentucky Wildcats occurs. Just the mention of their name makes my blood boil pressure drop to a very relaxed level.

Who am I kidding? This game sucks, and is Exhibit A for why the SEC needs a revolving schedule between the East and West. How the heck am I supposed to get hype for a football game against a basketball school that hasn’t changed it’s logo since, like, the mid-eighties? I mean, they took out the wildcat jumping through a block UK all teeth-bared and stuff. That was the coolest part of the dang logo! But I’ll give them some credit, at least they’ll never have to worry about a uniform fiasco like Florida’s from last week. Woof. But seriously, Coach Stoops can’t breathe new life into the football program until Kentucky at least looks the part.

HOWEVER: One thing that could at least get me half-hype for this game would be a kickass trophy. We’ve played each other every year since 1992, and have been members of the same conference since the 1890’s. The series is deadlocked at 22 wins apiece. And yet, there is no cool nickname for the “rivalry” nor a “rivalry” trophy. Henceforth, I propose the Bucket of Golden-fried Chicken Trophy. Fried chicken’s really the only remote thing Mississippians and Kentuckians could ever possibly fight over. Mississippi produces a lot of chicken and Kentucky has, ya know, KFC. Get them or Sanderson Farms to sponsor it. One random thing is that we’d get the luxury of fighting for chicken and an egg every season, which is cool, I guess. Anyway, please submit your suggestions for “rivalry” trophies and nicknames in the comments. Now it’s time for B/W/B.

BEST case scenario:

• The Bulldogs cover the spread. It seems like everyone and their mom is confident that Mississippi State will win by almost two touchdowns in this game. Which is weird to me, because if not for some bone-headed mistake, Kentucky would be undefeated heading into this game. Heck, Kentucky may legitimately be the second best team in the East this year. If we win by more than two touchdowns, that will mean that we have beaten Kentucky how we expect to beat them every year. And this is actually a good team as far as Kentucky football goes.
• We improve from last week. Despite thrashing BYU, many MSU fans including myself were a little underwhelmed. Our receivers continued to drop passes left and right, Nick Fitzgerald threw an ugly interception, and we gave up more points to BYU than we did to LSU. It would be amazing to come out and play our best game since September 16 tomorrow.
• Good guys win 31-17.

WORST case scenario:

• We hemorrhage points to the Kentucky offense. It’s a fairly rare occurrence for Kentucky to have better offensive production than State heading into this game, but a quick look at the offensive leaders for this game would make you think Dan Mullen had left to be OC in Lexington. UK’s defense is allowing nearly 300 yards passing per game, but their offense is potent.
• We struggle to run against another stifling run defense. The Wildcats are giving up less than 100 yards per game on the ground, and we all know how MSU has fared against competition that stops the run. It would be pretty easy to see us struggling once again to get offensive momentum if we’re forced to throw to our brick-handed receivers all the time.
• Wildcats roll 24-7.

BOLD predictions:

• Sissy bold: We have a 100 yard receiver in this game.
• Pretty much just being Tennessee’s hat but calling yourself a state bold: Tennessee fires Butch Jones after this weekend. At first it would seem really unfair, but if Tennessee beats Alabama this weekend, there is absolutely no way Jones is fired this year, even if he loses every other game. Heck, at the rate things have been going for the Vols on the third Saturday in October, they may even build Jones a statue if that happens. But who are we kidding? UT is going to get curb-stomped tomorrow. And that will be the end of the line for ol’ BJ. I don’t think he makes it to next Tuesday.

JK’S TOTALLY COMPUTER GENERATED ADVANCED STATS NOT MADE UP ON A WHIM ACTUAL SCORE PREDICTION: Bulldogs lose this one in heartbreaking fashion 31-28.