Purdum’s Prudent Perceptions: Midseason Thoughts on Mississippi State’s Progression

Well here we are, the Mississippi St. Bulldogs are 4-2 with some winnable games coming down the stretch along with a tough road game and BAMA….7-8 wins and a middle of the pack finish in the SEC looks possible. This is fine. For State fans of old who grew up when MSU had little to no college football relevance, this type of season is fantastic. Bowl games are awesome and a great vacation for any family around December. I ask though, Is this what we want for our football program?

In 2013, our beloved MSU Bulldogs found themselves in the College World Series and were going for our FIRST NATIONAL TITLE. Articles were written on a local and national scale highlighting this fact and how cool it would be for MSU to finally get that first ever natty championship. Sadly, as I can vouch personally, we did not win the championship and part of my heart was left in Omaha.

Last year, the Lady Bulldogs took the MSU fan base on a fantastic ride through the NCAA tourney. W knocked off the best women’s basketball program ever in UCONN, only to come up just short in the National Championship against USC. The ride was amazing none the less and the belief in Schaefer to deliver on more Final Four runs is ever present.

In 2014, a player by the name of Dakota Prescott broke onto the national scene when he led our Dawgs to an amazing season in which we were ranked #1 IN THE COUNTRY for many weeks and a New Year’s Six Bowl. Many believed the Dak years would shoot MSU into the scene of college football relevancy and while we may not be #1 every year we could look forward to the Dawgs no longer being laughing stocks of the SEC. Well that is half true…

Dan has certainly changed our culture of football at MSU for the better but when do we get to start hoping for more? Cannizaro has given fans the belief in just one year that given just a little bit of time and we will be regular attenders of Omaha and will definitely lift MULTIPLE titles during his tenure. Howland, while the results have not shown up just yet, is building a roster typically reserved for the prestigious programs of college basketball (seriously, I think a turn for the better is coming in basketball). Vic Schaefer had our Lady Bulldogs right at the brink last year and looks to be right back in the thick of it this coming fall. Yet here we are, in the year when our football schedule is always at its most favorable (home games vs LSU, Bama, and Black Bears), with two embarrassing losses on our resume and the doubt that our program is truly making the big steps we all want to see.

I know I will get ripped to shreds for all my above opinions and that is completely fine. I think I have earned them. Anybody that questions my loyalty to this school can sleep comfortably knowing I have been a Bulldog all of my life and will be for the rest of my days. Pro sports just do not do it for me the way the Bulldogs do. When the Saints (who I claimed as a team I supported at that time) won their Super Bowl, it was cool, but not for a minute did I think that this was the best thing that could ever happen in my sporting life. I stand by the fact that if/when/I pray MSU wins a National Championship; it will be a million times more satisfying than any Super Bowl, World Series, or World Cup championship will ever be for me. The victory celebration will/should last no less than a month for my Bulldog brethren and myself.