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The Mississippi St. Bulldogs were crowned Alabama’s best competition after they dismantled the LSU Tigers in week three. That obviously wasn’t the case, but it’s important that fans don’t take a similar overreaction to the loss against Georgia.
When the season’s schedule was first released, many declared the three game stretch against the LSU Tigers, Georgia Bulldogs, and Auburn Tigers as one of the toughest in the country. Fans were ecstatic when Mississippi State was able to pull off the big win over LSU. It was only the third time the Bulldogs had beaten LSU since 1992. But there were still two difficult games to go.
Georgia came out strong and shellshocked the Bulldogs in the second game of the difficult stretch. It has many wondering if this team is anywhere close to where we thought it was after the LSU game.
Truth be told, the Bulldogs aren’t as good as many of us thought after the LSU game, and they aren’t as bad as we think they are after being treated by Georgia the way Mississippi State treated LSU. The truth is somewhere in the middle of both opinions.
The predictions for Mississippi State as the season opened for most people outside the state of Mississippi was somewhere around 5 or 6 wins. Vegas had set the over/under on Mississippi State wins at 5.5, and it seemed a little low to most who closely followed the program. Many of those who do follow it closely, saw a serious case for 7 wins, and an decent chance at 8 and possibly 9.
None of that has changed after one stellar performance and one abysmal performance. Unless there is a huge letdown, Mississippi State should win against BYU and UMass with relative ease. Arkansas, Texas A&M, Kentucky, and Ole Miss are all very winnable, even if two of them are on the road. Auburn has a defense similar to Georgia’s but they have struggled blocking anyone this season and it wouldn’t be a shock to see the Bulldogs win it.
It was certainly discouraging to see the Bulldogs fall flat on a national stage, but it doesn’t mean the entire season is a lost cause. The Bulldogs still have a chance to have a good season just one year removed from one which was awful for most of the time, so don’t give up on this team just yet.