2011 College Football Predictions: Mississippi St Bulldogs NCAA Football Predictions, Picks, Odds and Schedule

2011 Mississippi St College Football Expert Predictions, Picks, Vegas Odds and Schedule – Mississippi St NCAA Football Preview: After building a reputation as one of the top offensive minds in college football during his time as offensive coordinator for the Florida Gators, Dan Mullen only added to his legacy by guiding a normally irrelevant Mississippi State program to a 9-4 record, including a 52-14 dismantling of Michigan in the Gator Bowl. Despite the success, Mullen must now prove that he is more than a one-hit wonder. He has his first opportunity to do that in 2011-12 as the Bulldogs prepare to follow-up one of their best seasons in recent memory.

With Mullen calling the shots, the normally modest Bulldog offense averaged nearly 30 points a game. Quarterback Chris Relf and running back Vick Ballard are both back, giving Mullen his main cogs to build around once again. Four productive receivers from last year’s team are back in the mix as well. Another year of experience in the offensive system should only help both players, and Mississippi State could end up with one of the more productive scoring attacks in the SEC.

Relf’s ability to run out of the pocket could be an X-factor for the Bulldogs. Cam Newton showed the conference last season how running quarterbacks can tear apart even the stingiest defenses. Not that Relf is anywhere near the QB Newton was, but he does possess the ability to cause problems out of the pocket.

While Mullen may have revamped the offense, it was defense that carried the Bulldogs last season. They gave up less than 20 points a contest one year ago and ranked in the top 30 nationally in terms of total defense. In fact, Mississippi State had the third-best defense in the conference last year – a conference known for being home to the top defensive units in the college football world.

However, replicating the defensive numbers from a year ago will be difficult considering all three starting linebackers have to be replaced. The Bulldogs unit isn’t exactly going to be tissue paper thin, but it is hard to imagine the same type of production while breaking in three new players at a position as vital as linebacker. There will be some growing pains, and in a conference as tough as the SEC, even a few mistakes can be the difference between winning and losing a game.

The schedule doesn’t exactly do any favors for a program trying to establish itself among the conference elite. Road games at Georgia and Arkansas won’t be easy, and home games against South Carolina, LSU and Alabama could end badly as well. In short, the Bulldogs got saddled with the three top teams in their own division and the two best teams from the SEC East. It doesn’t get much tougher than that.

The elite teams in the conference can all play stout defense and pound the rock. While the new linebackers are getting their feet wet, opponents are going to have the chance to gash the Mississippi State front seven. At the end of the day, the fact that most of the Bulldogs are still learning the finer points of Mullen’s offense is going to keep this team from reaching its full potential. In the SEC, any weaknesses, no matter how small, will be exploited. The groundwork for something special is here, but it is going to be another year before the potential of this team is realized.

2011 Mississippi St College Football Predictions: 7-5 Record

Preseason 2011 Georgia Bulldogs NCAA Football Odds:
Odds to Win 2012 BCS Championship: +6000
Odds to Win 2011 SEC Champonship: +3000
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2011 Mississippi St College Football Schedule
Thu, Sep 1 at Memphis 8:00 pm —
Sat, Sep 10 at Auburn 12:20 pm —
Thu, Sep 15 LSU 8:00 pm —
Sat, Sep 24 Louisiana Tech TBA —
Sat, Oct 1 at Georgia TBA —
Sat, Oct 8 at UAB 12:00 pm —
Sat, Oct 15 South Carolina TBA —
Sat, Oct 29 at Kentucky TBA —
Sat, Nov 5 Tennessee-Martin TBA —
Sat, Nov 12 Alabama TBA —
Sat, Nov 19 at Arkansas TBA —
Sat, Nov 26 Mississippi TBA —

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