SEC 2009 // The New Future of Ole Miss
by cocknfire on Jul 30, 2009 11:00 AM EDT
in Football
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C&F's predictions for the Mississippi Rebels.
Finish: 2nd, SEC West
General: It did not strike me until I looked over the schedule for this exercise just how easy Ole Miss' slate truly is. In addition to the two FCS games, the Rebels miss Florida and Georgia and get both LSU and Alabama at home. For those of you who might be wondering -- yes, I'm still waffling on whether Alabama or Ole Miss wins the division. And, yes, I'm counting on Houston Nutt not to drop any games in embarrassing fashion. But it's time for me to start picking, so those decisions must be made now.
More specific: There aren't any real trap games on this schedule, though Arkansas could count as one and Tennessee could end up being unexpectedly important if the Vols surprise to the upside. The Rebels will be ready for South Carolina and Vanderbilty this year -- or at least they should be -- and shouldn't take until the halfway point of the season to find their identity. The Alabama game could go either way, but if Ole Miss wins that one they could always lose against LSU. If I could find another game besides LSU that I was nervous about, then I'd say there are two toss-ups and split the difference at 10-2. But LSU is the only one I see as even close, and so a nearly undefeated season it is.
Game-specific:
9.6 :: at Memphis :: LIKELY WIN
9.19 :: vs. Southeastern Louisiana :: WIN
9.24 :: at South Carolina :: PROBABLE WIN
10.3 :: at Vanderbilt :: LIKELY WIN
10.10 :: vs. Alabama :: POSSIBLE LOSS
10.17 :: vs. UAB :: WIN
10.24 :: vs. Arkansas :: LIKELY WIN
10.31 :: at Auburn :: LIKELY WIN
11.7 :: vs. Northern Arizona :: WIN
11.14 :: vs. Tennessee :: LIKELY WIN
11.21 :: vs. LSU :: POSSIBLE WIN
11.28 :: at Mississippi State :: LIKELY WIN
Final record: 11-1, 7-1 SEC
--
MONDAY: Ole Miss Aspires to Old Heights
TUESDAY: Rebels Roll Call
WEDNESDAY: Gridiron U Preview
EARLIER TODAY: Ole Miss Has a Quarterback, But Can They Protect Him?
FRIDAY: Feedback and Final Thoughts
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Very Optimistic
Given the question you raise in the post immediately below this one, that’s an awfully optimistic prediction even given the high creampuff factor in the schedule. I think more like 9-3, losing to both Bama and LSU plus one Houston Nutt special in there somewhere. If Auburn finds an offense, the Rebs could even go 8-4. They have some good skill players, but the lines are both replacing major stars which is usually a sign of trouble to come. And there’s almost no depth, so unless they have the incredible injury luck of Bama last year, they’re likely to struggle in the second half of the season.
by Watchman on Jul 30, 2009 5:40 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
8-4
I’d lean towards 8-4. Nutt has already received the last nail in his coffin… he is picked to win. I hope he keeps it interesting, but I’d be shocked if he does. I see losses to Bama and LSU and one humiliating one… possibly to State.
by GSCRocks on Jul 30, 2009 7:50 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
possibly to state...
how can you even say this? especially considering state’s got a brand new coaching staff and implementing the spread with QB he’s not even decided on (granted it will probably be the senior tyson lee, but even at SEC media day, he claimed there’s still a “QB battle”)
sure im a rebel fan and have high expectations, but have you seen some of state’s fans?
i herd u liek mudkipz?
by smeargle on Jul 31, 2009 10:40 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Likely win is pretty strong
It’s about as strong as I go on any SEC game, particularly any rivalry game
Team Speed Kills. All SEC, all the time.
by cocknfire on Jul 31, 2009 1:22 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Two Words... Bama - ULM
Trust me… I am a hard core Tide homer and hate Miss St. with a passion, but I could see them slip on the road. Especially if Nutt cannot keep expectations at bay.
by GSCRocks on Jul 31, 2009 3:06 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Where did this expectations myth come from?
Red Cup Rebellion - An Ole Miss Blog
Blame the Baptists.
by Juco All-American on Jul 31, 2009 3:30 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Let me rephrases that...
I guess I should have said, to be fair, media expectations. But it is like you said in your Rebellious Answers post, some folks are always going to have bloated expectations and you have to wonder what the trickle down effect might be.
by GSCRocks on Jul 31, 2009 4:27 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
bloated expectations
I’m realistic….very realistic.
I’m not one of those rebel fans that thinks we are going to win the BCS natl championship, especially considering we would have to go through a more than likely Florida team in Atlanta. On top of that, considering we will have to go through LSU and Bama to even get there in the first place. A 10 win regular season with a repeat trip to the Cotton Bowl or Capitol One Bowl would be quite the season for me.
But MSU….let’s think about this. Their QB situation is awful right now. Mullen can’t decide on his senior QB or hot freshmen recruit to run the spread. As we saw with Auburn last year, the spread can be a fickle lover in the SEC, especially for teams that have relied on their running game/defense for quite a while. Ever heard of Jerious Norwood? How bout Anthony Dixon (I’m sure you heard about him on ESPN regarding his arrest)?
And to compare Bama-ULM to Ole Miss-MSU is pretty unfair. Bama and ULM are not necessarily “rivals”. Ole Miss is going to approach the MSU game as it always does: as a serious rivalry game where anything happen (i.e. this). Therefore, Ole Miss, clearly the better team, should acknowledge this and go in and get the job done.
i herd u liek mudkipz?
by smeargle on Aug 2, 2009 11:30 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
"Likely win" is about as much as I'm willing to give any SEC team over any other SEC team
I generally don’t chalk up conference games as surefire wins. It’s the SEC.
Team Speed Kills. All SEC, all the time.
by cocknfire on Aug 2, 2009 11:32 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
that's fine and reasonable
I wasn’t really arguing with your ruling of a “likely win”, more with GSCRocks and his statements. Cock on.
i herd u liek mudkipz?
by smeargle on Aug 3, 2009 11:27 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
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