Thunder & Lightning: What’s a Fair Expectation for Coach Zach Arnett’s First Season?

[HD6]

Mississippi State has the returning roster of a good football team, but an inexperienced head coach has win predictions lower than they probably should be. Brian Hadad and Robbie Faulk ask what’s a result that’s a fair expectation for the Bulldogs and Coach Zach Arnett in 2023.


The post Thunder & Lightning: What’s a Fair Expectation for Coach Zach Arnett’s First Season? appeared first on SuperTalk Mississippi.

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[MSUDC11-2.0]

If he goes 7-5 and wins the Egg, most of our fan base will be perfectly content. Anything above that is a very good Year 1 in my eyes.

I stand by my belief that we have a very tough schedule. I just don’t like having so many of our toss up games on the road with a first year HC.

 

[greenbean.sixpack]

7-5 mostly likely. With my maroon colored glasses I'm predicting 8-4. I'd rather play Bama and LSU on the road and have USCe and Ark (or the barn) at home.

 

[MSUDC11-2.0]

7-5 mostly likely. With my maroon colored glasses I'm predicting 8-4. I'd rather play Bama and LSU on the road and have USCe and Ark (or the barn) at home.

And as much success as we’ve had against A&M, that’s hardly an auto win either on the road.

We don’t have a single SEC game that’s a gimme, at least looking at it here in May.

 

[campshelbydog1116]

Anythin

Mississippi State has the returning roster of a good football team, but an inexperienced head coach has win predictions lower than they probably should be. Brian Hadad and Robbie Faulk ask what’s a result that’s a fair expectation for the Bulldogs and Coach Zach Arnett in 2023.


The post Thunder & Lightning: What’s a Fair Expectation for Coach Zach Arnett’s First Season? appeared first on SuperTalk Mississippi.

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Anything below 8-4 would be disappointing and a red flag that we didn’t hire the right guy. Anything below 7-5 and we will be making a coaching change in 24. Really need to take advantage of the easier than normal SEC schedule and a roster returning a lot of production on both sides of the ball.

 

[dorndawg]

Anythin

Anything below 8-4 would be disappointing and a red flag that we didn’t hire the right guy. Anything below 7-5 and we will be making a coaching change in 24. Really need to take advantage of the easier than normal SEC schedule and a roster returning a lot of production on both sides of the ball.

You left off the sarcasterks***** I think

 

[campshelbydog1116]

You left off the sarcasterks***** I think

No. Anyone that thinks 7-5 or 6-6 is a good year with what we have returning is just being ridiculously poor ole state minded. We won 8 games last year with a tougher schedule and return a whole lot off of that team. We should get better. If we don’t at least hold serve with 8 wins we should be disappointed. Or I will be anyway. You are free to be happy with 7 wins on a team that returns a bunch of Covid seniors on defense and a 4 year starter at quarterback, 4 offensive linemen, 2 receivers, and a tailback if you’d like.

 

[dorndawg]

No. Anyone that thinks 7-5 or 6-6 is a good year with what we have returning is just being ridiculously poor ole state minded. We won 8 games last year with a tougher schedule and return a whole lot off of that team. We should get better. If we don’t at least hold serve with 8 wins we should be disappointed. Or I will be anyway. You are free to be happy with 7 wins on a team that returns a bunch of Covid seniors on defense and a 4 year starter at quarterback, 4 offensive linemen, 2 receivers, and a tailback if you’d like.

First-time head coach doesn't throttle down expectations any? Interesting.

 

[campshelbydog1116]

First-time head coach doesn't throttle down expectations any? Interesting.

He will either do a good job or he won’t. Every move he’s made so far has been a good one, including the way he handled the death of Leach and bowl game prep. Im not going to just assume he’s going to suck as a first year head coach. Hell, Moorhead sucked and still won 8 games with all of that returning production. Our offense was bad against anyone with a pulse last year. The defense has been carrying us. The offensive scheme change may not work out but we scored 21 ppg in conference last year without defense and special teams scored included, which is horrible. This major overhaul on offense everyone is terrified of isn’t going to be any more painful that that Bs I watched last year, that’s for sure.

 

[AstroDog]

6-6 and a Bowl is the bottom for me. However, I think we go 7-5. Just too much change going on to realize much more than that. I would be ecstatic with 8-4 or better.

 

[greenbean.sixpack]

6-6 and a Bowl is the bottom for me. However, I think we go 7-5. Just too much change going on to realize much more than that. I would be ecstatic with 8-4 or better.

Anyone with objectivity would agree with this.

 

[MSUDC11-2.0]

Anythin

Anything below 8-4 would be disappointing and a red flag that we didn’t hire the right guy. Anything below 7-5 and we will be making a coaching change in 24. Really need to take advantage of the easier than normal SEC schedule and a roster returning a lot of production on both sides of the ball.

We’re just going to have to disagree on it being an “easier than normal schedule”, unless certain teams that are expected to be solid end up sucking. The nonconference schedule isn’t bad but this is a very challenging SEC slate of games.

 

[Dawgbite]

7-5 has been and always will be the standard at MSU. It’s just who we are.

 

[drummerdawg]

Given the situation, I'm just hoping for 6 wins and bowl appearance. I'm really not feeling good about the upcoming season. If this was a ML team, I would expect 8 wins minimum this year.

 

[FQDawg]

No. Anyone that thinks 7-5 or 6-6 is a good year with what we have returning is just being ridiculously poor ole state minded. We won 8 games last year with a tougher schedule and return a whole lot off of that team. We should get better. If we don’t at least hold serve with 8 wins we should be disappointed. Or I will be anyway. You are free to be happy with 7 wins on a team that returns a bunch of Covid seniors on defense and a 4 year starter at quarterback, 4 offensive linemen, 2 receivers, and a tailback if you’d like.

This is such a simplistic, almost childish, way to look at a football team. First off, it doesn't at all acknowledge our opponents and what they're bringing back or might have added. It also doesn't account for games we won at home last year but might have more trouble winning on the road this year. You're assuming an easier schedule this year but there's no way to know if that's actually the case.

Secondly, it assumes that "we should get better." Hopefully we do but there's no guarantee that that will happen. Coaching transitions can be challenging and it make take time to adjust to a new offense, especially when we play against SEC opponents. And that's to say nothing of the fact that players don't always improve year to year.

Also, there's no guarantee that Arnett himself will handle the transition to the top spot well. I hope he does and if you put a gun to my head and made me bet, I'd say he will. He seems to have the right sort of temperament. But there's no guarantee. The history of this sport is littered with people who were good or even great coordinators but who struggled when they stepped up to the head job.

 

[campshelbydog1116]

This is such a simplistic, almost childish, way to look at a football team. First off, it doesn't at all acknowledge our opponents and what they're bringing back or might have added. It also doesn't account for games we won at home last year but might have more trouble winning on the road this year. You're assuming an easier schedule this year but there's no way to know if that's actually the case.

Secondly, it assumes that "we should get better." Hopefully we do but there's no guarantee that that will happen. Coaching transitions can be challenging and it make take time to adjust to a new offense, especially when we play against SEC opponents. And that's to say nothing of the fact that players don't always improve year to year.

Also, there's no guarantee that Arnett himself will handle the transition to the top spot well. I hope he does and if you put a gun to my head and made me bet, I'd say he will. He seems to have the right sort of temperament. But there's no guarantee. The history of this sport is littered with people who were good or even great coordinators but who struggled when they stepped up to the head job.

Well, don’t listen to this podcast that the most reasonable and rational MSU media people that cover MSU just posted then because they both just quoted almost word for word my exact opinion. Anyone satisfied with this roster going 6-6 or 7-5 with this schedule and returning roster is just always going to find a reason to be satisfied with mediocrity. We replaced Georgia with South Carolina. We have 8 home games for the first time in school history. The schedule is going to be easier. That’s not really even debatable. Arkansas lost both coordinators which were both excellent for them considerIng who they are as a program. Auburn is in year one of a coaching change with a roster that isn’t very good. Texas A&M is probably going to be a complete dumpster fire if they continue on their current path, but we will see. God knows we should not be scared of them based on past results. Ole Miss and Kentucky are both at home. We have a great schedule by SEC west standards.
Listen to Hadad and Faulk’s podcast. I get that it’s hip and cool to be Negative about MSU and that was partly why this site was formed, but being that down on this team doesn’t make you look cool. It makes you look like an idiot. You act like I am guaranteeing things and I’m not, except that we should expect to win at least 8 games and if we go 6-6 we hired the wrong guy. That’s the only guarantee I’m making. There’s no excuse to go 6-6 with this roster.