What's the most excited/positive you have been entering a State football season?

[dawgstudent]

Mine was either 2001 or 2018.

2001 - Really thought we had a chance.

2018 - Moorhead overselling. Fitzgerald returning. Talent on defense but I didn't even imagine how good they could be.

 

[aTotal360]

2011. After we pummeled Michigan in the Gator Bowl, I knew we could beat the Patriots in Foxborough in December.

 

[dorndawg]

2003. I just *KNEW* Jackie was gonna bounce back and have a great season, proving all the haters wrong like he always did. I was just gutted after that 28-0 first quarter against Oregon. Going back to look at the box score, I'd completely forgotten we made it a respectable-looking 42-34 final thanks to a couple 4thQ TD passes from Fant.

 

[dawgman42]

2000 - Coming off 10-2 season and 8-0 start. And we "luckily" made it to the Snow Bowl at 7-4, with a middling 4-4 SEC record. We should have been competing for the SEC championship, so that year was a let down (exciting finish, though)
2015 - Dak Heisman push, coming off being ranked #1 in the first-ever BCS poll, and much of the offense back from our amazing 2014 year. And we go in dry for an 8-4 regular season with a "Belk Bowl" reward. A 4-4 SEC record was pitiful with that team.

 

[Drebin]

2000 and 2015. Both were well below expectations.

2018 for me. What a kick to the balls that year was. We allowed something like 7 defensive TDs all year and managed to lose four games (five if you count the bowl).

 

[columbiadawg2]

2000 easily. Thought we had everything to win it all. Even after the USCe loss, I believed. Beat Florida and Auburn and oh boy I was all in. Then I made the trip to Baton Rouge (it was a fumble)

 

[Maroon Eagle]

1981

 

[missouridawg]

I remember watching us finish up the 2013 season shelling Rice in the Liberty Bowl and looking at the roster of what we brought back and thinking it could be a special year.

I also remember gushing about the defense and a 5th year senior Nicky Fitz after going to the game in College Station in 2017 (aTm had like 50 yards at the half and we won by 3+ TDs). Then JoMo just **** all over the bed.

 

[CoastTrash]

I’ve never been optimistic about MSU football.

 

[ronpolk]

2018… I still believe that’s a 10 or an 11 win team if Mullen is coaching. Great defense and the offense would have been good enough.

 

[was21]

Every season Mullen coached...(yeah I know)

 

[Smoked Toag]

2014 - everybody knew. We had the new stadium, and we had very quiet hype. The type of quiet hype that always is good for MSU. Most of Mullen's early recruits after he got situated were upperclassmen. I still say the reason that season slipped away is that we got too much hype after beating Auburn. Had Florida State been #1 (or Ole Miss/Alabama, whoever), then I think we might could have focused enough to win in Tuscaloosa. Egg Bowl would not have mattered at that point.

Secondly, I'll say 2000. We had talent AND hype, and almost got it done. We won big and lost small. Most talent I've ever seen on an MSU football roster. Funny enough again, that team should have also been 11-2 with the long loss in Oxford, where they whipped us pretty good if I remember, like 45-30. Biggest loss all year and only game that we didn't really control for most of it.

My embarrassing one was 2008. I guess I had been beaten down so bad for so long that I thought we maybe had some momentum going.

 

[Smoked Toag]

2003. I just *KNEW* Jackie was gonna bounce back and have a great season, proving all the haters wrong like he always did. I was just gutted after that 28-0 first quarter against Oregon. Going back to look at the box score, I'd completely forgotten we made it a respectable-looking 42-34 final thanks to a couple 4thQ TD passes from Fant.

Makes a lot of sense, considering your discernment skillz.

 

[thatsbaseball]

Yep

 

[MSUDC11]

Probably 2011 for me, which also happened to be the fall of my freshman year so that likely contributed. I was convinced Dan Mullen could do no wrong after his first two years. And I will still beat the drum for Mullen being the best coach in school history. But 2011 was disappointing, all starting with that stupid game at Auburn.

I had a really good feeling about 2014. You could tell that Dak was just special.

And yeah, I fell for the hype in 2018 too. That defense was incredible. But even more incredible was how disgusting our offense ended up being against good teams. I doubt I’ll ever be as mad about two football games as I was the Kentucky/Florida double whammy in ‘18.

 

[vhdawg]

2001 - I thought we were on the verge of turning it around all the way to 1-5.

 

[natchezdawg]

2001. I drank the same batch of Kool-Aid that Rosebowl did.

I've been skeptical of high expectations ever since. I'll take the underdog roll every time.

 

[Muttley]

I've been skeptical of high expectations ever since. I'll take the underdog roll every time.

My thoughts exactly. I was so ready for the year to start and after a few games equally as ready for the year to end. I have never bought into any preseason football hype since.

 

[DAWGS1.sixpack]

What year was it we opened on Labor Day night with Memphis and almost got beat?
It took about one half of football to know we were not even close to being as good as the hype.

 

[DesotoCountyDawg]

2014 and 2018

The way that 13 finished I knew 14 had a chance to be special.

2018 there was so much talent on that team that even with a new coach it looked like they would compete for the west.

 

[fang]

2014 and 2018

The way that 13 finished I knew 14 had a chance to be special.

2018 there was so much talent on that team that even with a new coach it looked like they would compete for the west.

I remember the Merlinz quote after the Florida loss about 'Tailoring your offense to the personnel you have' as a jab to slo-Jo........

 

[IBleedMaroonDawg]

2000
2001
2014
2018
2022

Couldn't resist it

 

[msudawg1200]

2018 for me. What a kick to the balls that year was. We allowed something like 7 defensive TDs all year and managed to lose four games (five if you count the bowl).

And negative yards rushing in the bowl game to Iowa and freaking lost. 1993 is another that hasn't been mentioned. It was year 3 of Jackie coming off of back to back 7-5 bowl seasons. We were preseason #23, and then proceeded to lose to Memphis at home by 10 or so. Lost to LSU by 2 the next week, and we were pretty much done. Finished 3-6-2 with one of the ties being against Arkansas St. We did beat Ole Miss at home in the Egg Bowl, but that was little consolation.

 

[Trojanbulldog19]

2014. Knew we had a chance to be very good. 2018 would have been my all time high had Mullen stayed one more year. When Moorhead was hired and talking about throwing the deep ball I was less enthused.

 

[Trojanbulldog19]

2011. After we pummeled Michigan in the Gator Bowl, I knew we could beat the Patriots in Foxborough in December.

One of my favorite games to have attended

 

[Trojanbulldog19]

2018 for me. What a kick to the balls that year was. We allowed something like 7 defensive TDs all year and managed to lose four games (five if you count the bowl).

Ever time I think back to that season it just pisses me off how we wasted one of the best defenses in college football history. And lost 5 games with the bowl game.

 

[MaxwellSmart]

Same for me. 2001 and 2018 were huge disappointments. 1986, I thought Rocky was the real deal. The 6-1 start had me thinking we were on our way up. We all know what happened after that.

 

[RiceDawg]

2015, 2018, 2019 (for some reason)

 

[MSUDC11]

2000 had its high points but when you consider that we went 8-4 and at one point had double digit leads in all four of our losses…. Yikes.

We beat both division winners handily and then went 2-4 in conference play otherwise. Frustrating for sure.

 

[dog99walker]

Today. Right now. The past is gone. Leach has a house full of players. Arnett has rebuilt the defense. Hail State. Let’s play ball!

 

[dorndawg]

Makes a lot of sense, considering your discernment skillz.

How many user names have you had, ballpark?

 

[msudawg1200]

2000 had its high points but when you consider that we went 8-4 and at one point had double digit leads in all four of our losses…. Yikes.

We beat both division winners handily and then went 2-4 in conference play otherwise. Frustrating for sure.

That Arkansas game with the awful weather, and the way we lost was a huge kick in the balls. It pretty much cost us the SEC West title, and it seemed that Jackie lost his mojo after that game. And yes, I are nachos with extra jalapeños at halftime without anything to drink in order to warm up.

 

[ZombieKissinger]

2018 followed by 2001

 

[Uncle Ruckus]

This is the way.

 

[dawgstudent]

For 2014 and 2018 - I predicted 10-2.

Scroll to the bottom to see the archive of our predictions - https://forums.sixpackspeak.com/forumdisplay.php?6-Preseason-Prognosticators

 

[60sdog]

1958. Had great year in1957, with one of our best QB’s ever, Billy Stacy, coming back in 1958 for his senior year at QB. It all fell apart.

 

[Negative Waves]

1999 and 2001. For 1999, it looked like we would make a run and win the west

again. Bama had been down, and no other school in the west looked unbeatable (with the exception of LSU due to Jackie's inability to beat them. Ironically we won that game!). Turned out to be Jackie's best year but no Atlanta due to the refs screwing us in Tuscaloosa.

2001. Bought Rosebowl's hype. With so many returning starters that year (Madkin, Walker, Miller, etc.) it looked like we would make a run. Then the USC game happened and it was all downhill from there. That team was the antithesis of the 99 team in terms of luck. They lost a lot of games that should have been won (Auburn, USC, BYU, Arkansas, Troy). We even were up by 7 on Bama in the 4th and blew it. Thankfully we beat the Rebels which somewhat salvaged the season.

 

[archdog]

I’ve never been optimistic about MSU football.

Correct answer.

 

[paindonthurt]

We didn’t have a qb

 

[PBRME]

Every season Mullen coached...(yeah I know)

Nothing wrong with that. Wish I could have that confidence in the current staff.