Zach Arnett: A lot of people don't think much of our roster, coaching staff

As of Tuesday, the preseason SEC media poll has not been released in Nashville. But when it does, Mississippi State is expected to be in the lower half of the West. In fact, head coach Zach Arnett could find his team in dead last of the division, setting low expectations in Year One.

Many coaches would pretend to ignore the outside noise, especially in the summer. Arnett is the opposite, understanding nobody has faith in Mississippi State. Whether it’s the roster or coaching staff, Arnett knows there will be doubters this season.

“You work year-round in this business for 12 guaranteed opportunities,” Arnett said via The Paul Finebaum Show. “They pretty much come from the first of September and in our case, until Thanksgiving. If you play good enough, you get one more game. We’re ready to get to work. I think our players are excited. We got a veteran, returning squad coming back.

“A lot of people are counting us out to some extent or don’t think much about our roster or don’t think much about our coaching staff either. So, we’re ready to get to work and play some football.”

Those “12 guaranteed opportunities” will begin on Sept. 2 against Southeastern Louisiana and end on Thanksgiving Day against Ole Miss. In between, you will find Arizona in the nonconference, the tough-as-always SEC West, plus Kentucky and South Carolina as East crossover opponents.

For a program undergoing transitions, the schedule is not doing them any favors. Especially for a first-time head coach who only has three years of experience in the SEC — all as a defensive coordinator.

But Arnett knows they cannot control thoughts occurring in July. Mississippi State is just going to put its head down once the season begins and make sure they are ready to play this upcoming fall.

“I think in reality, it’s what you hear in every football building,” Arnett said. “We only worry about things we can control. Control the controllable. We have absolutely no say in preseason polls. We have a big say in how we prepare, how we show up every day to go to work, and how prepared we are first game of the year.

“That’s a beautiful thing about this sport. Eventually, you’re going to put the ball down, you’re going to play football, and the team that plays the best is going to win. We control how we get ready for that.”