Mississippi State Football 2016 SEC West Prediction: 4th

Sep 12, 2015; Starkville, MS, USA; Mississippi State Bulldogs cheerleaders during the game between the LSU Tigers and the Mississippi State Bulldogs at Davis Wade Stadium. LSU defeated Mississippi State 21-19. Mandatory Credit: Matt Bush-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 12, 2015; Starkville, MS, USA; Mississippi State Bulldogs cheerleaders during the game between the LSU Tigers and the Mississippi State Bulldogs at Davis Wade Stadium. LSU defeated Mississippi State 21-19. Mandatory Credit: Matt Bush-USA TODAY Sports

With Spring Practice in full swing, I make my annual SEC predictions for the upcoming 2016 football season.

I’ve reached where I think our beloved Mississippi State football team will finish during the 2016 football season. It’s a year without all-everything player Dak Prescott. Do the Bulldogs go off the cliff or do they keep their winning ways going under Dan Mullen?

OpponentHome or AwayPredicted OutcomeWinsLossesSEC WinsSEC Losses
South Alabama JaguarsHomeWin1
South Carolina GamecocksHomeWin21
LSU TigersAwayLoss11
Umass MinutemenAwayWin3
Auburn TigersHomeWin42
BYU CougarsAwayLoss2
Kentucky WildcatsAwayWin53
Samford BulldogsHomeWin6
Texas A&M AggiesHomeWin74
Alabama Crimson TideAwayLoss32
Arkansas RazorbacksHomeWin85
Ole Miss RebelsAwayLoss43
Overall 8-4, SEC 5-3

I haven’t spent a lot of time breaking down the teams when I give my predictions because this is a site dedicated to Mississippi State football and other Mississippi State sports. Since this one is about the Bulldogs, I’m going to go a little bit further in detail

First things first, my biggest concern isn’t that the Mississippi State football team won’t get solid production from the quarterback position, I’m worried they won’t get it from one player. All four quarterbacks on the roster are going to make a serious run at being the guy, and I believe all will be somewhat equally successful. And if that happens, Mullen is going to put them on quarterback merry-go-round. That’s my fear.

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From a scheduling standpoint, if the Mississippi State Bulldogs can figure a way to get out of Baton Rouge with a win, then this team could go on a run the way the 2014 Mississippi State football team did. There are a lot of favorable games at home. The only other game that worries me before Alabama is the game on a Friday night against BYU in Provo.

The previous two years, I’ve predicted a Wild Card for the SEC West. A team I could see having a really special year or a terrible season. This year, I think it is our own Mississippi State football team. If Dan Mullen settles on one guy to be the quarterback, and whoever he chooses is pretty good, this team has a chance to make some serious noise in the SEC West.

If he doesn’t and there is a revolving door at the position, getting to bowl eligibility will be a problem. There are a lot of possibilities on the table for the Bulldogs in 2016. We’ll see which ones pan out.