5 Bold Predictions for the Bulldogs in 2014

In the spirit of making predictions, I decided to jump on the bandwagon and do some myself. I’m limiting these to Mississippi State, so if you are looking for SEC related predictions or predictions about college football, you’re out of luck.

Prediction #1: Mississippi State will lead the SEC in rushing

This is a result of the fact that I believe that Mississippi State will have to be a run dominant team to have a special season that has at least 9 wins. The more we run the ball, the better our chances of winning will be. My deep concern is that ever since 2012, Dan Mullen likes to have a balanced attack of as close to a 50/50 split on run pass plays. All signs point to Dak Prescott being an improved passer this season, but we have too many talented running backs, and an extremely athletic running quarterback to throw the ball 50% of the time. If we are going to win, it’s going to be because we commit to the run. And don’t expect 30 yard rushes to be the norm. Our system is designed to chew up 4 or 5 yards at a time. That’s why it will be important to keep third down to no more than 4 or 5 yards.

Prediction #2: The Bulldog defense will be the best in the SEC

That is probably a really bold statement, especially when you have LSU, Alabama, Georgia, and South Carolina all in the SEC. The one thing that a lot of people forget is that the Bulldogs led the league last year in forcing three and outs, and that number should only get better this season. Combine the experience and talent that the defense has with the ball control style offense we plan to run, and you have the recipe for the opposing teams not getting a lot of opportunities to do much with the ball. The defense, more so than anything, will determine how good of a year we have. If they are forcing three and outs, and keeping the opposing teams inside their own territory consistently, then be prepared for the Bulldogs to have a really good year.

Prediction #3: Jameon Lewis will have more than 1,500 yards rushing and receiving

Jameon Lewis is not getting the respect that the leading returning receiver in the league should get. He is an extremely versatile player that can hurt teams in a variety of ways. Look for Dan Mullen to find ways to get the ball to Jameon Lewis both through the passing game and in the running game. The more we work the ball to Jameon, the more the offense will open up for the rest of the skill position players.

Prediction #4: Mississippi State will have an opportunity to upset LSU and Alabama

I don’t know that we will upset either team, but I think we will buck two trends. The first is that our games with LSU always end up as blowouts, and the second is that when we play Alabama in Tuscaloosa we get creamed as well. Those come to an end at least for one year this year. I also think that as the fourth quarter is ticking away in both games, the Bulldogs will be in a position to spring the upset. It might be that we have to force a stop to get the ball back to take the lead, or we have the ball on the final drive with a chance to win the game. Those are going to be the most difficult games to win all year, and I think the Bulldogs will have a chance, and if they have a chance, who knows what will happen.

Prediction #5: If the Bulldogs win 10 games, Dak Prescott will be in New York

If you are a believer that Dak Prescott is a legitimate Heisman contender and not just a Dark Horse contender, then I firmly believe that the magic number to get Dak to  New York is 10. Heisman contenders not only have to have special seasons when it comes to statistics, they have to have special seasons when it comes to wins. Anything less than 10 is probably not going to cut it for the voters. I have said all along that 9 wins needs to happen this year, 10 will be tough. Just because it will be tough doesn’t mean it is impossible. If the Bulldogs can find a way to ten wins, that means Dak will have had a special season and have been a big part of it. The Bulldogs will have won at least three games that were swing games or games they weren’t supposed to win. They won’t be able to do that without a special performance from Dak Prescott. So if the Bulldogs can get to 10 wins, Dak Prescott will no longer be considered a Dark Horse contender, he’ll be considered a finalist.