What Are Reasonable Expectations For Mississippi State Football In 2018?

AUBURN, AL - SEPTEMBER 30: Defensive back Johnathan Abram #38 of the Mississippi State Bulldogs attempts to tackle wide receiver Ryan Davis #23 of the Auburn Tigers at Jordan-Hare Stadium on September 30, 2017 in Auburn, Alabama. (Photo by Michael Chang/Getty Images)
AUBURN, AL - SEPTEMBER 30: Defensive back Johnathan Abram #38 of the Mississippi State Bulldogs attempts to tackle wide receiver Ryan Davis #23 of the Auburn Tigers at Jordan-Hare Stadium on September 30, 2017 in Auburn, Alabama. (Photo by Michael Chang/Getty Images)
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AUBURN, AL – SEPTEMBER 30: Defensive back Johnathan Abram #38 of the Mississippi State Bulldogs attempts to tackle wide receiver Ryan Davis #23 of the Auburn Tigers at Jordan-Hare Stadium on September 30, 2017 in Auburn, Alabama. (Photo by Michael Chang/Getty Images)
AUBURN, AL – SEPTEMBER 30: Defensive back Johnathan Abram #38 of the Mississippi State Bulldogs attempts to tackle wide receiver Ryan Davis #23 of the Auburn Tigers at Jordan-Hare Stadium on September 30, 2017 in Auburn, Alabama. (Photo by Michael Chang/Getty Images)

What should Mississippi State football fans expect within reason for the 2018 football season?

The college football season is coming soon. We’re halfway into the month of May, spring football has wrapped up and the college football offseason is here. Mississippi State football fans have high expectations heading into the 2018 season, but many outside of Mississippi don’t seem to know what to make of MSU this season.

Joe Moorhead is probably being underrated. There seems to be no agreement about where to rank the Bulldogs in preseason polls. And, well, there’s no real consensus of how good Mississippi State is going to be this season.

The Bulldogs return a lot and will feature a loaded roster, but they still play in the Southeastern Conference and will have to contend with some of the nation’s best teams. Beyond that, in their own division sits teams like Alabama, LSU, Auburn, and Texas A&M.

All of those teams could be tough for MSU in 2018.

Despite all of that, Mississippi State has a path to 9 or more wins in 2018, Nick Fitzgerald is poised to break all sorts of school records, and ESPN’s Football Power Index has the Bulldogs favored in 10 of their 12 games this year.

What should MSU fans expect for this season?

It has the makings of a historic year for the Bulldogs. But, what will it really turn out to be? How good will Mississippi State’s offense be under first year head coach Joe Moorhead? Will Bob Shoop’s defense be enough in the SEC?

All stats via Sports-Reference.com