15 Reasons To Be Excited For The 2018 Mississippi State Football Season

STARKVILLE, MS - OCTOBER 21: Garrett Johnson #9 of the Kentucky Wildcats catches a pass as Maurice Smitherman #31 of the Mississippi State Bulldogs tackles him during the first half of a NCAA football game at Davis Wade Stadium on October 21, 2017 in Starkville, Mississippi. (Photo by Butch Dill/Getty Images)
STARKVILLE, MS - OCTOBER 21: Garrett Johnson #9 of the Kentucky Wildcats catches a pass as Maurice Smitherman #31 of the Mississippi State Bulldogs tackles him during the first half of a NCAA football game at Davis Wade Stadium on October 21, 2017 in Starkville, Mississippi. (Photo by Butch Dill/Getty Images)
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STARKVILLE, MS – SEPTEMBER 10: Nick Fitzgerald #7, Gerri Green #4 and Torrey Dale #49 of the Mississippi State Bulldogs celebrate with fans after a game against the South Carolina Gamecocks at Davis Wade Stadium on September 10, 2016 in Starkville, Mississippi. The Bulldogs defeated the Gamecocks 27-14. (Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images)
STARKVILLE, MS – SEPTEMBER 10: Nick Fitzgerald #7, Gerri Green #4 and Torrey Dale #49 of the Mississippi State Bulldogs celebrate with fans after a game against the South Carolina Gamecocks at Davis Wade Stadium on September 10, 2016 in Starkville, Mississippi. The Bulldogs defeated the Gamecocks 27-14. (Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images)

Mississippi State football could be spectacular in 2018 and fans have plenty of reasons to be excited this year

The Mississippi State football team is gaining more and more attention as we creep closer to football season. The Bulldogs have a team with plenty of experience and talent that is ready to make a leap in the West Division of the incredibly loaded Southeastern Conference.

That leap won’t be an easy one to make.

The Mississippi State football team won nine games a season ago. Eight of those wins came in the regular season, and that’s a pretty good year for a team in the midst of what is arguably the toughest division in all of college football.

But Mississippi State could have won more last year and they could have played better in a couple of their losses.

MSU lost its rivalry game at the end of the season after a low tackle by the Ole Miss Rebels crushed Nick Fitzgerald’s ankle. Mississippi State attempted a late comeback and came within three points of the Rebels but ultimately fell short.

This is a game that MSU could have, and probably should have, won.

In notably larger games against much better teams than Ole Miss, the Bulldogs were blown out twice last year. Auburn and Georgia beat MSU up and down in back to back weeks in games that weren’t even remotely close. Mississippi State should have played better in those losses, but they didn’t.

Now, MSU is hoping to move forward. The Bulldogs have plenty of reasons to think that they can contend with the best in the SEC. There’s plenty of reasons for Mississippi State football fans to be excited about this season.

Let’s dive into them right now.

All stats via HailState.com