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Mississippi State football finishes 2018 season unranked in AP poll

By Ethan Lee

TAMPA, FL - JANUARY 01: Ihmir Smith-Marsette #6 of the Iowa Hawkeyes makes a catch during the 2019 Outback Bowl against the Mississippi State Bulldogs at Raymond James Stadium on January 1, 2019 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)
TAMPA, FL - JANUARY 01: Ihmir Smith-Marsette #6 of the Iowa Hawkeyes makes a catch during the 2019 Outback Bowl against the Mississippi State Bulldogs at Raymond James Stadium on January 1, 2019 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images) /
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Well, the final rankings of the year weren’t all that kind to the Mississippi State football team.

The 2018 Mississippi State football season ended with a thud. The first year of Joe Moorhead’s stint in Starkville wasn’t what anyone hoped that it might be. Moorhead was talking about championships and then the season ended with an 8-5 record.

And, after the Mississippi State football team began the year ranked in the AP poll, the Bulldogs finished the season on the outside looking in.

Mississippi State began the year with promise and potential and ultimately ended the year as a team receiving votes (the 28th ranked team in the country) after losing a mistake filled Outback Bowl 27-22 to the Iowa Hawkeyes.

Here’s what the full rankings in the final edition of the 2018 college football AP poll look like:

1: Clemson

2: Alabama

3: Ohio State

4: Oklahoma

5: Notre Dame

6: LSU

7: Georgia

7: Florida

9: Texas

10: Washington State

11: Central Florida

12: Kentucky

13: Washington

14: Michigan

15: Syracuse

16: Texas A&M

17: Penn State

18: Fresno State

19: Army

20: West Virginia

21: Northwestern

22: Utah State

23: Boise State

24: Cincinnati

25: Iowa

Before getting into how infuriating that the Mississippi State football team ended the year unranked, let’s take a look at some highlights from the final AP poll of the season.

  1. Florida and Georgia are tied in the rankings. Could you imagine how awkward it would be if Ole Miss and Mississippi State were both ranked No. 7?
  2. Central Florida finished the year at No. 11, unsuccessfully defending their national title from a year ago.
  3. Texas ended the year in the top 10 after getting 10 wins this year. Are the Longhorns officially back?

Now onto why MSU fans have a right to be frustrated:

The Bulldogs, after their head coach talked about championships all off season, didn’t even finish the year as a ranked team in the AP poll. Joe Moorhead is going to have to significantly improve his team if it’s going to live up to the lofty expectations that he’s set for himself in Starkville.

Next. Mississippi State basketball news and notes: Bulldogs drop SEC opener. dark

There’s still a chance that the Bulldogs will succeed with Moorhead leading things. There’s still a chance that the Bulldogs will achieve new heights with him at the helm. However, year one was a disappointment. It had the talent to compete for the SEC West. MSU likely would have with Dan Mullen. Joe Moorhead still has a lot to learn and room to grow. Hopefully he improves quickly.

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