Mississippi State - Looking Past LSU?

When the masochists at MSU's football scheduling office decided to give their Bulldogs 5 days of rest between a road trip to Auburn and a Thurs. night game versus LSU, surely they assumed that the LSU game would be a loss. It's the only explanation. Most teams try to schedule a cupcake or a bye week before a nationally televised matchup against a top-5 team.

Mullin is no fool. He knows how good LSU is. He knows that losing by 50 is a good possibililty whether his team is fresh or not. So why even try? He's not.

The Auburn game exposed MSU fans' high hopes as nothing more than a pipe dream. Mullin knows that his best talent from last year's dream season has moved on to the NFL, and MSU's recruiting has been down in comparison to the rest of his division. Finishing 5th in the West is not only a possibility but a probability.

Knowing this reality, it sets Mullin's focus back where it belongs, out-of-conference. He needs La Tech, UAB, UT Martin, and the all-important Egg bowl to stay bowl-eligible and keep his job. This low standard for success is a foreign concept for the contemporary LSU fan, but remember what MSU is accustomed to: struggling against the likes of Memphis and getting their hearts broken by Maine. Maine!

Despite high hopes this year, the reality is that a sub-tier bowl will placate the Bulldog masses just enough for him to keep his SEC-West coaching salary. Who knows? Maybe one day the rest of the SEC West will be hit with NCAA sanctions, and MSU will actually have a chance to win one year. Or maybe Mullin should just swallow his troublesome integrity and shell out the cash the next time a Cam Newton comes along. Spend enough in recruiting, and then maybe the scheduling masochists will give you a bye week before playing the big dogs.