Jackson Free Press

In the preseason, I picked UM to go 5-7, but five wins might be hard to reach at this point. With a season record of 2-5 and games to play against Auburn and LSU, it seems unlikely Ole Miss will make a bowl game. They are still alive, but they can only afford to lose to LSU and have a postseason chance.

Southern Miss will look back at this season and regret that head-scratching loss to Marshall, wondering what might have been. Still, the Golden Eagles are 6-1 and are on pace to play for the Conference USA title.

If two teams from this state are going to make a bowl game, the next best chance is Mississippi State. The Bulldogs are facing their last stand of the season over the next five games.

First up is Kentucky after an off week. The Wildcats have the same 3-4 record the Bulldogs do, and this game is pivotal for MSU. If they win against Kentucky, the Bulldogs get back to .500 at 4-4 on the season.

Mississippi State needs to find its identity against Kentucky. MSU can't decide if it wants to be a running team under Chris Relf or a passing team under Tyler Russell. Seven games into the season is too far down the road to find an identity.

The Bulldogs should come out of the bout against Tennessee-Martin Nov. 5 on a two-game winning streak. A win would get MSU to 5-4 and one game away from bowl eligibility.

Next up is an interesting game for the Bulldogs: On Nov. 12, they get Alabama after the Crimson Tide faces LSU in the matchup of the year. Win or lose, this could be a trap game for Alabama at Starkville. Alabama could spend a lot of emotion against LSU. Can MSU take advantage of that and steal a win? That is something they have been unable to this season.

Mississippi State travels to Arkansas in a pivotal game Nov. 19. If MSU beats Alabama (highly unlikely), they will have the six wins needed for a bowl berth. At this point they will be trying to strengthen their bowl slot. A loss to Alabama (much more likely), and the Bulldogs will still be searching for that sixth win here. If MSU loses, it will come down to the Egg Bowl for MSU to get six wins.

Everything hinges on Saturday's game. Kentucky is the key.

Previous Comments

ID

165288

Comment

Kendall, If I remember correctly, there were six turnovers by USM. It is hard to beat any team with six turnovers, even a bad one. But your also right about the rest. USM should handle UTEP this Saturday. I say should but with USM there is always games they should win that they blow.

Author

Bryan Flynn

Date

2011-10-28T12:08:36-06:00