2015
Mississippi State
College Football
Betting Preview
Odds and Schedule
Everyone knows the SEC West is the toughest division in football and that can be seen in early season predictions. At places, Mississippi State is projected as a Top 25 team, but in others they are seen as the seventh-best team in the West. There isn’t much room for failure in this division and that’s evident. So why is the team with probably the best quarterback in the Conference so unpredictable?
5 dimes sportsbook has Miss State listed at odds of 80 to 1 to win the National Title and 16 to 1 to win the SEC.
Dak Prescott can only take the Bulldogs so far and that was clear last year after three late-season losses with a loaded roster. That team was gutted in the offseason and there will be a lot of new faces starting. The offense returns only Four starters, Presott included, and three starters are gone from the offensive line. For Prescott to mirror last season’s success or even surpass it, the offensive line has to be stable and consistent. The offense also loses Josh Robinson, the bowling ball of a running back. Their spring Game didn’t help in deciding who’s going to takeover in the backfield, so it’ll be anyone’s guess who is starting for the first Game between Ashton Shumpert, Dontavian Lee and Aeris Williams.
Prescott will still have some of his favorite receivers to work with and that should help the process with De’Runnya Wilson and Fred Ross back. Ross even got a couple carries in the spring Game working out of the slot, so they want to get him the ball often.
The defense is another question with coordinator Geoff Collins gone to Florida. Mississippi State brought in former DC Manny Diaz who spent a few years at Texas and is coming over from Louisiana Tech.
They are nowhere near as deep as they were a season ago, but that’s not to say the Bulldogs don’t have talent. The defensive line lost a lot of its top guys, but Ryan Brown is still there on the end and highly-touted recruit Chris Jones steps into a starting role. They lost their inside linebacker and leader, but Richie Brown should come in nicely after seeing plenty of time last season. The problem is that there isn’t the same kind of depth this season. They defense was one of the best in 2014, but matching that will be tough.
Early in the season, Mississippi State will lean on Prescott as much as possible, especially for their second Game against LSU. If they lose that one, it could be a rough season. Their next two SEC Games are followed by road contests at Auburn and Texas A&M. The Bulldogs do get a somewhat favorable East slate with Kentucky and Missouri. Closing the season with Alabama, Arkansas and Ole Miss could easily be three losses if the defense doesn’t reach last year’s levels. The Bulldogs can reach double-digit wins again, but that seems like a stretch unless Prescott can become a better decision maker. That’s not out of the question, but even then, the defense still has work to do.
2015 Mississippi State Football Schedule
Sept. 5 at Southern Miss
Sept 12 vs. LSU
Sept. 19 vs. Northwestern State
Sept. 26 at Auburn
Oct. 3 at Texas A&M
Oct. 10 vs. Troy
Oct. 17 vs. LA Tech
Oct. 24 vs. Kentucky
Nov. 5 at Missouri
Nov. 14 vs. Alabama
Nov. 21 at Arkansas
Nov. 28 vs. Ole Miss