And realize something else about MSU - do you realize that might actually be a BETTER TEAM this year and not even come close to their fun of last year? It's one thing to do that when you sneak up on everyone - it's another thing altogether to do it when folks are gunning for you. (This is what makes our three in four so phenomenally wonderful).
In 2010, Auburn snuck up on everybody. The next year one can argue they were basically "regressing to the mean" of what Auburn football is. In 2012, they sunk so low that nobody took them seriously - and the result was a BCSNCG in 2013. Last year, folks took them seriously again and they went right back to being Auburn. Not only did they go right back to their normal 8-5, but they should have lost the Ole Miss game (without the most freak injury at the most consequential time perhaps in history). Plus, K-State would have beaten them had they had a kicking game and South Carolina would probably have won had it been in Williams-Brice.
My point being that teams are what they are and you can actually be BETTER than the previous year and yet have a worse record because you cannot sneak up on people. MSU was unbeaten going into the 2012 Alabama game - something none of them expected and several even told me they'd find out how good they were against us. It turned out......not so great. Then they regressed to slightly above the normal in 2013 but got hot at the end. Then - in 2014 - they had a talented team, got a few breaks, and played slightly above their abilities and with enthusiasm.
Go back and look at how much more pressure they were under when they nearly lost to UK (who was not very good at all) and then did lose to us compared to when they were beating LSU and Auburn. Since Dak is back, I expect MSU to be a pretty good team this year, but in the SEC West only four plays often separates the division champion from the leader of the bottom half.
I fully expect Auburn to be a 9-4 or 8-5 team this year and the calls for Malzahn's scalp will begin. They don't have a week off after October 10 and their schedule coming down the stretch is AT Arkansas, hosting Ole Miss, AT aTm, and hosting UGA. This is after they've already opened against Louisville and then played AT LSU and hosted MSU in September.
Anything less than 10-2 and the natives get restless. You watch, especially if they lose early. This is a team that fired (er, he resigned but only to avoid being fired) their greatest ever coach only 2 years after he had them at #3 in the nation (he bought time by beating us four years in a row, 1986-89, and taking the Iron Bowl to JHS), fired another coach six games after he won their first-ever SEC West title, and fired yet another only two seasons removed from a national championship.
He'll probably make it into next year even with a four-loss year, but calls for his head will arise immediately, especially if we're back on track. MSU? They'll keep Mullen there as long as they get a decent bowl game and beat Ole Miss every other year or so.
