MSU Bulldogs look to rebuild

EDITOR’S NOTE: This is the eighth in a series of previews of the 2016 SEC football teams:
MISSISSIPPI STATE:
What difference can one man make?
Mississippi State fans are about to find out as the Bulldogs attempt to move on without Dak Prescott.
Prescott threw for 3,793 yards and 29 touchdowns last season and added 588 yards and ten more scores on the ground.
The Bulldogs will need back-up Nick Fitzgerald to step up for MSU to be sucessful this season.
Damian Williams, Elijah Staley or Nick Tiano could also see action as coach Dan Mullen has played multiple quarterbacks before.
Which ever quarterback starts, he will have Fred Ross (88 catches, 1,007 yards, 5 TDs) and Donald Gray to throw to - both very talented receivers.
Brandon Holloway, Aeris Williams and Ashton Shumpert need to run well to take the pressure off the MSU passing game.
Three starters return along an offensive line that gave up 32 sacks (including nine alone to Alabama) last season; so the the group up front has to improve.
New defensive coordinator Peter Sirmon will install a 3-4 defense with the hopes the Bulldog defense will also improve in 2016.
A.J. Jefferson is a proven pass rusher and recorded 5.0 sacks and 13.5 tackles-for-loss.
Linebacker Richie Brown will line up as one of the middle linebackers.
He led the team with 109 tackles and 6.5 sacks during his junior campaign.
Will Coleman will move to the hybrid position after playing defensive end last year. He has the versatility to rush the passer or drop into coverage.
The secondary is talented with Tolando Cleveland, Cedric Jiles, Mark McLaurin and Kivon Coman
But sophomore safety Brandon Bryant is the star of the unit. Bryant recorded 63 tackles and a team high three interceptions as a freshman.
Last season, MSU finished 9-4 overall, 4-4 in the SEC.
Nine wins may be hard to earn this season and 4-4 in the league could easily happen again in 2016.
Mississippi State opens with home games against South Alabama and South Carolina before making trips to LSU and UMass.
So the Bulldogs could be 3-1 or at worst 2-2 heading into October.
After taking on Auburn, the Bulldogs travel to Bringham Young and Kentucky before returning home to face Samford.
So again, 3-1 or 2-2 in October puts MSU at 6-2 or 4-4 before their final stretch.
A win over Texas A&M could be the last victory of the regular season as the Bulldogs close with battles against Alabama, Arkansas and Ole Miss.
So do the math...
At best the Bulldogs finish 7-5 and return to a bowl game for the seventh straight season.
At worst, MSU struggles and drops to 5-7 – its first losing season since 2009 – Mullen’s first season at Starkville.
If the SEC media is correct, Mississippi State should finish last in the SEC West.
Bulldog fans can take heart though as the SEC media’s preseason champion selection has ultimately won the title only five times since the voting began in 1992.
But I think they are right as MSU will be closer to the bottom of the West than the top.