FiveDimes recently released over/under regular season win totals for college football teams.

Here is an early season look at the Mississippi State Bulldogs in the SEC.

Over/under

FiveDimes has Mississippi State at seven regular season wins. Last year, the Bulldogs went 10-2 in the regular season. The line features a better return on the over at -110, while the under is at -130.

The upside

Heisman Trophy contender Dak Prescott is back. That’s something head coach Dan Mullen can work with.

Other than that, Mullen will have to look hard for anything else to work with.

Prescott led the Bulldogs to a 10-2 regular season last year with their only two losses in the regular season to Alabama and Mississippi. The Bulldogs finished on a sour note with two losses in their final two games (against the Rebels and Georgia Tech in the bowl game), but with Prescott, the Bulldogs should be able to mask some holes that will occur this season.

If the Bulldogs can navigate through the first weekend of October, they shouldn’t be tested again until November. Mississippi State will square off against Troy, Louisiana Tech and Kentucky at home during October. The Wildcats will be much improved, meaning that isn’t as much of a gimme as in years past, but Mississippi State should still be a favorite in that game to go along with those other match-ups.

The downside

Where do you start?

The Bulldogs will have to replace 15 starters from last year. And these aren’t just a running back here or an outside linebacker here. These holes are up front.

The Bulldogs lost three starters on their offensive line, meaning that Prescott will be forced to make quicker decisions, and the holes won’t be near as large as last season. Mullen likely has athletes ready, but in the SEC, especially with the early season schedule, he doesn’t have time for his new starters to get adjusted.

The Bulldogs will be heavily favored in two of its first five games. In the next three, Mississippi State may not be favored in one of them. In the season’s second game, LSU will travel to Mississippi. In weeks four and five, trips to Auburn and Texas A&M are on the docket.

After a softer October, November happens with trips to Missouri and much-improved Arkansas, and home games against Mississippi and Alabama.

Ouch.

The verdict

This isn’t last year’s Mississippi State squad. Football isn’t all about the quarterback. That position is the most important, but Prescott needs pieces around him to be successful. That’s just not going to happen this year.

The Bulldogs have four very likely victories on their schedule. Other than that, it’s a crap shoot, and it may not be pretty this year for Mississippi State. The SEC is rugged and the Bulldogs are just too inexperienced to compete. Feel confident in the under when making that bet.

 

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