Here's how the media members that cover Mississippi State football see the season playing out

Cowbell Corner's Joel Coleman explains his predictions and reasoning

A dozen members of the media that cover Mississippi State football on a regular basis have weighed in on how they see the 2020 season playing out for the Bulldogs. The poll was discussed on the Friday edition of SuperTalk Mississippi's Thunder & Lightning podcast. CLICK HERE TO LISTEN or find the show wherever you listen to podcasts.

Here's how the 12 participants in the survey see things shaking out:

As you can see, half of those polled believe MSU is headed for a 5-5 season. Those highest on the Bulldogs say they'll go 6-4 in 2020, while one media member has State notching just a 3-7 mark.

Cowbell Corner's Joel Coleman has Mississippi State finishing 5-5. Here's a quick breakdown of that prediction and all of Coleman's answers in the poll:

What will MSU's regular season record be? 

Coleman: 5-5. As we sit here today, I consider Mississippi State the favorite against Arkansas, Vanderbilt, Ole Miss and Missouri. Kentucky is a toss-up, but I believe the Bulldogs will find a way to either win that game or pull off an upset over Auburn or Texas A&M. Or even at LSU for that matter given how much the Tigers have lost since last year's national title season.

What would you have predicted the record to be on the original schedule?

Coleman: 8-4. Again, I think State would've notched conference wins over Arkansas, Ole Miss and Missouri, then found a way to win one of the others. Three of the four non-conference games were almost certain wins, while I expected the Bulldogs to get a big early-season win at N.C. State. We'll never know for sure now, but yes, I think MSU would've went 8-4 on the original slate.

Will K.J. Costello throw for more than 3,500 yards?

Coleman: Yes. Washington State, under Leach, averaged 437.2 yards per game passing last season. For Costello to reach 3,500 yards, he'll of course need to average 350 per game for the Bulldogs. Now do I think he'll have an off game or two when playing an all-SEC schedule? Yes. But I could also see him having monster games against Arkansas or Ole Miss or Missouri to make up for it. Remember, he'll probably be getting north of 40 pass attempts every game. So yes, I think he'll crack 3,500 assuming he remains healthy and plays all 10 games.

Will MSU have a 1,000-yard receiver?

Coleman: No. It's amazing we're even considering this given that State hasn't had even a 500-yard receiver since 2016, but such is life now under Leach. It bears mentioning that Washington State did have a 1,000-yard receiver a year ago. But given that MSU doesn't have that one, star-caliber receiver, it seems more likely that the Bulldogs will have a bunch of receivers in the 500-800-yard range. Last year, Washington State had seven receivers with more than 500 yards and I could easily see Osirus Mitchell, JaVonta Payton, Austin Williams, Kylin Hill and several others cracking that number. But I just don't think any of them quite rack up 1,000 yards through the air. The receiving yardage will be evenly distributed amongst State's pass catchers.

Will MSU's defense finish in the top half of the SEC?

Coleman: No. And in my opinion, this was the easiest question to answer. It's not that I don't believe in defensive coordinator Zach Arnett. I think Arnett is a great coach. Look at some of the numbers his past defenses have put up. I just think State is too young and unproven this year to get in the top half of defenses in this league. I mean, go ahead and try to draw me up a two-deep for State on defense. Even if you can do it, there's a whole lot of uncertainty there. Now could there be some diamonds in the rough that step up out of nowhere and shine? Sure. But State is going to need several of those kinds of guys to have a top-tier defense. Depth up front is a concern. At linebacker, it's Erroll Thompson and then a bunch of guys that have to prove themselves. In the secondary, that's the biggest concern on this team in my opinion. I will say this. If I'm wrong and the defense is in the top half of SEC units, State might can win 7 games.

What game are you predicting MSU to win that they COULD lose?

Coleman: As stated earlier, I think MSU's wins will be Arkansas, Vanderbilt, Ole Miss, Missouri and, I'll say Kentucky. So which of those five games could Mississippi State most likely lose? I think it's no question the game at Kentucky. Mark Stoops has built the Wildcats into an incredibly solid program and they should be pretty good again this year. The Egg Bowl is also dangerous for MSU. It wouldn't shock me if Ole Miss tops State in Oxford. For now though, I think it's more likely the Dogs would lose in Lexington.

What game are you predicting MSU to lose that they COULD win?

Coleman: LSU. Right now, I have MSU's five losses as Alabama, Georgia, LSU, Texas A&M and Auburn. Amazingly, I really feel like State's best chance to win a game in those five comes against the defending national champs. It's because they no longer resemble the team that won the title game a year ago. Heisman winner Joe Burrow is gone. Offensive mastermind assistant coach Joe Brady is gone. The NFL Draft took away a ton of talent. It seems a new Tiger is opting out of playing this season every day. Combine all that with how LSU is the first game of the year and might be trying to figure things out and I think the Bulldogs have a decent chance to roll into Baton Rouge and pull off a Week 1 upset. Keep in mind too that the atmosphere in Death Valley should't be all that intimidating given expected crowd restrictions. I don't know if State will win it. In fact, there's no way I'd pick them to right now. But they could. And if another Tiger or two opts out, look out.

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