STARKVILLE — This should be the year the Mississippi State football team’s mountain to climb looks like a bunny hill.
Recently, Southeastern Conference Media Days has brought with it an annual tradition of MSU being projected to finish near the bottom of the SEC Western Division, only to see the Bulldogs outperform those predictions. With eight returning starters on offense and seven more on defense, those projections likely will change for MSU in 2018.
In the last five years, the media poll at SEC Media Days has predicted MSU to finish sixth, fifth, seventh, seventh, and sixth in the SEC West. The Bulldogs finished fifth, second, sixth, sixth, and fourth, outperforming the projection each season.
National projections have been more kind. Phil Steele picked the Bulldogs to finish third in the division behind Alabama and Auburn. Athlon Sports has MSU No. 14 in its preseason top 25 behind No. 1 Alabama and No. 7 Auburn in the division.
Phil Steele also has former Noxubee County High School standout Jeffery Simmons, a defensive tackle, and defensive end Montez Sweat as first-team All-SEC performers. Safety Mark McLaurin is on the second team. Steele rates MSU’s defensive line as the third best in the nation, its linebackers 29th (tied for seventh in the conference), and its defensive backs 18th.
McLaurin and defensive end Gerri Green will represent MSU this week at SEC Media Days.
Nick Fitzgerald is Steele’s fourth-team quarterback, behind Auburn’s Jarrett Stidham, Missouri’s Drew Lock, and Alabama’s Tua Tagovailoa. Fitzgerald will round out MSU’s contingent of players at SEC Media Days contingent. He joins running back and former West Point High standout Aeris Williams on as second-team All-SEC picks on Steele’s preseason squad. Center Elgton Jenkins is on the third team. Right tackle Stewart Reese is on the fourth team.
Rebels picked low despite offense
Athlon Sports and Phil Steele have Starkville native and Ole Miss wide receiver A.J. Brown as a first-team All-SEC and as a first-team All-America performer, but he isn’t enough to take the Rebels high in the projections.
Steele has Ole Miss last in the SEC West and Athlon has it sixth with a 5-7 record (1-7 in the SEC). Steele ranks the Ole Miss’ linebackers the worst in the conference and its defensive line 12th. Defensive tackle Josiah Coatney will represent Ole Miss at SEC Media Days. Center Sean Rawlings and quarterback Jordan Ta’amu will join him.
Steele has offensive lineman Greg Little joining Brown on the first team, wide receiver DK Metcalf as a second team All-SEC selection and tight end Dawson Knox and offensive lineman Javon Patterson on the third team.
Alabama gets respect
Alabama is the preseason No. 1 in the SEC and in the nation by Steele and Athlon. They have center Ross Pierschbacher, offensive tackle Jonah Williams, running back Damien Harris and defensive lineman Raekwon Davis as All-Americans. Harris and Pierschbacher will be joined by linebacker Anfernee Jennings at SEC Media Days.
Both project Alabama to beat Georgia in the SEC Championship Game. Both project Alabama to win the national championship. Steele predicts Alabama will beat Washington in the semifinals and Clemson in the national championship game. Athlon projects the same national championship result, but it has Alabama beating Ohio State in the semifinals.
Follow Dispatch sports writer Brett Hudson on Twitter @Brett_Hudson
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