Which up-and-coming SEC West rival worries you more: Arkansas or Alabama?

Here's a front-page article Rivals.com ran on Petrino's Arkansas program, titled "Arkansas QB excited about new offense"...

http://collegefootball.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=802793

Basically, it says that QB Dick had an exciting showing at their spring game, and he is going to be key to Petrino's success with Arkansas next season.

Also, I didn't realize that possible mega-star QB Ryan Mallet transferred to Arkansas from Michigan because he didn't feel it would be a good idea to play for a Rich Rodriguez-coached team. All Mallet has to do is sit out next season before he his eligible to play (and he has three years of eligibility left).

 

I am curious to see how Petrino recruits. He was able to take some players that were top talent but were questionable for other top schools at Louisville.

I think he is a hell of a coach and will do better than most think, and I have no doubt he will get talent in there...but how he recruits against the West is what intrigues me. I am equally interested in Houston Nutt at Ole Miss.

 

How do we know they're up and coming?

 

Mississippi State

They have taken down Auburn, Alabama, and Florida recently. We have won 8 straight on them and outscored them 380-81 in those games (38 of those 81 came from one game). They will win one eventually and are much more likely to sneak up on us than any other West team.

In the long run? I dunno.

 

Arkansas beat us last year and it took a couple miracles plays to beat Bama last year. Petrino is a step up from Nutt. Saban? Well, heck, there are Tiger fans who believe he is the One responsible for making LSU great.

 

Miss State is an embarrassment to the SEC West. I want them kicked out and replaced by Texas A&M (or Texas).

Here are the number of players per SEC team taken in the 2000 to 2008 drafts:

SEC WEST FIRST ROUND PICKS THIS DECADE
LSU 8
Arkansas 6
Auburn 6
Mississippi 4
Alabama 2
Mississippi State 0

SEC EAST FIRST ROUND PICKS THIS DECADE
Tennessee 9
Georgia 8
Florida 8
South Carolina 4
Vanderbilt 2
Kentucky 1


SEC WEST OVERALL DRAFT PICKS THIS DECADE
LSU 43
Auburn 33
Alabama 31
Arkansas 28
Mississippi 18
Mississippi State 16

SEC EAST OVERALL DRAFT PICKS THIS DECADE
Tennessee 53
Georgia 49
Florida 47
South Carolina 21
Kentucky 13
Vanderbilt 11

http://nfldraft.rivals.com/content.asp?SID=1164&CID=800827#6

 

Mississippi State had a good team but Sherrill put Croom in a big hole. Croom could have kept winning with drug dealing JUCO thugs but he chose to do it the right way...and that takes time. Especially with a mediocre program that is tough to recruit to doign it the right way. But they have never laid down and have always been a tough, physical team to play throughout the years, and will only get better.

 

You have to be kidding me. THey hung with us for the beginning of the game LAST YEAR! You don't think this is a team on the rise?

John I am always respectful but you are wrong here, this team had some horrible times but is on its way up right now. I hope they NEVER beat us (like I hope nobody does) but the reality is we better keep our eyes open when we play them or you may be eating your own words in a really horrible way.

 

Miss State is a disgrace. A loss to them will be a dark, dark day as a Tiger Fan. Since 1985, we have been 20-3 vs. them -- they beat us in '99 (when we finished 3-8), '91 (when we finished 5-6) and in '90 (when we finished 5-6).

 

I feel you on the not-over-looking-your-opponents thing. And yes, if we aren't careful, Miss State will have there day against us one random blue moon.

But, I think you are getting Miss State confused with Ole Miss. Ole Miss hung with us last year in the game before we pulled away from them. Ole Miss is a legit upset that is always waiting to happen, IMO.

But last year, with Miss State, we blew them out of the water right from the start. There was no hanging with us. We beat them 45-0. We had 347 yards, they had 146. We made them look like a joke.