All for Tennessee
Fansided

Preseason SEC Power Rankings for 2019: Should Vols start in bottom tier?

By Caleb Calhoun

KNOXVILLE, TN - SEPTEMBER 08: Head coach Jeremy Pruitt of the Tennessee Volunteers brings his team onto the field prior to a game against the East Tennessee State University Buccaneers at Neyland Stadium on September 8, 2018 in Knoxville, Tennessee. Tennesee won the game 59-3. (Photo by Donald Page/Getty Images)
KNOXVILLE, TN - SEPTEMBER 08: Head coach Jeremy Pruitt of the Tennessee Volunteers brings his team onto the field prior to a game against the East Tennessee State University Buccaneers at Neyland Stadium on September 8, 2018 in Knoxville, Tennessee. Tennesee won the game 59-3. (Photo by Donald Page/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
8 of 15
Next
Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images
Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images /

Similar to the Kentucky Wildcats, the Mississippi State Bulldogs lose a ton of talent. Meanwhile, they just went 8-5, not 10-3, and they lost their bowl game to the Iowa Hawkeyes, 27-22. As a result, you could make a strong case that UK should be ahead of them on this list. But offseason results were enough to vault MSU.

Despite losing Nick Fitzgerald, the Bulldogs get a plus by entering their second year in Joe Moorhead’s offense and Bob Shoop’s defense. You have to assume they’ll take a step forward, even with some attrition, due to players having experience in the systems now. On top of that, MSU did have a slightly better recruiting class than the Kentucky Wildcats.

As a result, there are prospects for improvement that don’t exist in Lexington, and it’s why Mississippi State comes in at No. 8 in these SEC Power Rankings. Now, we have no idea what to make of the Bulldogs this year.

That’s part of the reason this team is in the middle of the pack. Moorhead was benefitting from Dan Mullen’s players last year, and despite him being an offensive guru, this will be the year we find out if his system works with his players in this league.

Home/Vols Football