Just watched the OleMiss SECNetwork 30 minute team preview. They, as a lot of analysts, had many good things to say about OleMiss but there was always the "but" undertone. Is it a lack of respect for OleMiss? Is it too much respect for a team such as LSU? The analysts in the preview all picked Alabama, Auburn, and LSU to beat OleMiss. Imagine that huh. So why did they? After all, didn't Auburn and LSU both lose 5 games last season and OleMiss only lost 4. Didn't Auburn and LSU both lose to a couple of teams that they probably shouldn't have just like OleMiss did? Doesn't OleMiss actually have more potential 1st round draft picks than each of those teams. So why is OleMiss once again predicted to lose to all three of those teams?
Under the surface I believe it is because those 3 schools are the "sexy" picks for the analysts. If they pick against the "powers" and they are wrong then they start losing credibility. If they pick a "power" to win and they lose then it was simply that teams fault. So to start winning those picks and get higher recognition, OleMiss has to become nationally known by fans and analysts as a legitimate contender. How does OleMiss do that? They first must win almost all of the games they are supposed to win (LSU)(ARK). They cannot have blowout losses (ARK)(TCU). They must find ways to win against high profile teams and not just the occasional upset (AL). And when placed in the national eye they need to show up (TCU). And there can't be excuses! OleMiss is close but still has a lot of work to do and they cannot backslide like they did under Nutt when OleMiss was ranked 4th in the country and then fell apart.
Under the surface I believe it is because those 3 schools are the "sexy" picks for the analysts. If they pick against the "powers" and they are wrong then they start losing credibility. If they pick a "power" to win and they lose then it was simply that teams fault. So to start winning those picks and get higher recognition, OleMiss has to become nationally known by fans and analysts as a legitimate contender. How does OleMiss do that? They first must win almost all of the games they are supposed to win (LSU)(ARK). They cannot have blowout losses (ARK)(TCU). They must find ways to win against high profile teams and not just the occasional upset (AL). And when placed in the national eye they need to show up (TCU). And there can't be excuses! OleMiss is close but still has a lot of work to do and they cannot backslide like they did under Nutt when OleMiss was ranked 4th in the country and then fell apart.
