Auburn vs Mississippi St. Odds & Prediction
Auburn lost a tough one against Clemson in week one, while Mississippi State beat up on Jacksonville State 56-9. In week two, these teams jump right into the SEC action. It’s the toughest conference in the nation, and there won’t be any weeks off in the SEC.
Auburn Tigers vs. Mississippi State Bulldogs
Davis Wade Stadium, Starkville Mississippi
Saturday September 8, 12:00 PM EST on ESPN
College Football Betting Odds from BetDSI
Moneyline: Mississippi State (-155) Auburn (+135)
College Football Spread: Mississippi State -3 (-110) vs. Auburn +3 (-110)
Over/Under: 46.5
Who will get their conference record started out with a big win?
Auburn
Auburn is two years removed from winning a BCS Champsionship, but Cam Newton is nowhere to be found and this Tigers offense doesn’t have all that many weapons. Michael Dyer is no longer with the program. The Tigers averaged only 337 yards of total offense per game in 2011, which was a 50 percent drop from their 2010 production. Kiehl Frazier won the quarterback competition thanks to his 4.5 forty speed and his ability to be a dual-threat. Frazier is clearly a good scrambler, but he needs to improve his passing efficiency.
Onterio McCalebb and Tre Mason are the tailbacks in this system. They’ll need to be big, because the passing game isn’t up to par yet. Emory Blake is a play maker on the outside, and tight end Philip Lutzenkirchen is a very good player. Still, this team is missing a lot on the offensive end. Defensively, Auburn has a lot of ability. The front seven has quite a bit of depth, and they should be able to hold their own this season. The secondary was picked on last year, and they’ll have to be better in 2012. [soliloquy id=”82219″]
Mississippi State
Dan Mullen has brought this Mississippi State program up a long ways in the past few years. The Bulldogs used to be a bottom-feeder, and now they are very competitive in a ridiculously tough conference. The Bulldogs won their second straight bowl game last season, and they return quite a bit of talent this year.
Mississippi State has a good quarterback in Tyler Russell. Russell is a potential breakout candidate because of his tools and the talent around him this year. Coaches believe Russell can be great if he learns to check down to shorter options sometimes rather than looking deep each play. Chad Bumphis leads one of the most talented wide receiver corps in the nation. The Bulldogs have four guys who should be major stars on the outside. The running game is a bit of a question mark without Vick Ballard in the backfield. LaDarius Perkins will probably get the first chances at tailback. Three new starters on the offensive front could slow this team down a bit this year.
The defense is led by a pair of terrific cover corners. Both Banks and Broomfield are all-conference players at the cornerback spot. The secondary here is very physical and that can be tough for the opposition to handle. The biggest problem for the defense will be trying to replace Fletcher Cox on the defensive line.
Mississippi State has more play makers on offense, and they have a solid home field advantage. Look for the Bulldogs to cover in this one.
Free College Football Pick: Mississippi State -3
