Barry from MS

Ok, a bit over the top with the title. But this game has HUGE national implications. You all know I'm Cowbell-clanging Dawg from Cow Patty U, but I'm gonna try to remain as objective as possible to analyze this thing...your inputs are more than welcome...if you see any glue-sniffer tendencies with the following, call it out:

QB - Edge MSU. Dak's injuries have slowed his running game, and I like Sims' game...but Dak has a knack for big plays & short yardage. Sims makes better decisions in the passing game, but Dak's ground game has the edge.

RB - Edge Bama. Really no contest here. Yeldon & Henry are freakin' horses. MSU has one reliable RB in Robinson, but he does have fumbling issues.

WR/TE - Edge Bama. No contest here, either. When you own Cooper, White, & Howard (sounds like a law firm), it's hard to deny them the edge. MSU does have Wilson & Lewis, but then you just have a gaggle of WRs & TEs who show up sometimes and are sometimes completely absent.

O-Line - Slight edge MSU. Bama's O-line is far more talented, but MSU's O-Line has more continuity and more experience.

D-Line - Slight edge MSU. MSU's 1st team is pretty darned good and they have depth. Tackles for Losses & sacks tip the scales MSU's way over Bama's very good and deep D-Line.

LB - Edge Bama. Yes, MSU has McKinney, but Bama owns 2 pretty dang good ones in Ragland & DePriest

Secondary - Edge Bama. No Contest. Bama has play-makers just littering that backfield and are very, very well coached. MSU has some good corners in Redmond, Love & Calhoun, but MSU's safeties are liabilities to the deep ball and have proved it over and over this year.

Special Teams - EDGE BAMA. My Lord, MSU's Spec Teams are Gawd awful with 4 turnovers on just punt returns and they cannot make a FG over 40 yards and sometimes miss extra points.

Coaching - Do I even need to say it? Saban has won how many national championships? Lane Kiffin is a creep, but he is a good OC. Smart is one of the best DC's in the nation.

Match-up Legacy - Edge Bama. MS-Who? Bama freakin' owns MSU. Has owned MSU since the beginning of time. No contest. Psychologically, Bama owns this edge by as far and as wide as you can imagine.

If this game was in Stark-Vegas, MSU could get away with playing their "B+" game and squeak out a "W". However, with the game in Tuscaloosa, MSU will need their "A to A+" game to squeak out a "W". Anything less than that will be a 2 TD loss for my Dawgs considering the very, very thin margin for error in Tuscaloosa against Saban's Bama team. If State loses the turnover battle and has just ONE special teams break-down, Bama wins going-away. Bama is too good of a team at home to make mistakes and still expect to win the ball game.

If State wins the turnover battle, stays composed in the most hostile environment they've been in thus far, and wins the short yardage game on offense & defense, there is a chance MSU gets a very tough win. But they will have to battle at 100% for 60 minutes to get it.

"I'd far rather be happy than right any day" ~ Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy
"Honor: if you need it defined, you don't have it" ~ Ron Swanson