While waiting anxiously for the start of the college football season, this is the time of year many fans pore through the pages of the many preseason magazines available.
It's always interesting to see all the "expert" opinions and predictions from the different publications, which never seem to agree on too many issues.
The four magazines I have on my desk all have disagree on which team will finish the 2004 season No. 1.
Georgia, USC, Oklahoma or Texas - just take your pick.
But here's one thing most publications do agree on: New coach or not, Mississippi State is destined to again finish in the cellar of the Southeastern Conference's Western Division. That is until Phil Steele's College Football Preview came in the mail this week.
This magazine picks MSU, led by first-year head coach Sylvester Croom, to finish fifth, with Arkansas bringing up the rear.
Don't know much about Phil Steele, but he's one of the best in the country at successfully predicting college football.
It says so right there on page 1 in the introduction.
Steele writes: "MSU will be a surprise team in 2004 … Sylvester Croom steps into a great situation as the Bulldogs have a good amount of talent and were minus-21 in turnovers last year."
OK, maybe he's not as smart as he claims to be - because "a good amount of talent" is no way to describe this team. The only team on State's schedule that it definitely has more talent than is the Division I-AA Black Bears of Maine.
State will probably start the season with a quarterback, Omarr Conner, who has never taken a snap at that position in college. Throw in the fact that he has few proven receivers to work with, and Croom's West Coast offense better be able to move the ball on the ground.
Croom will probably be able to turn things around for the Bulldogs, who have won just three SEC games over the last three years. But he must have better players.
Lindy's, Athlon and the Sporting News all credit Croom for creating a much-needed atmosphere of discipline. MSU "will be more disciplined but still won't win many games," according to Lindy's.
The guess here is four wins with a shot at five.
Ole Miss has been picked anywhere from third to fifth in the SEC West, with most publications picking the Rebels fourth behind LSU, Auburn and Alabama (not necessarily in that order).
The Rebel defense, which returns just four starters, seems to be the biggest area of concern, according to most publications. Only one of those starters plays in the front seven, leaving some to wonder how the defense will hold up in the rugged SEC.
The loss of Eli Manning, of course, is another area of concern. Michael Spurlock is a truly gifted athlete but is unproven.
Lindy's looks for big things since Ole Miss coach David Cutcliffe is known for "molding" top quarterbacks.
Athlon says the Rebels have five sure wins but have three sure losses against Tennessee, Auburn and LSU.
Three swing games in the first half of the season - at home against Memphis and road games against Alabama and South Carolina - will go a long way toward determining if the Rebels can do more than just have a winning record.
The guess here is that Ole Miss' run of seven straight 7-win seasons will end this year, as the Rebels wind up 6-5.
