I apologize in advance for dredging up such bad memories for Mississippi State fans, but do you remember the worst football season in recent history?
I know a lot of alumni in their mid-30s do, because they were in school during that time. It was in 1988 and is simply known as Tech and 10.
The Bulldogs opened the season with a 21-14 win over Louisiana Tech and then dropped 10 straight. It still stands as the worst season for MSU in the last 31/2 decades. You have to go back to 1968, when the Bulldogs went 0-8-2, to find a worse record.
After beating Tulane in the 2004 season opener, the Bulldogs have looked just pathetic, losing by a combined score of 134-34 to Auburn, Maine, LSU and Vanderbilt.
Next up is the University of Alabama-Birmingham, a game that looked winnable before the season started. But now UAB is a 12-point favorite in Starkville Saturday.
If the Bulldogs can't win this one, the only other possible win could come Oct. 30 at home against Kentucky, which is 1-3 after losing 28-16 to Ohio last Saturday. If not, it could be deja vu all over again: Tulane and 10.
That would be an awful way for first-year coach Sylvester Croom to start his career at State, but it's certainly a possibility.
Ole Miss coach David Cutcliffe tried to put the best spin he could on his team's 28-21 win over Arkansas State, which outgained the Rebels in total yardage and led 14-13 at the half. The Rebels needed two second-half Indian turnovers to rally for the win.
There is no such thing as a bad win in college football - where a program's success is determined solely on wins and losses - but it was an ugly one.
At 2-3, the Rebels are simply underachieving. The main two problems seem to be the offensive line and the play calling. To borrow an assessment made by a local high school football coach: Calling plays and pass blocking is a lot easier with Eli Manning at quarterback.
Ole Miss' three passing touchdowns this season is tied for last in the SEC with Kentucky.
Last year, the Rebels finished first in scoring offense, passing offense and total offense in the SEC. Through five games, they are ranked 10th in scoring, seventh in passing and ninth in total offense.
The Rebels are in danger of their first losing season since 1996 with a brutal six-game stretch waiting for them. Their last game, the Egg Bowl, should be a win, but you never know in that rivalry.
But Ole Miss will be the underdog in its next five games: at South Carolina, then home to Tennessee and Auburn and then at Arkansas and LSU.
After allowing a 100-yard rusher in four of the first five games, the Rebels rank ninth in the SEC in rushing defense, and that spells trouble in the next three games since South Carolina, Tennessee and Auburn are all ranked in the top six in the SEC in rushing.
Ole Miss showed the ability to overcome a slow start last year by winning eight of its final nine games, but the guess here is that Ole Miss will win two, maybe three, of their final six games this season.
Auburn took a giant step toward winning the SEC's Western Division over the weekend by crushing Tennessee 34-10 in Knoxville. (Not a Tommy Tuberville fan, but it was fun watching thousands of UT fans flood out of Neyland Stadium with their team down 34-3 at the half).
It was one of the best wins in Tuberville's six-year tenure at Auburn.
The race in the West looks to be officially over with Auburn at 3-0 and LSU at 1-2 heading to The Swamp Saturday. Arkansas, the only other team with a chance to catch Auburn, is 1-1 but still has to play Auburn, Georgia, South Carolina and LSU - all of which are ranked in this week's AP Top 25 poll.
So go ahead Auburn fans, yes, Arch, and make those reservations for the SEC title game in Atlanta.
Auburn's Nov. 13 matchup against Georgia will likely be a preview of the SEC championship game.
The Bulldogs (2-0) are in the driver's seat in the East and can take commanding control Saturday in Athens with a win over Tennessee. At 2-1, Florida still has a shot.
