2010 Mississippi State: College Football Picks and 2011 BCS Odds

Dan Mullen got rave reviews after his rookie season as head coach of the Mississippi State Bulldogs as they finished 5-7 straight up in college football picks and 6-5 against the spread. Most important, Mississippi State was competitive and showed marked improvement both in play and with their effort and work ethic which has made hopes rise in Starkville. But before any college football betting handicapper gets too excited they should remember that Mississippi State will not catch opponents napping this year and will have a tougher schedule than in 2009. The Mississippi State Bulldogs opened at online sportsbooks as a +750 play-the-field choice to win the championship in 2011 BCS odds and a 60-1 longshots to win the SEC conference.

The Bulldogs return 7 starters on both offense and defense heading into 2010 college football odds. Junior Chris Relf is slated to be the starting quarterback but is more run oriented than a pure passer and may have competition with Tyler Russell, who is a more prototypical QB. Relf was the second leading rusher for Miss State last year and averaged 6.6 yards per carry. Overall Mullen’s offense averaged 25 points per game which was 10 points better than 2009. The defense must trim the 27 points per game it allowed in 2009.

There is good news for the unit as 3 of the top 4 tacklers return as do the top two leaders in interceptions, Charles Mitchell and Johnathan Banks, who each had 4. Mississippi State had near wins in college football betting odds against LSU and Houston and was competitive with Florida and Georgia Tech last year. This year the Bulldogs have tough road games at LSU, Houston, Florida, and Alabama while hosting top SEC contenders Auburn and Georgia. While improvement was shown and progress was made a bowl berth may be a tall order for 2010.