Published: July 23, 2008 09:50 am         

Bishop column: A great year on the college gridiron ahead

This college football season is going to be glorious in Mississippi, or at least that's what I hear.

Ole Miss is going to win the SEC West. Or is it Mississippi State. And, of course, the University of Mississippi is going to be the first team to ever represent Conference USA in the Bowl Championship Series.

Is any of that going to happen? Maybe, but not likely.

This is the time of year when hope springs eternal among the football fans.

Whether you root for State, Ole Miss, USM, the New Orleans Saints or the Kosy Whippets, the only dreams is that of a championship.

But, how about the reality of things. Well, that will come soon enough, but for now it's a time of high expectations.

The college football team toting the most pressure has to be the Georgia Bulldogs. Many of the preseason magazines that are flooding the newsstands at this time of year are proclaiming the 'Dogs from Athens as the National champions.

Winning the SEC East will not be easy. Winning the SEC Championship will be extremely difficult. Landing a spot in the title game will take some breaks here and there.

And winning the title, well, that obviously is not a given.

UGA is very, very good. However, it is not likely that a two-loss team will get a shot at the National Championship Game this year and that means the Bulldogs will have to be near perfect.

Not only does Georgia have to navigate its five SEC East opponents, the Bulldogs must visit LSU and Auburn in conference match-ups, as well as hosting what is expected to be an improved Alabama team.

While there are a couple non-conference patsies in Georgia Southern and Central Michigan, Georgia must visit Arizona State and then host Georgia Tech in its annual rivalry game. Then there is the SEC Championship game, most likely against one of the three teams they have already faced out of the West.

If the Bulldogs get through that schedule undefeated they ought to be crowned National Champions without ever having to play the game.

Losing just one would be incredible. Losing two would still be evidence of a great team, but could very well mean a BCS game that doesn't have title implications, or a trip to the Cotton Bowl in Dallas.

As far as State and Ole Miss goes, the optimism is high.

In Starkville the word is that the corner has been turned. The top-flight recruits are now considering MSU one of the in-places to go — especially the Mississippi players. It is true that the commitments for next year are very, very impressive.

In Oxford, fans have never been so happy to lose to Mississippi State. Rebel fans who were getting tired of former coach Ed Orgeron in a hurry seemed to see losing to the Bulldogs worth the result it caused — the ouster of the coach.

In comes Houston Nutt with a new attitude and some new excitement.

Can Ole Miss be better than in 2008? Well, I should hope so, because the Rebels were borderline awful.

Can State be better? Yes, probably so.

But the big question is this: "Will better be good enough?"

Some SEC followers — the number is rare, but there are some — say LSU won't be the LSU of old. I just don't see that.

Yes, the Tigers lost Ryan Perriloux, but I've yet to be convinced that's a bad thing

LSU and Auburn should be at the top of the West, with the other four teams — Alabama, Arkansas, State and Ole Miss all in a steel-catch match for the other four spots.

Alabama is the favorite pick to finish third, while State and Ole Miss are No. 5 and 6 in most polls, with the Bulldogs rising as high as No. 4 and possibly No. 3 in some.

The SEC wars are always rugged for State and Ole Miss. While both teams have the ability to win games in the conference, it takes extreme depth to win five or six games in the league. I'm not sure either team is quite there yet.

Many State fans could be overlooking three non-conference games that are a little tougher than they look. While the Bulldogs should have no problem with Southeastern Louisiana,, the games at Louisiana Tech and Georgia Tech and the Homecoming game against Middle Tennessee State are not gimmies.

Should MSU win three out of four of its non-conference games? Absolutely.

Could the Bulldogs win all four? Yes.

Is it also possible State will lose two of them. Yes, yes it is.

At Ole Miss may Rebel fans feel like they got read of one nut to land another one. But this Nutt has two t's and a lot of experience in the league.

If Ole Miss finds a way to win six games this year it will be a very good season indeed. The emergence of Jevan Snead, the Texas transfer, at quarterback is a must if the Rebels are going to be heard in the conference race.

As for USM? Well, the Golden Eagles usually always have enough firepower to compete in Conference USA and this season should be no different.

Even though the way Jeff Bower was shown the door was borderline classless, even the most ardent Bower supporter must admit that new head coach Larry Fedora has brought some excitement to Hattiesburg.

The first recruiting class under Fedora was chock full of big names, including that of 6-foot-6 wide receiver DeAndre Brown of Ocean Springs who was just recently declared eligible for this season by the NCAA Clearinghouse.

While the Golden Eagles are picked third behind Central Florida and East Carolina in the CUSA East, an eight, nine or even 10-win season would not be a huge surprise.

If the offense opens up and the defense returns to its "nasty" past, then things could be interesting in Hattiesburg. A trip to Memphis for the Liberty Bowl would be very, very satisfying for the Golden Eagles.