Good evening Bulldog fans, welcome to another episode of BulldogBlitz! After a season long hiatus, we are finally back to bring to you the latest Mississippi State Bulldog news. GM Scorpy was able to join us earlier to give us an insight on what to expect in the upcoming draft, expectations for next season and a recap on what went wrong and what went right in 2025.

BvS: Thank you for joining us Scorpy.

Scorpy: Thank you for having me, last year was a busy year for me, but luckily, even though I was pretty much hands off this coaching staff was able to lead the team to a successful year.

BvS: Yes they were, can you tell us how that was able to come about?

Scorpy: We were able to get the players that were needed to execute what we wanted to do. That was first and foremost. Like most successful teams, the best playbook in the world won't be successful if the players don't buy into it and can't execute. The second thing we were able to do was sit down and figure out what was working and what wasn't and the question came up: "if this is working why aren't we doing it more than what wasn't working?"

BvS: Can you give us an example?

Scorpy: The running game. We've been averaging almost 5 yards a carry but we were trying to push the pass for a season and half when we were only completing about 60% of the passes and wasn't moving the ball effectively. Once we backed off the passing game and started running the ball a little more it opened up the field and gave Varela a better look at what he had open. Since we made the change his completion percentages jumped almost 10 points and we started winning the games.

BvS: Interesting, so what about the games that ended in Ls?

Scorpy: We only had 5 losses, 1 in postseason and the other 4 in the regular season. If you look at how this team played in the first half, we were struggling to score and our defense was tiring out in the second half of the games. After we made the changes the points started coming and we were able to make some stops at critical times.

BvS: You mentioned the loss in the postseason. The Bulldogs were able to get their first postseason W against the Crimson Tide, but fell flat against Texas. What happened?

Scorpy: I'm not going to make excuses. Texas just gave us an old fashioned **** whipping. We beat Texas in year 1 pretty good but this season we decided to do a couple things differently to try to slow them down and it failed.......miserably. Got to give it to the Longhorns they set up a gameplan and executed it almost perfectly. We didn't. We went home with our tails tucked between our legs and studied our playbook, practiced in the offseason, and learned what went wrong. We took one step further than we did in year one, and hopefully this season we can take another step or two more than we did last season.

BvS: The draft is just a couple of days away. State is holding on to a record 14 draft picks. Any clue as to what this team is looking for?

Scorpy: ::chuckles:: Yeah this draft is pretty much a Bulldog draft. I don't know if you noticed, but Georgia has 12 picks of their own. Between our two teams we are holding over 10% of all picks. We have a great solid core to build around. We saw we were needing help in the secondary and was able to get the help we needed in signing Henry and Hartley. Our return game got a boost with not only those two signings, but by signing Eddie Fisher. We feel really good about those three additions. We have a couple more holes to fill, but definitely not 14. I've been getting emails from the scouting department all night every night asking if we were going to move any picks.

BvS: So are you?

Scorpy: We would like to. But we are looking for future draft picks for some of our mid to late round picks.

BvS: The Bulldog faithful are definitely pulling for you this year. Would you like to add anything else?

Scorpy: Only that I want to wish every team in the league good luck with the draft and in the upcoming year, except for when they play us. Good luck to all and Hail State!!

Good afternoon football fans!! As the draft approaches, we will be asking the questions about every owned team that their fan bases should be asking themselves and revealing what to watch for for said teams.

1)Oklahoma

The Sooners have had two great seasons to start off but have fallen just short of winning the SEC West both times, losing to Missouri in year one and falling to arch rival Texas in year two. With what we have perceived as not a big roster turnaround in the offseason, can this seasoned and tested team get over the hump and not only win the division but also make it to the big game at the end of the season?

2) Texas

Texas set the scoring record in year one enroute to a playoff appearance and a second round loss to eventual national champion Alabama, and broke that record in year two as they made it to the NC before falling to Michigan State. This team looks to be even more dangerous and are hungry for year three to finally bring home the title. Can the Longhorns continue their offensive dominance and move the scoring bar up even further and bring home the elusive championship?

3)Alabama
Alabama became the leagues first national championship with a 11-5 regular season record before going 12-4 in year two and bowing out early in the playoffs. The front office decide to forego the upcoming draft and have decided to go with a more veteran group to continue their dominance in the division, but will this team be able to sustain their early success and get back to the big game in year 3?

4)Georgia
Georgia had a year to forget in 2025 as they failed to win a game, however they have a record number 12 draft picks heading into the draft after making several trades and secured the number 1 overall pick. With such a large number of picks, the Bulldogs will be looking to find starters and players that will try to help this team start competing for the division early and often, but can they?

5)Auburn
The Tigers tripled their win total from 3 in 2024 to 9 in 2025 under new ownership. They also made their first trip to the playoffs before losing to Arkansas in OT in the first round. Quite an accomplishment considering this team was eliminated from playoffs early in year one. Can this team get to double digits in the win column and fend off arch rivals Georgia and Alabama in their quest to win their first division title?

6)Vanderbilt
Vanderbilt has had a choke hold of the SEC East since the league started. After a slow start in year 2, the Commodores were able to right the ship and sail off into the playoffs before a disappointing loss to Oklahoma. They have had a massive turnover in personnel, from the front office to the playing field. Can the Dores make another run and keep the SEC East trophy in their case in year 3, or will the turnover just be too much for them?

7)Arkansas
The Razorbacks are another team with massive turnover despite their early success. This team has gone a combined and amazing 30-2 regular season record the past two years, but have failed to make it to the national championship game both years. With the roster turnover and changes in the coaching staff, can the Razorbacks keep the division trophy in Fayetteville where it's been the past two seasons and get to the NC in year 3, or will they take a step back in 2026?

8)Mississippi State
State finished year 1 11-5 before falling in the first round of the playoffs to eventual champion Alabama before going 12-4 and getting revenge on the Crimson Tide in year 2. They then proceeded to lose in the second round to Texas. The Bulldogs have made some changes to their lineup in hopes to continue to improve and put pressure on arch rival Arkansas in the SEC South. Can the Bulldogs take the next step and dust off the trophy case in Starkville in year 3?

9)Penn State
The Lions started out 7-9 in year one before taking a couple of steps back in year 2 going 5-10-1. With a massive roster turnover, this team is looking to add on players that doesn't remember the past two seasons and hope to set new, better memories. The Lions will be playing for their first playoff appearance in 2026, but could find it challenging due to the roster turnover. Will the new roster be able to produce a division title and playoff appearance in 2026?

10)UCLA
The Bruins found themselves with a .500 record at the end of 2025 and is another school that decided a roster flip was the best way to turn the corner. Washington has had a strangle hold of the Big Ten West since the inception of the league and has found themselves competing for national championships. The expectations in LA is to make the playoffs in year 3, but will they be able to compete for division also?

11)Michigan State
The defending national champions have had an impressive run the past two seasons and will return to the field with most of that team in tact. The Champs have kept the division trophy in their case both years and will enter year 3 looking for the same result as year 2. How will this team react now that the bullseye is on them in 2026?

12)Wisconsin
The Badgers found themselves on the losing end more times than not in year 2 after making a playoff appearance in 2024. This team has made some roster changes in hopes of making a return trip to the playoffs and dethroning the aforementioned champs. Can this team withstand the challenges of the season, or will they take another step back by the end of 2026?

13)Nebraska
The Cornhuskers, like several other teams have opted for a massive roster change in order to turn things around in Lincoln. After going 11-21 the first two seasons, Nebraska will be hoping new faces are the key to success in season 3. The turnaround will be tough, but can the '26 Huskers etch their name into the playoffs?