MSU football: Worst case, pretty good case and best case scenarios

So, how do you think this season will go?

We’ve been asked this question more times than we can even count, but every time it’s tough to answer. Can this team comeback? Was last year just a hiccup? Are we going to rocket straight back to greatness?

Really, when I sit down and stare off into space, I can kind of see anything happening.

There are three ways any season can go – the worst case, pretty good case or best case scenario. Let’s break them all down here and confuse ourselves even more by talking ourselves into every circumstance.

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Worst case (0-5 wins)

Give me the bad news first in all situations of life, I’ll chase it later with the good stuff. Like following a Sailor Jerry’s shot with a swig of Miller Lite at the tailgate (alright, not my best comparison).

The defensive line depth is thin. The secondary is a question mark. The receiving corps is inexperienced. The offensive line was a tad shaky last year. Oh, and we can probably count on the same, bland play calling as last year.

As a whole this team is young, and that can’t bode well for a turnaround season in a division stacked with talent.

It has the recipe for another bowl-less season. Too much youth, not enough proven talent and another difficult schedule will make this another long fall as we yearn for basketball season.

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Pretty good case (6-8 wins)

You know what? No – this team is going to make a bowl game and show some promise for the future. I mean, how could this season get any worse than the last one, especially with one of the best coaches in the nation still guiding the team?

The running back corps is strong. Brian Lewerke has been compared to Connor Cook and Kirk Cousins, and he’s got the young offensive talent around him to help him blossom too.

And the defense could be bound for a huge bounce-back season, led by a group of seasoned veterans at linebacker.

And you’re really going to tell me we’re not better than Rutgers, Maryland and Indiana? Heck, throw Iowa and Minnesota in there too. This team will get an easy six wins, at least.

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Best case (9+ wins)

Oh, I’m sorry, I didn’t know we all suffered from horrific memory loss and have suddenly forgotten about the last five years of MSU football.

This team is going straight back to dominance. Mark that down.

We’ve got a running back stable that’s the best in the Big Ten. We’re going to get more than 11 sacks this year. We have a promising sophomore quarterback ready to take the reins (hmmm, did that happen in the Rose Bowl season too? I SEEMED TO HAVE FORGOT).

Sure, the receivers are young, but they’re strapped with talent. The offensive line has two Allen brothers, and that can’t end badly. The defense will respond from last season with chemistry it was sorely lacking last year.

Hope every other sucker in the Big Ten enjoyed the year off we gave them, because we are back to dominance.

Remember how bad 2012 was? Or how we responded in 2013? Oh yeah, you’ll get a taste of what that feels like again pretty soon.