Simply put, Mississippi State’s Cross Country program has something to prove.
After a dissatisfying conclusion to the season last year, where both the men’s and women’s teams finished ninth at the year ending SEC championships, the Bulldogs were preseason picked to finish 11th in the conference.
Though that ranking may discourage some, senior Renee Masterson said she has a different outlook on the team’s position.
“The SEC is going to be surprised. We have matured as a team. I think it’s a good thing we’re ranked an embarrassing 11th,” Masterson said. “When it really counts in October, they won’t know what hit them.”
Those are some strong, confident and assuring words from a senior leader.
On the men’s side, senior Philip Johnson said this could possibly spark a fire in an underrated team.
“I think the effect of rankings is a ’50/50′ thing. It has some good and some bad effects, but I think the net effect is neutral,” Johnson said.
Preseason rankings, though, have a history of being totally off base and unreliable.
Regardless, the Bulldogs will have to run harder, faster and stronger if they wish to silence the critics.
For the women’s team, the Dogs return senior leader Masterson, who won the Sewanee Invitational last season, and sophomore Carmen Brothers, who ran two personal bests a year ago en route to an impressive freshman debut.
Masterson said she believes she can improve on a solid junior campaign and raise her level of play in helping State become a top five SEC squad.
“I hope to be top five individually and definitely secure a spot to go to nationals,” Masterson said. “I expect us to be a top five SEC team and expect us to be a top four team in our region.”
To do so, the ladies will have to rely on both young and veteran runners to help lead. Other sophomores, Katelyn Walker and Jodie McGuff, had above-average rookie seasons and are expected to contribute more to a maturing team.
Although Johnson headlines the men’s side, he was not the only one who turned heads last year.
Junior Cameron Vernier, who ran a personal best of 25:36.70 at the Bulldog Invitational last year, should require some attention, along with junior John Valentine, who also had a steady second season. 
Junior Mike Clark was impressive in his sophomore campaign and should take a step up this year.
If maturity is any indication, the Bulldogs have the runners and experience to buck that preseason projection.
Head coach Houston Franks agrees and said he thought it was a sign of disrespect being tabbed No. 11. 
“Our expectations are to be as good as we can be, to compete for an SEC championship. I’m glad we were picked 11th. It’s really a bit of a slap in the face to some of them,” Franks said.
Only Auburn, South Carolina and LSU were picked below MSU on the women’s side, while LSU and Vanderbilt were at the end on the men’s.
The Bulldog’s first meet is this weekend in Rome, Ga., at Berry University. Franks said he expects there to be between 25 and 30 teams, and naturally, he expects to compete and win.
After that, MSU travels to Nashville, Tenn., to compete in the Commodore Classic before heading to South Bend, Ind. on Sept. 28 and Tuscaloosa on Oct. 13. The SEC championships start Oct. 26 in Nashville.
The Bulldogs will then hope to continue their season when the NCAA championships start on Nov. 9, but they first must overcome and prove many doubters wrong.