However, when you take a closer look, you realize the programs might not be so far apart, despite what my older brother is trying to argue.
I don’t want to downplay the achievements of the football team. What Dan Mullen has done in a little over two years in Starkville has been great, both for the town and Mississippi State. I’ve lived in Starkville my entire life, and I have not seen this much excitement surrounding the football program since my age was barely in the double-digits.
Despite a season that saw lots of national media criticism of Rick Stansbury and Renardo Sidney, there are still bright spots ahead. Sidney is an obvious bright spot if he gets in better shape in the offseason.
Conditioning has been an issue for Sidney since the first day he stepped on campus, and I think, at this point, an offseason might not do the former McDonald’s All-American a lot of good. He spent over a year in an “offseason” and had little to show for it. Sidney has said before that not knowing when he would play while going through an extensive NCAA investigation affected how hard he worked, and it’s hard to blame him for that.
If I didn’t know whether or not I would be allowed to write about sports again in the fall, I probably wouldn’t spend my summer looking for fresh information and working on my writing style.
Sidney improved as the Bulldogs went through their SEC slate and showed flashes of why he was once considered one of the top prospects in the country. He may still need to get in “game shape” during the non-conference portion of 2011, but if Sidney matures and improves his conditioning he could easily be one of the top big men in the country next year.
Another reason for optimism in MSU hoops is point guard Dee Bost. The clear leader of the team, he played through a hip injury,  an Achilles injury and a broken tooth during SEC play. Despite all that, he still averaged 15 points and six assists per game.
The frontcourt/backcourt duo of Sidney and Bost is one of, if not, the best combos in the SEC. Throw in a loaded recruiting class of Rodney Hood, D.J. Gardner and DeVille Smith and it very well could be the most talented team Stansbury has had in his tenure.
Going into the season with a team that has top-10 potential, the pressure will be high on Stansbury to compete for an SEC championship and make a run into the NCAA tournament. After all the criticism and controversy from last season, this could be the year that makes or breaks him.
When debating whether MSU football or basketball has the most potential, you have to wonder what the ceiling is for the football program. Going from “good to great” is not a simple step for every program, and the hardest place to do that is the football-crazed SEC.
To go from nine wins and a Gator Bowl victory to 11 wins and a trip to Atlanta after losing several key starters on defense will take a combination of both luck and talent. South Carolina spent many seasons as a perennial contender before winning the  SEC East last year.
The Gamecocks needed a down year on their side of the conference to make it to Atlanta, and MSU may need the same thing in the West. A down year for the SEC West is becoming a rare occurrence, but Mullen might not need it.
I must admit, I said many times before last season Chris Relf had reached his ceiling as a quarterback. With big games against Arkansas, Ole Miss and Michigan to end the season, he easily proved my theory wrong. Mullen and Relf might surprise people again next year and take the next step toward a SEC championship.
However, saying MSU’s basketball team could win the SEC next year does not seem like much of a stretch given the recent downslide of SEC hoops. Florida is losing its nucleus that led it to a deep NCAA tournament run, and Kentucky will continue to rely on freshman superstars.
When the Bulldogs are heading toward the finish of the season next year, they will be led by two 22-year-olds in Bost and Sidney, and that experience could help get them past more talented teams.
In the end, there’s no way to sit here and know for sure which team will do the most with its potential next year and into the future, but both teams will be fun to see.