Cruising for a Crooming?

Are we Going to Get Croomed?

Okay. I'm definitely worried about this.

Fans of the SEC are familiar with the phrase "Croomed!" To be Croomed is to be beaten by Miss. State coach Sylvester Croom. Miss. State is a perennial SEC loser- a team so bad, that there's a specific word for getting beaten by it.

Croomed!

You've probably heard about Miss. State's stingy defense. You've probably heard that this game will hinge on Kevin Smith's performance.

You might not have heard that Mississippi State is bringing 30,000 people to this game. UCF is brining 10,000. Maybe. With the Liberty Bowl sold out, crowd noise will be a factor, especially for our skittish team.

Other things are concerning, too. On the night before the C-USA Championship Game, a significant number of UCF players were getting hammered at Devaney's. I'm concerned about the temptation that Memphis presents. UCF can't come in tired and hungover, especially since Mississippi State will no doubt come fired up-- this is an amazing turnaround year for Miss. State, and the team has truly rallied around SEC Coach of the Year Croom.

Then there's the fact that Mississippi State is far more used to competing with the big boys in high pressure situations than UCF is. This season, Mississippi State beat then-number 14 Kentucky (at home), and then-number 22 Alabama. In contrast, UCF got clobbered by USF, and lost to Texas in what could have been a magical upset.

Bearing this all in mind, there's real potential that we could be Croomed. Cross your fingers...