The Bulldogs finished 8-5 and had the nation's top rush defense, but his pre-season predictions of making the college football playoff and Nick Fitzgerald winning the Heisman Trophy didn't come to pass. It's a mistake he's not making twice.

"I am not saying I'm changing what our goals are, but the approach of coming off the plane guns blazing, talking about ring sizes and Heisman Trophies ... without knowing kind of the history and the context of how difficult it is to win in this league, and specifically Mississippi State where there's two ten-win seasons in school history and two championship appearances, one in '98 and one before World War II, in '41, and I think what I may have done is elevated the expectation level to a point where nothing that we did short of a championship was going to make people happy," he said at SEC Media Days.

Moorhead has reason to temper expectations, because his team lost a lot of veteran starters on both sides of the ball. Most notably, Texas A&M nemesis Fitzgerald is gone, leaving the Bulldogs with a competition between 2018 backup Keytaon Thompson and Penn State graduate transfer Tommy Stevens, who was coached by Moorhead when he was the offensive coordinator in State College. That battle will continue through camp, and Moorhead declined to say when he'll make a choice on the starter.

" "I think when it becomes obvious to me it becomes obvious to the team, that someone’s stepped up and won the job, we’ll name it," he said.

Whoever wins the quarterback job will have RB Kylin Hill back to help carry the load, as well as some returning talent at receiver and tight end Farrod Green, who could have a big year catching the football in Moorhead's offense. The Bulldogs offensive line should also be solid, returning several starters from last year.

"I think with any great team, the mentality of championship-level team is dictated by the offensive and defensive line. I feel very good about our depth and our talent on (the offensive) line," Moorhead said.

The defensive line may be a different story. Mississippi State not only lost all four starters, including standouts Montez Sweat and Ed Simmons, but lost most of their primary backups as well. Now, they'll have to find some replacements on the fly.

"I think the defensive line is where we have to find the most answers the quickest," he said. Linebacker, on the other hand, may be the team's strength across the board. The Bulldogs return starters Leo Lewis, Erroll Thompson and Willie Gay from the 2018 squad, and Moorhead believes the unit should be ranked among the nation's elite.

"I think our linebacking core is as talented as anyone in the conference (or) in the country," he said. Mississippi State lost three-fifths of its starting secondary, but does return All-SEC CB Camron Dantzler.

Even though the Bulldogs don't have a senior-laden starting lineup in 2019, Moorhead is confident his team has enough to compete.

"I'm excited for a mix of returning players and influx of young talent, and I think any time you have that number of positions open, it breeds competition and forces everyone to improve and get better. I think that's where we are heading into the season," he said.

Predictions? Not this year.

2018 record: 8-5, 4-4 SEC

Top returning players: QB Keytaon Thompson; RB Kylin Hill; WR Stephen Guidry; TE Farrod Green; LBs Leo Lewis and Erroll Thompson; CB Cameron Dantzler

2018 returning statistical leaders:

Passing -- Thompson, 18-39, 458 yards, 6 TD, 1 iNT

Rushing -- Hill, 117 carries for 734 yards and 4 TD

Receiving -- Guidry, 19 receptions for 440 yards and 3 TD

Tackles -- Thompson, 87

Sacks -- Gay, 5

Interceptions -- Dantzler, Thompson and Gay, 2 each

Aug. 31: Louisiana (at New Orleans)

Sept. 7: Southern Miss

Sept. 14: Kansas State

Sept. 21: Kentucky

Sept. 28: @Auburn

Oct. 12: @Tennesssee

Oct. 19: LSU

Oct. 26: @Texas A&M

Nov. 2: @Arkansas

Nov. 16: Alabama

Nov. 23: Abilene Christiann

Nov. 28: Ole Miss