Mississippi State flirted with greatness in 2014, but few are giving it a chance to repeat last year’s 10-win season.

It won’t be easy, but it’s also not as if the ascent came out of nowhere. The Bulldogs haven’t had a losing season since 2009, and quarterback Dak Prescott is tailor-made for coach Dan Mullen’s system.

To build on 2014’s success, Mississippi State needs to retool the offensive line and parts of the defense on the fly. But with Prescott back after last year’s breakout campaign and coordinator Manny Diaz returning to helm the defense, you’ll have to excuse Bulldogs fans if they seem unwilling to accept the one-year wonder narrative.

Here’s a glance at our projection for the post-fall camp two-deep:

OFFENSE

QB1: Dak Prescott
QB2: Nick Fitzgerald

The battle behind Prescott has been a tight one in camp. Fitzgerald has been the primary backup, and given the opportunity, the Bulldogs would like to use a redshirt year for his top competitor, Damian Williams. Redshirt freshman Elijah Staley and true freshman Nick Tiano provide depth at the position.

RB1: Ashton Shumpert
RB2: Aeris Williams

The Bulldogs have had 1,000-yard rushers in four of the last six years, and that doesn’t include when Vick Ballard ran for 968 yards and 19 touchdowns in 2010. Clearly, running backs have thrived in Dan Mullen’s offense. The question is: who will it be in 2015? Brandon Holloway ran for 294 yards last year and Shumpert had 274, but Shumpert appears to be the front-runner at the position. He’ll be pushed by redshirt freshmen Aeris Williams and Dontavian Lee, as well as Holloway, giving the Bulldogs plenty of options at the position.

WR1: De’Runnya Wilson
WR2: Donald Gray

WR1: Fred Brown
WR2: Joe Morrow

SLOT1: Fred Ross
SLOT2: Gabe Myles

TE1: Gus Walley
TE2: Darrion Hutcherson

Mississippi State returns loads of experience on the outside to pair with Prescott, starting with Wilson. After leading the team in all receiving categories a year ago, the 6-foot-5 junior is poised for a big season. The Bulldogs are less experienced at tight end after the departure of Malcolm Johnson for the NFL. Walley is the most experienced player at the position, but was used sparingly in the passing game last year.

LT1: Rufus Warren
LT2: Cole Carter

LG1: Justin Malone
LG2: Kent Flowers

C1: Jamaal Clayborn
C2: Jocquell Johnson

RG1: Devon Desper
RG2: Deion Calhoun

RT1: Justin Senior
RT2: Martinas Rankin

The Bulldogs lost three starters off of last year’s line, not to mention all three centers on the 2014 roster. Clayborn’s transition to the center began during bowl practices and has gone smoothly thus far. Warren, a converted tight end, appears to have grabbed the starting spot at left tackle, while incoming JUCO transfer Martinas Rankin has been working behind returning starter Justin Senior on the right side.

DEFENSE

DE1: Ryan Brown
DE2: Will Coleman

DT1: Chris Jones
DT2: Nick James

DT1: Nelson Adams
DT2: Cory Thomas

DE1: A.J. Jefferson
DE2: Torrey Dale

Though Brown is the group’s only returning starter, there’s plenty of experience up front. The bigger question mark might be the depth behind them, though Nick James has flashed high upside at tackle.

LB1: Beniquez Brown
LB2: Quadry Antoine

LB1: Richie Brown
LB2: Gerri Green

LB1: Zach Jackson
LB2: J.T. Gray

Led by the Browns, the linebackers should be a strength for the Bulldogs defense in 2015. Beniquez Brown ranked second on the team with 62 tackles as a sophomore and could be in line for big things under defensive coordinator Manny Diaz. Richie Brown tallied 50 tackles and three interceptions as a member of the “1B” defense last season. Though listed as a backup to Richie Brown on the post-spring depth chart, redshirt freshman Gerri Green remains a strong candidate to force his way into the starting lineup one way or another.

CB1: Will Redmond
CB2: Cedric Jiles

CB1: Taveze Calhoun
CB2: Tolando Cleveland

SS1: Kivon Coman
SS2: Brandon Bryant

FS1: Kendrick Market
FS2: Deontay Evans

The Bulldogs had a tendency to get beat deep last year, ranking 117th in the country in passing yards allowed per game (272.8), but the cornerbacks aren’t the problem. Redmond and Calhoun form one of the conference’s best tandems at the position and are the leaders in the secondary after combining for 14 pass breakups last year. The safety situation is more unsettled. Market tore his Achilles tendon in the Egg Bowl last year, and while he’s already returned to the field, it’s a tough injury to fully overcome in a relatively short time frame. Bryant, a redshirt freshman, has earned some offseason praise, and true freshman Jamal Peters is also a candidate to play his way into the rotation.

SPECIAL TEAMS

K: Westin Graves
P: Devon Bell

KR: Will Redmond
PR: Fred Ross