The strengths and weaknesses of any team can change throughout the course of a college football season. Health, weekly matchups and coaching can all factor into how teams excel and where they are lacking.

On offense, all of Mississippi State’s strengths are accentuated and weaknesses are overshadowed by Heisman-hopeful quarterback Dak Prescott.

A mobile passer like Prescott also provides an ideal situation for Bulldogs coach Dan Mullen to implement his run-heavy offense and grind away at opposing teams.

Mississippi State’s defense contains playmakers at each level that can help mask the deficiencies on that side of the ball.

Here’s our look at the best and the worst of the Bulldogs entering the 2015 season.

Mississippi State Bulldogs: 2015 STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES

PROJECTED OFFENSIVE STARTERS

Strength: QB Dak Prescott

Prescott might be the obvious answer but he’s the right one. The senior led the Bulldogs to 10 wins last season and spot atop the national polls and has his sight set on being a Heisman Trophy winner in 2015. As of now, Prescott owns the best winning percentage (.700) in Mississippi State history and with another successful season could finish his career as the best gunslinger to ever roll through Starkville.

Weakness: Tight end

Junior Gus Walley is the Bulldogs projected starter at tight end this season but has only served as a backup in the past. He’s Mississippi State’s best pass-catching tight end but has a small sample size to prove it with just 4 receptions for 49 yards and 1 touchdown in his career. Senior Darrion Hutcherson will serve as Walley’s backup and is good at using his 6-foot-7, 260-pound frame to run block but still has a lot to prove as a receiver.

PROJECTED DEFENSIVE STARTERS

Strength: LB Beniquez Brown

Brown is the Bulldogs top returning tackler and the vocal leader of the Mississippi State defense. The junior has proven to be a ball hawk that uses his high football IQ to be at the right place at the right time. He’s a game-changer in the middle of the Bulldogs defense.

Weakness: Depth

The Mississippi State’s defense is experiencing a lot of turnover this season, having lost eight starters from last year. Some excellent talent like defensive tackle Chris Jones and cornerback Will Redmond will be stepping into starting roles but the overall depth behind each position has thinned out as a result.

POSITION UNITS

Strength: Cornerback

Redmond and Taveze Calhoun might be one of the best cornerback tandems in college football. Both are seniors and at least 6-foot tall, making them a nightmare for opposing quarterbacks to throw against. They’ll make the whole defense better by making other teams one-dimensional.

Weakness: Kicker

The competition to be the Bulldogs starting kicker is between sophomore Westin Graves and senior Devon Bell. The latter has been the team’s punter the last two seasons but does have experience kicking field goals and kicking off. Graves missed the only field goal attempt of his brief career, and Bell has an unflattering career field goal percentage of 57.1 (20 of 35), so neither seem like options about which to get excited.

SCHEDULE

Strength: Playing LSU, Alabama and Ole Miss at home

Other than a meeting with Auburn, these arguably are the three toughest games on the Bulldogs schedule and they’ll have the advantage of playing them in Starkville. Can’t ask for much more of a break than that.

Weakness: Back-to-back road trips to Auburn and Texas A&M

That’s a tough two weeks away from Mississippi. Auburn is the Bulldogs’ toughest road game of the season and Texas A&M is revered for its home crowd known as the 12th man.

FAN BASE

Strength: COWBELLS!

Bulldogs fans come to games with their cowbells to create an atmosphere that would make Christopher Walken proud. This is one of the best fan traditions in college football.

Weakness: Docile Bulldog

Listen, all bulldogs are awesome (I have one myself). But one of their best qualities as a mascot is their brute strength. Not saying Bully doesn’t have it in him, but we’ve already seen what Georgia’s Uga can do.