Believe it or not, Mississippi State has several talented players besides Dak Prescott this season.

That may not be the popular narrative for what appears to be a one-man show in Starkville, but if the Bulldogs are still in the SEC race come November, Prescott’s supporting cast will be the reason.

Mississippi State hasn’t reached Alabama or LSU levels with former four and five-star recruits at nearly every starting position, but coach Dan Mullen’s done a commendable job building a roster of players that fit his system.

Here are five ‘non-Dak’ reasons Bulldogs fans should remain optimistic this season:

5. Supreme talent at WR — De’ Runnya Wilson, Fred Ross and Malik Dear. Unfamiliar with these guys? You won’t be by the end of September. Mississippi State’s group of wideouts is one of the league’s most underrated and often makes Prescott look superb down the field. Wilson has monster hands and can out-jump most cornerbacks while Ross is simply a chain-mover, averaging 15.5 yards per reception during his career. The coaching staff’s high on Dear, a four-star true freshman who played excellent in spurts during the spring. Matchup nightmares across the board, the Bulldogs aren’t short on talent on the outside this season.

4. Appetizing home schedule — The bad news? The Bulldogs welcome LSU, Alabama and Ole Miss to Cowbell Central this season, one of the nation’s toughest home slates. The good news? Mississippi State has won eight consecutive games at Davis Wade Stadium, including two last season against Top 10 teams. The atmosphere’s turned up a notch when Western Division rivals make the trip to Starkville and this fanbase knows the importance of this final season with a talented, perhaps NFL-rich, roster.

3. Solid returning pass rushers — Despite losing Preston Smith and a couple others within the front seven to the NFL in May, Mississippi State should be solid at the point of attack. Chris Jones is prepping for what many think will be his best season as a junior after shedding nearly 40 pounds off his frame during the offseason. Mullen has asked Jones to play ‘desperate’ this fall in attempt to get maximum effort each and every snap. He’s one of the leaders now on Manny Diaz’s defense and will be expected to play like one. Pass rusher A.J. Jefferson, who played with poise and precision during the spring, is a terror to try and block. His double-tackle during Mississippi State’s spring game was intense.

2. Extreme depth at RB — I wouldn’t suspect Prescott to be over-worked this season due primarily to Mississippi State’s bevy of running backs behind him. Josh Robinson was the lone wolf at times last fall, but his exit means there’s new blood in the ground game, notably redshirt freshmen Dontavian Lee and Aeris Williams. Ashton Shumpert’s going to have a say as well after serving as a reliable No. 2 as a sophomore. Lee and Shumpert battled for first-team reps throughout the spring and both provide different wrinkles to the Bulldogs’ offense.

1. Dan Mullen staying — I’ll be the first one to say I didn’t expect Mullen to stay at Mississippi State following last season’s success, highlighted by the program’s rise to No. 1 and a Top 15 finish. I was a critic, like most media members, who pointed to Mullen’s career record against ranked teams prior to last season and thought his stock would never go higher after accomplishing what he did. It was the perfect time to jump ship to a bigger program and cash in on becoming one of college football’s hottest offensive minds as the AP’s SEC Coach of the Year following his sixth year with the Bulldogs. But Mullen stated, instead agreeing to an extension through 2018 in February. He wants to see if Mississippi State can take that next step and a grab seat at the elite table. For the fanbase, it’s a good thing he did.