From unranked to No. 1.

Can Mississippi State do it again this fall?

In an interview with SEC Network’s Maria Taylor on Thursday, Bulldogs coach Dan Mullen was asked how his team was perceived heading into the season, unranked in the Coaches Poll despite welcoming back the SEC’s best quarterback, Dak Prescott.

“(We’re) probably perceived the same as we always are,” Mullen said. “I don’t put a whole lot of weight in all the preseason polls. Nobody asks me where my vote was or where I’d rank us. I think we’ve got a pretty good football team. Like everybody in the country, we’re going to have to go out there on the field and prove it.”

Mississippi State won 10 games last fall, including victories over Top 10 competition during the first half of the season. The Bulldogs were picked to finish last in the Western Division at SEC Media Days.

“Our guys know it’s going to take an awful lot of work and we’re going to have to play at an extremely high level all season long, but they’ve tasted that success and they’re ready to get back on top,” Mullen told SEC Network.

Mississippi State begins fall camp Monday and opens the season Sept. 5 at Southern Miss.