Mississippi State’s historic 10-win season last year is now just another chapter in the history books, and after collecting the nation’s No. 18 recruiting class this winter the Bulldogs have turned the page to the 2015 season.

The Dawgs are no longer a sleeping giant in the SEC West hoping to catch fellow divisional foes off guard; they’re an established contender with a star quarterback and a coach who’s name is growing in popularity. As a result, it will be twice as hard to duplicate last year’s achievements in 2015, especially after the Bulldogs lost more than half their starters on both sides of the ball from last year’s team.

The path to repeating last season’s 10-win performance begins with spring practice next month. With that in mind, here are what we think MSU’s top 5 priorities should be this spring as the team aims to reload for another season in the Wild Wild West.

5. Find a new featured tailback: Every featured tailback in Dan Mullen’s six seasons at Mississippi State has run for 1,000 yards in a season at least once while at MSU, and although the Bulldogs lose Josh Robinson off last year’s team they’ll still return a tandem of backs poised to continue that trend. Both Ashton Shumpert and Brandon Holloway shared the No. 2 tailback duties behind Robinson last year, amassing eerily similar numbers when all was said and done (Holloway: 45 carries, 294 yards, 1 touchdown; Shumpert: 47 carries, 274 yards, 2 touchdowns). Spring practice is the perfect time for Mullen to assess both backs and decide if he wants to name one of them the starter or prepare for a timeshare at the position.

4. Scout replacements for departed NFL talent: Not only did Mississippi State lose a number of starters off last year’s team, it lost a number of guys who will now take their talents to the NFL on Sundays this fall. Thus, the shoes Mississippi State’s newcomers must fill are bigger than most, which could make the transition from the bench to the lineup difficult for some players on the roster. Mullen and his staff must find which players are up to the task and then must define roles for those players as they create niches for themselves on the field.

3. Get the early enrollees up to speed: This is an obvious spring practice priority for every FBS program with early enrollees, but it is especially important for Mississippi State in large part due to the priority listed above. The Bulldogs lost a lot of starters on both sides of the ball this offseason, but it also hauled in a top 20 recruiting class nationally featuring a handful of promising early enrollees, some of which were already seasoned at the junior college level last year. The faster Mullen and his guys can get the early enrollees engaged in Mississippi State’s system, the faster the team as a whole can overcome its veteran departures this winter.

2. Install Manny Diaz’s defensive system: Diaz was Mississippi State’s defensive coordinator for one season in 2010, and although he’s back for a second stint in Starkville there isn’t a player on the roster who was in school during the 2010 season. As a result, Diaz will have to teach his system all over again to a new crop of players, many of which are assuming starting roles for the very first time. Granted, Diaz’s Cover 3 system isn’t any more sophisticated than Geoff Collins’ system was in years past or any other DC in the SEC, but it is different and there will be a learning curve in Starkville. And what better time to overcome the learning curve than spring practice, right? Right.

1. Develop the tandem of Dak Prescott and De’Runnya Wilson: Prescott was the SEC’s best quarterback last year, earning first-team all-conference honors at season’s end, and with another offseason to work with Dan Mullen to develop his game he should be even better in 2015. One reason Prescott is expected to put up even bigger numbers than the 3,400 passing yards and 900 rushing yards he amassed in 2014 is his connection with Wilson, one of the SEC’s most dynamic returning wideouts this fall. Wilson has a big frame and the leaping ability that comes with a former basketball star, and he’s astute at breaking tackles as well as shielding defenders from the ball with his body. If he and Prescott really put in the work this spring, both players possess enough raw talent and SEC experience to be the best quarterback-receiver tandem in the conference in 2015.