Picked to finish dead last in the West Division, Mississippi State is in a perfect position to surprise.

Low expectations make sense after losing the talent the Bulldogs lost, including Dak Prescott and Chris Jones. The Bulldogs could struggle to find offensive identity out of the gate, but defensively Mississippi State could be vastly overlooked by nearly everyone.

Jones opted for the NFL Draft, and defensive coordinator Manny Diaz departed to join Mark Richt as the coordinator at Miami. However, the Bulldogs return several players and hired the young and talented Peter Sirmon from Southern California to replace Diaz.

Sirmon coached linebackers, led recruiting efforts and was named associate head coach at USC. Plus, Sirmon is not unfamiliar with the SEC. He spent two years at Tennessee, serving as the linebackers coach under Derek Dooley in 2011. Back in February, he told ESPN that he and head coach Dan Mullen spoke for four hours and that “nothing was left unsaid.”

Sirmon’s squad could be up to the task in a bigger way than it seems from afar. Jones is not walking through the door anytime soon, but he did leave behind seven defensive starters, many of whom ranked in the top 10 for tackles on the team.

Sirmon and company could lean heavily on the depth in the front seven, particularly on the defensive line with Fletcher Adams (redshirt freshman) and Braxton Hoyett (junior) to disrupt things from the trenches while safeties Brandon Bryant (sophomore) and Jamal Peters (sophomore) will be expected to disrupt passing as well as contribute to stopping the run.

The Bulldogs have developed elite NFL talent where many thought there was none (which is not to say that these players weren’t great recruits, just that when they entered MSU, they weren’t necessarily locks to have good NFL careers).

Philadelphia Eagles DE Fletcher Cox just signed a massive contract and figures to compete with J.J. Watt of Houston, Von Miller of Denver and Ezekiel Ansah of Detroit for the sack title, and many think Detroit CB Darius Slay could wind up being one of the league’s top five shut-down corners in his fourth season in the league.

Slay and Cox represent Mississippi State talent making a huge impact in marquee NFL positions. Benardrick McKinney put together a solid rookie campaign in Houston, and Kansas City figures to use Jones as a key part of the DL rotation in his rookie season. There is no doubt that MSU could easily be developing the next Slay or Cox right now.

As for SEC success, the key for the Bulldogs will be finishing the season. In back-to-back years, Mississippi State failed to maintain momentum heading into the final four games. Last year, the Bulldogs held opponents to less than five yards per play in the first nine games but gave up more than six per play in the final four games.

Sirmon’s first year could be more successful than predicted. The SEC boasts by far the two most touted offensive talents in the league in LSU RB Leonard Fournette and Ole Miss QB Chad Kelly. However, massive questions at quarterback remain for most of the league’s teams, including Mississippi State themselves, and many more have to replace key skill position players.

Defense, whether it be a bend-but-don’t-break approach or an aggressive downhill scheme, remains the cornerstone for long-term success in the SEC. For the Bulldogs, defense could bridge the gap and shorten the pain of a “rebuilding” season. With all eyes in the West on Kelly, Fournette and Nick Saban, Mississippi State could easily surprise fans and pundits.