Mississippi State has peeked into the top 25 twice this season, but it may be some time before the Bulldogs can return.

Coach Dan Mullen, Dak Prescott and MSU are 3-2 overall, 1-2 in the SEC through early October. That’s as many regular-season SEC games as the team lost all of last season — the program must win its final five conference games to match the 6-2 record of the ’14 group.

RELATED: Associated Press Top 25 | Coaches Poll

Last year, Mississippi State remained unranked until an Oct. 4 win against No. 6 Texas A&M. This year, Oct. 4 may be a different sort of demarcation for the team, which had reached No. 21 in the Associated Press Top 25 and No. 22 in the Coaches Poll after a 17-9 win at Auburn last week.

The Bulldogs are listed among “others receiving votes” in both major polls this week. None of the teams in the top 25 have two losses, and it probably will take more than victories against Troy and Louisiana Tech for Mississippi State to rejoin the poll.

If MSU handles business and reaches 5-2, though, an Oct. 24 game against Kentucky at Davis Wade Stadium could help the team make yet another entrance into the poll.