Cinderella stories are a part of what makes sports so great, especially at the collegiate level. Players, coaches and even entire teams come from relative anonymity to shine brighter than their counterparts when least expected, reminding us that anything is possible in the world of sports.

With all that in mind, here were the SEC’s greatest Cinderella stories of the 2014 season:

Dak Prescott, Josh Robinson, Preston Smith, Dan Mullen and the rest of the Mississippi State Bulldogs

There were murmurs in the preseason that Mississippi State might be a dark horse contender to win 10 games in 2014, and similar murmurs hinting that Prescott, with just seven career starts to his name, might have a breakout season in Starkville.

Mississippi State did win 10 games, including its first nine to open the season, and Prescott earned first-team All-SEC honors and finished in the top 10 in Heisman voting.

But even more impressive was that Mississippi State earned its first No. 1 ranking in school history and maintained it for five weeks.

Josh Robinson came from nowhere to add his name to the growing list of Dan Mullen tailbacks to rush for 1,000 yards. Preston Smith won three consecutive SEC Defensive Lineman of the Week awards and elevated his draft stock to that of a potential first round pick in April’s NFL Draft. Mullen himself snapped a 15-game losing streak to ranked opponents with three straight wins over top 10 teams.

The Bulldogs roster was filled with Cinderella stories, and the team as a whole epitomized the lovable nature of an underdog finally rising to the top.

Nick Chubb, RB, Georgia

Most college football experts figured a Georgia tailback would rush for 1,000 yards in 2014, but that back was early Heisman frontrunner Todd Gurley, not freshman phenom Nick Chubb, who replaced Gurley five games into the season when Gurley was suspended for profiting off his own autographs.

Chubb held onto the starting role for the rest of the season after Gurley suffered a season-ending ACL injury in his one-game return from the suspension later in the season. In eight starts, Chubb ran for at least 100 yards each time out, topping 140 yards six times in that span.

The freshman closed the year with more than 1,500 yards rushing and 14 touchdowns, finishing second in the SEC in rushing behind only Auburn’s Cameron Artis-Payne, who made 13 starts to Chubb’s eight. No one else in the conference besides Artis-Payne came within 300 yards of Chubb’s rushing total in 2014, and his 14 rushing touchdowns led the conference by season’s end.

Senquez Golson, CB, Ole Miss

Golson was a productive cornerback in his first three seasons with the Rebels, amassing a combined six interceptions and seven passes defended in that time. But no one saw his breakout 2014 campaign coming, as he led the SEC and finished second in the nation with 10 interceptions in 13 games for the nation’s top scoring defense.

He intercepted Blake Sims in the end zone in the final minute of play to seal Ole Miss’ upset of Alabama and recorded two multi-interception games on the year. His stretch of six interceptions in the span of five conference games from Oct. 4 until Nov. 1 was as remarkable a feat as any in the conference this season, and he went from a projected late-round pick in this year’s NFL Draft to a potential second- or third-round choice.

Josh Reynolds, WR, Texas A&M

Reynolds, a junior college transfer, was lost in the shuffle early in the season while competing for playing time among a deep corps. of Aggies wide receivers. But by the end of the year, despite battling for time with incumbent No. 1 option Malcome Kennedy and 2014 five-star signee Speedy Noil, he asserted himself not only as the top wideout on the team, but as one of the top wideouts in the SEC.

He played with two different starting quarterbacks throughout the season, both of whom had earned the starting job for the first time in their collegiate careers, but never missed a beat, finishing fourth in the SEC with 842 yards and second in the conference with a school-record 13 touchdowns in 13 games.

His playmaking abilities after the catch set him apart from other talented wideouts, and his long touchdown catch and run to force overtime against Arkansas was perhaps a season-saving play for A&M when all was said and done.

Bud Sasser, WR, Missouri

Sasser had never amassed more than 361 yards in any of his first three seasons at Missouri, and he wasn’t exactly returning to a potent passing offense for his senior season in 2014. The Tigers ranked in the bottom five in the conference in passing offense, and it may have ranked even lower than that had it not been for Sasser’s consistency as the team’s top wideout.

He came out of nowhere to post 1,003 yards and 12 touchdowns on the season, finishing third in the conference in both categories. The Tigers offense was as lackluster as they come in the SEC (save for Vanderbilt’s struggle of a season in 2014), but Sasser never let a lack of protection and inconsistent decision-making by quarterback Maty Mauk hold him back.

Sasser made plays whenever he was involved in the offense, and played a major role in Mizzou’s second straight SEC East title.

Blake Sims, QB, Alabama

Most figured Florida State transfer Jacob Coker would assume the starting job in Lane Kiffin’s offense in 2014, and those people were left scratching their heads when Sims, a former defensive back and running back whose only quarterback experience came in mop-up duties, was named the opening day starter.

Not only did Sims keep the job for the entire season, but he proved himself to be one of the nation’s best signal callers, improving his NFL Draft stock tremendously in the process.

He was second in the SEC in yards through the air with more than 3,400 and he led the conference with 26 touchdown passes. His dual-threat abilities allowed him to escape pass rushes and make plays with his legs, and his decision-making for a first-time starter was superb.

Kiffin certainly deserves some of the credit, but Sims was much more than the game manager most expected him to be this season. He was a bonafide star, leading Alabama to an SEC championship and a berth in the inaugural College Football Playoff.