However, it’s usually not talked about among players, ever.

But former Mississippi State receiver Chad Bumphis has Twitter buzzing because of his financial counseling to recruits on National Signing Day Eve. Bumphis advised recruits not to just follow the money.

With NSD near, recruits listen. DON’T go with the money! After its gone ur stuck at a place you probably don’t even like for 3-5 years!

— chad bumphis (@ImSo_BalisMade1) February 5, 2013

Yeah – Bumphis did just say that. But it could mean two different things to two different fan bases.

For Mississippi State, he could be incriminating himself or MSU, and by all accounts he enjoyed his time in Starkville. He had a stellar senior season with 58 catches for 922 yards and 12 touchdowns. But I don’t view it as incriminating MSU, his career or his legacy.

I view it as a shot towards in-state rival Ole Miss, because they could easily ink arguably the top recruiting class tomorrow, including the top player in the country in Robert Nkemdiche. And all we’ve heard all week after Laremy Tunsil was said to be favoring the Rebels is that Ole Miss can’t possibly be reeling in a top class legally. Now, current Mississippi State commit and star defensive end Chris Jones could flip to the Rebels tomorrow, too.

Hugh Freeze took to Twitter to combat the garbage being spewed in reference to the Rebels cheating. The tweet has since been deleted.

If you have facts about a violation, email compliance@olemiss.edu. If not, please don’t slander the young men

Apparently, Bumphis’ trolling efforts were a success, because he lit a fire amongst the Ole Miss fan base.

Funny. I tweet that and the only people offended are my sweet little rebel followers!! Guilty much??? Possibly. Lol

— chad bumphis (@ImSo_BalisMade1) February 5, 2013

Only one more day left before all the drama hopefully ends.

Photo Credit: Jim Brown-USA TODAY Sports

The Game: Mississippi State vs. Northwestern

What’s at stake: 2nd nine-win season under Dan Mullen
Dan Mullen has taken Mississippi State to three straight bowl games, and it’s surprising to no one that MSU has a chance to win their ninth game for the second time in the last three years. Winning has become ho-hum in Starkville, and Mullen is good at it. Is there a ceiling to winning in Starkville? Probably, but many thought that ceiling would be shattered this season after starting 7-0 and ranked just outside of the top ten in the BCS. The season certainly didn’t finish the way everyone expected, but winning nine at MSU in the SEC West is certainly something Starkville consistently hasn’t seen.

Why Mississippi State will win: Teams don’t win against SEC defenses with two QBs
Northwestern features a two-quarterback system. The passer of the two, Trevor Siemian, and the runner Kain Colter will try to do something that many teams can’t do against SEC defenses – rotate quarterbacks in a winning effort. Sure, teams have won rotating quarterbacks, but no one has done it consistently with success. Siemian has thrown for only six touchdowns, while Colter (the runner) has thrown for eight. Colter has also run for a team-high 12 touchdowns, too. Mississippi State’s run defense was pushed around towards the end of the season, and they will try to revive their tough front seven against a run-heavy Northwestern offense.

Why Mississippi State will lose: Lost four of the last five games
Losers of four of their last five games, MSU will try to rekindle that early season magic that saw them start 7-0 before losing to Alabama. In their defense, MSU lost four of those games to three top ten ranked teams. But the worst of the losses was obviously against Ole Miss in the Egg Bowl, who laid the smack down on the Bulldogs. There’s no positive momentum of any kind in the program right now – recruiting or playing. The defense was exposed in their four losses, and it will be a tough task for the veteran leaders to regroup and reset the focus.

3 players MSU must stop: QB Kain Colter, RB Venric Mark and LB Chi Chi Ariguzo
Colter and Venric Mark spearhead the 14th ranked rushing offense in the country. Colter has rushed for 820 yards, while running back Mark has toted the rock 213 times for 1,310 yards and 11 touchdowns. MSU must be stout against the run, because the rushing attack is the lifeblood of the offense. Wildcat linebacker Chi Chi Ariguzo has been a disruptive force on defense, and he currently leads the team with 10.5 tackles for loss. MSU’s blockers must know where Ariguzo lines up on every play and put a hat on him.

3 players for MSU who must play well: QB Tyler Russell, WR Chad Bumphis and DT Josh Boyd
Tyler Russell and Chad Bumphis have been the two players who Dan Mullen could count on performing every week on offense. Russell has thrown for 2,791 yards and 22 touchdowns, compared to just six interceptions. He’s taken exceptional care of the football. Bumphis has recorded a team-high 55 catches for 904 yards and 12 touchdowns. Both must play well on offense against a weak passing defense to notch a win. And on defense, tackle Josh Boyd must pick up his play. Bowl game wins start in the trenches, and the senior Boyd must play well, as he’s had an underwhelming season so far. Boyd has only tallied 2.5 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks.

MVP prediction: QB Tyler Russell
However, the best news for MSU is that Northwestern is ranked 102nd in pass defense in the country, and that should have Russell and his receivers ready for blood. MSU will look to attack the Wildcats down the field with their multiple weapons at receiver, just like they successfully did early in the season. Russell’s attempted an average of 30.5 passes per game, and I think he goes well over that mark Monday.

Photo Credit: Spruce Derden–US PRESSWIRE

When: Tuesday, January 1st

Where: Jacksonville, FL

Game Time: 12:00 PM ET

TV: ESPN2

Northwestern ranked wins: None

What you need to know about Northwestern: Northwestern finished third in the Legends Division in the Big Ten, losing to Michigan and Nebraska. However, pumping out nine wins is a great season for Coach Pat Fitzgerald.

The biggest thing you need to know about Northwestern is that they feature a two-quarterback system and a formidable rushing attack that ranks 14th in the country and averages over 230 yards per game on the ground. The Wildcats’ two-armed approach has been a success in part because of a stunning lack of negative plays. The passing quarterback Trevor Siemian threw for 1,192 yards and six touchdowns, while the runner Kain Colter threw for only 796 yards and eight touchdowns. Running back Venric Mark and Colter lead the rushing attack, as Mark topped the 1,300-yard mark with 11 touchdowns, and Colter rushed for 820 yards and 12 touchdowns. Both have combined to score 23 of the team’s 28 rushing touchdowns.

The defense is solid unit altogether, ranked 32nd in scoring defense (22.8 ppg) and 52nd in total defense (385.3 ypg). Defensive lineman Scott Tyler and linebacker Chi Chi Ariguzo lead the Wildcats’ defense. Tyler leads the team with seven sacks, and Ariguzo leads the team with 10.5 tackles for loss. Both will be key in trying to apply pressure to MSU’s quarterback Tyler Russell.

The lifeblood of the Wildcats is the running game, and Mississippi State will have to tackle well and take care of their assignments on defense, something they haven’t done the last few weeks.

What you need to know about Miss State: Mississippi State started off 7-0 and ranked just outside of the top ten before playing Alabama. Since the Alabama game, MSU has lost four of the last five games, including the Egg Bowl. The Bulldogs have very little momentum heading into Jacksonville, too, and the early success had everything to do with the easy schedule.

But Tyler Russell has had a fantastic season at quarterback, making big plays and limiting turnovers. Russell threw for 2,791 yards and 22 touchdowns compared to just six interceptions. Russell’s cast of receivers includes Chad Bumphis (904 yards), Chris Smith (540 yards) and Arcedo Clark (451 yards).

Running back LaDarius Perkins sits just outside of the 1,000-yard club with 940 yards and eight touchdowns. He should get to that mark against Northwestern, and he’ll have to be instrumental in moving the chains on the ground.

Early on, I thought MSU’s defense was slightly underrated. Just because they played a weak schedule, I thought they weren’t getting enough credit. However, they were exposed against better offenses in Bama, Texas A&M, LSU and Ole Miss. Linebacker Cam Lawrence leads the team in tackles with 111 total and 10 tackles for loss, and he’s the leader this group can count on and a fantastic athlete. Defensive backs Johnthan Banks and Darius Slay have also played well in their senior season, too. This is a very veteran-laid defense that should be ready to leave school with a bowl win. But stopping the Wildcats’ running game is the biggest item on the agenda.

By the numbers:

Who has the edge? These two teams’ strengths are essentially the opposite of one another. Mississippi State loves to let Tyler Russell make plays in the passing game, while Northwestern wins games with their formidable rushing attack and solid defense.

The Wildcats have the edge with their rushing attack, and MSU has a favorable matchup against Northwestern’s secondary.

While everything will be pointing to Russell to have a big game, running back LaDarius Perkins will have to play his best game of the season. Not only Perkins, but the entire MSU defense will have to be ready to play. They lost their mojo in the last five games, and Lawrence and Banks will have to get the boys ready to play.

MSU should win this game, but losing four out of the last five certainly doesn’t bode well for any kind of momentum. We’ll see if MSU can reverse the trend. The Bulldogs are 2-0 in as many years under Dan Mullen in bowl games.

Photo Credit: Derick E. Hingle-US PRESSWIRE

Final Record: 8-4 overall, 4-4 SEC

Mississippi State had a chance in 2012 to make some real noise, not only within the conference and division, but in the rest of the country as well. And that started to take shape with the 7-0 start and ranked just outside of the top 10. Even then, though, MSU fans thought they were getting shafted with little respect because ‘they were 7-0 and undefeated in the SEC’. Undefeated records don’t just automatically bring you hype, and to most, Mississippi State still failed to pass the eye test, even at 7-0.

Entering 2012, MSU had an experienced defense, productive running game, and enough veteran wide receivers on the roster for both them and Ole Miss, but they were turning their spread offense over to a new quarterback in Tyler Russell, who was much different than Chris Relf. But Russell turned out to be a great decision maker and a hell of passer, throwing for 2,791 yards and 22 touchdowns. His completion percentage numbers should have been higher (59.8 percent), but he didn’t turn the football over – only six interceptions. He was accurate, decisive and confident in just his first year as a starting quarterback.

LaDarius Perkins ran the football with authority, and he almost tipped the 1,000-yard mark in the regular season. He finished with 940 yards and eight touchdowns, and he should surpass that mark in the bowl game. Backups Josh Robinson and Nick Griffin provided a changeup to Perkins as well.

Russell had a bevy of receivers to get the football to in space. Senior receiver Chad Bumphis had his best season as a Bulldog, catching 55 passes for 904 yards and 12 touchdowns. He was the only Bulldog who scored in double figures, and he topped off his strong career with another huge season. Other receivers Chris Smith, Arceto Clark, Robert Johnson and tight ends Marcus Green and Malcolm Johnson also notched touchdowns, and Green led them with six.

The Bulldogs’ defense figured to be a staple of success, especially with four veterans – three seniors – in the secondary and senior linebacker Cam Lawrence. Corners Johnthan Banks and Darius Slay, combined with Corey Broomfield and Nickoe Whitley, made for a very veteran and battle-tested secondary. Slay emerged as the second starter opposite Banks during preseason camp. Banks and Slay combined to form a formidable one-two punch with nine interceptions. Lawrence led the team in tackles with 111 total, 10 tackles for loss, four sacks and two interceptions. His athletic ability – and face paint –was the heart and soul of the defense. Freshman linebacker Benardrick McKinney had a breakout year with 97 tackles and 4.5 tackles for loss. He’s going to be a serious linebacker and a leader in the next two years. With tackle Quay Evans and Mckinney, this defense has a great nucleus of young players to build their defense around for next few years.

The Bulldogs started the season strong by winning their first seven games but finished losing four of their last five, including the state championship Egg Bowl. The Rebels, not the Bulldogs, enter prime recruiting season with all the momentum after MSU dominated the state the previous three years. As the last five games revealed, the 7-0 start had more to do with the weak schedule, but credit Mullen and the staff for taking care of business those first seven games.

Offensive Stud: Looking into the crystal ball before this season started, several questions surrounded Tyler Russell. Would Dan Mullen try and use him the same way he used bruiser Chris Relf? Could Russell live up to the glimpses we saw the last couple of years as the primary passer? Mullen turned the keys over to Russell, and he threw for 2,791 yards and 22 touchdowns. But he can get better, and he’s nowhere near the finished product yet. The bad news is his cast of receivers will be absent next season.

Defensive MVP: The face of the Mississippi State defense is corner Johnthan Banks. The newly crowned Thorpe Award winner turned in another great season in Starkville. Banks picked off four passes and was sixth in passes defended. He’s received a lot of national pub in his senior season, and his big day will come this spring in the NFL Draft. It’s been a great career for Banks at MSU, and his story is even better.

Where To Next: Mississippi State has a date with the #20 Northwestern Wildcats in the Gator Bowl. State has lost four of their last five and doesn’t enter with any kind of mo-mo, but a layoff before the bowl could actually help. Maybe it will clear the mind and get the Bulldogs focused to finish what they started in September.

Photo Credit: Derick E. Hingle-US PRESSWIRE

When: Saturday, November 24th

Where: Oxford, MS

Game Time: 7:00 PM ET

TV: ESPNU

The Skinny: A win for the Rebels would be a big-time turnaround from a two-win season to a six-win season and a bowl berth. A win for Mississippi State means the Bulldogs notch another nine-win season – perhaps meeting expectations – during the Dan Mullen era. A loss for MSU, and the entire season is a failure – plain and simple. Mullen has owned the Rebels (3-0 in as many years), and he looks to add another win, while Hugh Freeze’s fresh energy has the Rebels believing they will win this football game at home.

What you need to know about Miss State: We have learned over the last four weeks that MSU’s 7-0 start had everything to do with the weak schedule. It’s not that the Bulldogs are underrated or overrated, but they were a product of a weak schedule. It’s not a knock on MSU, their team or the players; however, back-to-back-to-back games against Alabama, Texas A&M and LSU revealed that the Bulldogs are a solid team, but not a great team. The Bulldogs were not ready for stiffer competition. However, by beating the Rebels and completing a nine-win season, it’s a good season in Starkville – not great.

One player who has played very well has been quarterback Tyler Russell. Russell’s passing yardage might not be in the top three in the SEC, but he’s thrown 21 touchdowns compared to just four interceptions. He’s efficient and comfortable with his receivers, and it’s shown the entire season. He, along with receivers Chad Bumphis, Chris Smith and Arcedo Clark, will try and take advantage of the SEC’s 12th ranked pass defense in Ole Miss.

I thought the Bulldogs’ defense was somewhat underrated, particularly the secondary, for much of the season until they were exposed in their three losses. MSU’s 11th ranked rushing defense will need to take a step forward against a run-heavy but balanced Ole Miss offense. Stopping the run first will be a key for the Bulldogs’ front seven.

What you need to know about Ole Miss: Win or lose, the Rebels have surpassed expectations. A win Saturday would take a good season to a great season, especially becoming bowl eligible against that school down in Starkville, right?

Should Ole Miss already be bowl eligible? They should have beaten the Commodores, as they blew a 23-6 lead in the third quarter. However, they bounced back nicely against LSU last weekend and took it down to the final seconds.

Bo Wallace has had a good season – not great. He’s thrown for over 2,500 yards and has 22 combined touchdowns, to go along with his 13 interceptions. However, 13 picks are just too many, and he’ll have to play under control and limit his turnovers against a very greedy Bulldogs’ secondary that has tallied 14 interceptions of their own.

The Rebels’ secondary will have to bring their game against Tyler Russell and company. They have forced 12 interceptions on the season, and they’ll need to force a couple on Russell, who is normally very controlled and poised in the pocket.

Who has the edge: Count me as one who has had this game circled since about week four of this season, when both the Rebels and Bulldogs started off very strong with a combined record of 7-1. We knew the Bulldogs would be good with Dan Mullen at the helm, a veteran defense and a quarterback who could put up numbers, but it’s the Rebels who have outplayed their expectation to this point. From two wins last season to five heading into the final week, it’s true – and they should have already notched a bowl game berth but have been stuck on five wins for three weeks now. Nonetheless, it’s a marked turnaround, and they would like nothing more than to get that sixth win against their hated rivals.

On paper, MSU has an advantage, with a better record and better offensive and defensive numbers. But these two teams match up particularly well, and you can throw those stats out the window for a rivalry game.

The combination of LaDarius Perkins and Tyler Russell, along with the cast of receivers, gives the Bulldogs the upper hand. MSU has owned this series the last three years, and the last time MSU has won four straight Egg Bowls was back in 1939-‘42. However, the Rebels truly believe they can win this game. The one thing the Rebels have lacked the last few years? Belief. Freeze has the Rebels believing they can compete and beat anyone – just ask LSU.

So, while you may be snoozing on this football game, it will be must-watch TV for any SEC fan. Be sure and tune in Saturday night for the Battle of Mississippi.

Photo Credit: Marvin Gentry-US PRESSWIRE

But these next three weeks are literally murderer’s row for Derek Dooley and the Tennessee Vols.

Tyler Bray and Co. have proved they can score plenty of points but can the Vols’ defense stop Mississippi State Saturday night at Davis Wade Stadium?

With an improved running game — and a strong passing attack — they’ll have a shot at their first SEC win of the season and their fifth straight convincing win over the Bulldogs. It’ll mark the toughest game thus far for Mississippi State whose wins are against subpar programs, part of the reason the Bulldogs are only ranked 19th in the latest polls. MSU hasn’t received much respect since Troy is the only team Dan Mullen’s group has beaten with a winning record.

Should the Vols fall flat, however, Dooley will need to update that resume because he won’t be Tennessee’s coach in 2013.

Tennessee’s failures on the big stage — vs. ranked teams — are well-documented under Dooley, but I think the Vols do damage and win Saturday night if they can limit the Tyler Russell to Chad Bumphis connection on defense. Russell looks the part for the Bulldogs, but what has his team proven thus far? Not much.

Expected to challenge for the SEC West in 2011, MSU underachieved and stumbled to a 7-6 record. The Bulldogs’ conference wins this year are over Auburn and Kentucky. No one could have predicted just how bad the Tigers have looked, but it remains to be seen whether or not State can bring the same intensity level in late-season matchups against Alabama, LSU and Texas A&M.

Tennessee has an uphill climb against a stout secondary and raucous crowd — wideout Justin Hunter will have something to say about those star defensive backs — but the Vols have shown respectable performances against Florida and Georgia and are noticeably playing with a sense of urgency in what is likely’s Dooley’s last campaign.

Mississippi State’s 5-0 for the first time since 1999, but the unbeaten streak won’t last much longer. Tennessee has too many weapons on offense and a chip on its shoulder that’s tough to replicate. An 8-4 season is needed to save Dooley’s job and the Vols will be in good position for that win-total with a victory Saturday night.

1. Johnny Manziel, Texas A&M
Everyone’s favorite redshirt freshman Johnny Manziel really broke out on Saturday against SMU. Manziel accounted for 418 total yards and six touchdowns. This kid is a freshman, right? He’s a beast. He threw for 294 yards and four touchdowns, while running for 124 yards and two touchdowns. The progression he made from the first to the second week was spectacular, even if it was against SMU. With the team’s leading rusher Christine Michael out, Manziel took over.

2. Chad Bumphis, Mississippi State
Finally, we are witnessing MSU receiver Chad Bumphis break out. A large part has to do with Tyler Russell at quarterback, but Bumphis has been suppressed throughout his time at State. This year is a different story, however. He caught Russell’s three touchdowns Saturday of 72, 58 and 25. His last one of 25 yards put the Bulldogs up for good. He’s quite the athlete, and he’s finally having a breakout season in his senior year.

3. Alabama Defense
You can’t just single out one guy on the Tide’s defense as one of the most dominant performances in the SEC. Bama’s defense just destroyed the Wilson-less Arkansas offense. Just at halftime, Arkansas amassed a mere 46 yards of total offense and -4 rushing yards. The Hogs wound up gaining only 137 total yards and 58 rushing yards. It was a dominating performance overall that just proved Alabama is on another level than every other team in the country. This group lost six starters last season and hasn’t missed a beat through three weeks.

When: Saturday, September 15th

Where: Troy, Alabama

Game Time: 7:00 PM ET

TV: ESPN3

What you need to know about Mississippi State: The Bulldogs are coming off their biggest win of the Dan Mullen era, beating Auburn in strong fashion 28-10.

Starting QB Tyler Russell won SEC Player of the Week honors for his three touchdown passes. Russell will remind you a little bit of Alex Smith at Utah. He’s quick in the pocket, has great awareness and is accurate both in and out of the pocket. He’s started off red hot, along with the running game of LaDarius Perkins. Perkins has run for 141 yards on 23 carries with three touchdowns so far.

Russell has completed a pass to 10 different receivers, and by receivers I’m counting backs as receivers. Russell has plenty of weapons at his disposal.

While I’ve been impressed by the offense, the defense is one of the very best in the SEC. Led by DB Johnathan Banks, the secondary is a ball-hawking group. The defensive unit forced five turnovers last week against Auburn. This squad is quite underrated as a whole.

What you need to know about Troy: Troy enters the game 1-1, beating UAB and losing to ULL. In the loss, Troy racked up 528 total yards on offense. The Trojans return 15 starters from a year ago.

QB Corey Robinson attempted 70 passes last week, and he has thrown for 649 yards and four touchdowns on the season, completing 63.3 percent of his passes. Running back Shawn Southward is another player to watch for the Trojans. He’s carried 44 times for 237 yards and three touchdowns.

Troy returns their top tackler from last year in SS Brynden Trawick, and he’s the player to watch on defense.

What you need to watch: Coming off of a very emotional win last week against Auburn, Mississippi State will need to up their game and get ready for Troy. The Trojans are no slouch, and they are 2-0 when hosting BCS conference opponents since their move to FBS.  How will this team respond?

Mississippi State can develop several things for the offensive arsenal, but the biggest glaring need right now is a deep threat. Someone has to rise to the occasion and stretch the field, or defenses are just going to load the box. Whether it’s Chad Bumphis, Chris Smith, Arceto Clark or someone else, better defensive teams are going to load the box.

I look for MSU to stay hot and improve to 3-0.

Mississippi State, and the aforementioned Auburn, are two programs going in two different directions. Auburn is struggling to find any sort of offense or defense and waiting for any player to step up. The product on the field shows no development, and all eyes are on Gene Chizik after the 0-2 start.

MSU, on the other hand, is a program on the rise with a hungry coach leading the team into battle, and one that is ready to contend with the West gauntlet.

This team could really be 6-1 or 7-0 heading into Alabama in late October. Tennessee is the biggest question on the schedule before Bama, and the Bulldogs get the Vols at home.

While there are many things the Bulldogs will happily take away from the Auburn game, namely the victory, there are a few things that need improvement moving forward if this team really wants to contend for a championship. Hey, Mullen is talking championship, and I will too.

1. Offensive Tackles: Auburn boasted a fast and physical defensive end combination, led by Corey Lemonier, and MSU’s tackles – Blaine Clausell and Charles Siddoway – were beaten several times. The guard and center play was good, but the tackles were a little exposed. Clausell and Siddoway’s play was masked by the fact that MSU only gave up one sack on the day, and Tyler Russell moved around the pocket and outside of the pocket well to negate what pressure was there. With games looming against LSU and Alabama later in the year, both tackles will have to step up their game going against both stout defensive lines.
2. No Deep Passes: The MSU offense will need to develop a deep threat that can stretch defenses regularly and make teams respect the deep ball. Russell really only took one deep shot to Chad Bumphis for an incompletion. It’s not that the Bulldogs don’t have a deep threat, but we just haven’t seen one develop yet. But to beat the better defenses in this league – defenses that will stack the box and play great one-on-one coverage on receivers – you have to have a deep threat to keep defenses honest. Whether it is Bumphis or another receiver, this needs to develop moving forward.
3. Special Teams: Bulldogs’ kicker Devon Bell missed two field goals. The freshman has a booming leg, but he has to be more consistent during games, especially in SEC play. In addition, the kickoff coverage unit gave up a 100-yard return to Onterio McCalebb. All three phases of the game – offense, defense and special teams – have to be tight in order to take down the big boys ahead on the schedule. Kickoff returns and missed field goals are absolutely game changers in this league.
4. Third-Down Conversions: 1-10 won’t get it done in the SEC, except against Auburn. Both teams were a combined 3-22 on third downs, but we expect that from Auburn at this point. MSU has to be able to convert more third downs. They will get better at this throughout the season, but Mullen doesn’t want third and longs. MSU has to do a better job on first and second down in order to avoid the third and longs.

Troy Game

Mississippi State travels to Troy to play the Trojans. Opening this week, the Bulldogs started as a 13 point favorite against Troy. This line has already moved up to 16.5.

The only way Mississippi State doesn’t cover this spread is if they’re totally overlooking this game and looking ahead; though, they play South Alabama the next week and Kentucky the week after their bye, and it’s not exactly a looming big game.

Troy won its opening game against UAB 39-29 and lost last week against Louisiana-Lafayette 37-24.

Against UAB, Troy gave up 459 yards of offense compared to their 453 yards of offense. Troy outgained ULL significantly (588-389), yet still lost mostly due to turnovers (3).

Troy QB Corey Robinson had 70 pass attempts against ULL. Mississippi State brings a very solid secondary full of ball hawks led by Johnthan Banks.

The Bulldogs held Auburn to 2.3 yards per rush attempt.

Lastly, Mississippi State currently is #1 in the country in turnover margin.

Add it up and Troy will have to play against a much tougher defense compared to the likes of UAB and ULL. Mississippi State wins easily; it’s just a question of how big the margin is.

Starting 0-2 on the year is a huge obstacle to overcome.

Auburn: Mississippi State
Auburn’s defense was gashed and exposed last week against Clemson, allowing 320 rushing yards. We thought the Tigers’ defense would show up much better against a weaker, inexperienced Clemson offensive line, but that was not the case. Now Auburn will try to rebound against a very good MSU team on the road. Starkville is a tough place to play as is, but you add in the fact this team is hungry to beat the Tigers and it seems like a much tougher feat. Dan Mullen is 0-3 against Auburn during his tenure, but the team has cussed and discussed last year’s gutting defeat at the hands of Auburn on the last-second stop at the goal line.

MSU WR Chad Bumphis cried after the loss.

“The first thing I did when I started showering and got on the bus, I called (strength) coach (Matt) Balis because I was just so hurt. I was crying, I was asking coach Balis, like, what happened?” Bumphis said. “As hard as we worked in the offseason, there’s no reason we should be losing games that close. He told me to keep working and everything will come together.”

MSU will try and punish Auburn’s defense much like Clemson did last week. This is a must-win for both teams, who will fight for third and fourth place in the West.

Kentucky: Kent State
Kentucky, as a team, was horrendous against Louisville. There was one bright spot, however, for the Cats and that was QB Max Smith. Smith finished 35 for 50 for 280 yards and two touchdowns. But Louisville gashed Kentucky early and often in the running game, rushing for 219 yards on the ground. Kentucky’s defense needs to find some playmakers rather quickly, and the big defensive line needs to step up. Kent State, besides running the wrong way on a punt, trounced Towson 41-21. This will be a dog fight for Kentucky to pull this game off.

The UK offense needs to control the ground game a little better and let their defense have some rest on the sidelines, or it will be a long season for Joker Phillips and company.

Vanderbilt: Northwestern
Vanderbilt had a tough-fought opening game against South Carolina that was very winnable for the Commodores. But a botched interference call prevented a final drive from even happening, whether they would have scored or not.

The Commodores will try and get back on track this week against Northwestern, who won a shootout against Syracuse this past weekend 42-41.

Vanderbilt needs to get back on track to what they do best: play good, sound fundamental football. Feed RB Zac Stacy the football, and keep the pocket moving with Jordan Rodgers, buying him enough time to find his talented receivers Jordan Matthews and Chris Boyd.

The Commodores should get back on track this week.