Mississippi State quarterback Dak Prescott will be introduced to most of America Saturday in the Bulldogs’ high-profile showdown with No. 6 Texas A&M in Starkville, and if he can capitalize he’ll shoot up the list of Heisman contenders nearly halfway into the season.

All eyes will be on the state of Mississippi today, as Mississippi State and Ole Miss play in back-to-back top 15 matchups for the first time since 1953. SportsCenter, College GameDay and SEC Nation have smothered the ESPN family of networks with coverage from Starkville and Oxford, and the stage has been set for Prescott to have a coming out party with all eyes on Davis Wade Stadium this afternoon.

The Bulldogs signal caller had a huge performance in the win over LSU two weeks ago, but that was only enough to pique the nation’s attention. Now that he has their attention entering a huge SEC West showdown, Prescott must dominate an average Texas A&M defense to cement himself among the best players in the nation.

Furthermore, he’ll need to have a huge performance if Mississippi State hopes to keep up with the Aggies explosive offense. Texas A&M scores quickly and scores often, leaving Prescott and the Bulldogs offense little margin for error when they have the ball. If Mississippi State can run the ball well, it should have no trouble moving up and down the field on offense. Prescott plays a significant role in the run game, and if MSU can establish the run, it’ll also be Prescott’s responsibility to maintain balance on offense with the pass.

The redshirt junior has been among the best passers in the nation on play-action fakes, and he remains among the best running quarterbacks in the nation, already drawing comparisons to the likes of former Heisman winners Cam Newton and Tim Tebow.

If Prescott has a career day, Mississippi State will move into next week’s top 10 and Prescott will move onto the short list of true Heisman contenders. But if MSU loses, it’ll be like this game never happened, a huge missed opportunity for the Bulldogs and their star quarterback.