Sans a forgettable finish in the Egg Bowl and postseason, Mississippi State’s 2014 campaign was one of the program’s most memorable and featured a historic eight-week rise from unranked to No. 1.

What do Dak Prescott and the Bulldogs have in store for an encore?

Not much if you believe popular opinion. Mississippi State’s expected to nosedive toward the bottom of the standings in college football’s toughest division, despite arguably its best collection of talent during the Dan Mullen era.

Best case scenario SEC series

MISSISSIPPI STATE BULLDOGS

2014 record: 10-3, 6-2
2015 best case: 9-3, 5-3
Closer look: Facing the fifth-toughest home schedule in the SEC this season, it’s imperative that Mississippi State starts the 2015 campaign with a bang in September. Sandwiched between games against Southern Miss and Northwestern State, the Bulldogs entertain nationally-ranked LSU at Davis Wade Stadium on Sept. 12 before ending the month at Auburn on the 26th. Mississippi State needs to at least earn an SEC split for a 3-1 start to keep preseason expectations of an SEC Western Division title alive. The next four games post-Auburn are all winnable which could mean good things for the Bulldogs heading into their only bye week on Halloween.
Silver lining: Like most SEC squads, November’s treacherous with three games against Western Division foes along with a road trip to two-time defending East champ Mizzou, but arguably Mississippi State’s two toughest games will both come at home — Alabama (Nov. 14) and Ole Miss (Nov. 28). Reaching that nine-win plateau will be determined in the Egg Bowl and this season, the Bulldogs have a disappointing loss to avenge. Winning five games against SEC competition won’t be enough to reach Atlanta in 2015, but it would however correlate to a respectable bowl invite, likely in Florida.