It’s only 82 miles from Starkville to Tuscaloosa. But on the college football map, at times it seems like a million miles.

So close, yet so far away.

For two schools that have played in the same conference together for more than 80 years, they couldn’t be more different. Alabama wins titles, lots of them, over and over. The Crimson Tide won the very first SEC title, won the last one and will probably win another one this year.

Mississippi State has won just one, way back in 1941.

Conferences have their pecking order and the SEC is no different. There’s Alabama at the top. LSU, Georgia, Tennessee, Florida and Auburn have contended cyclicly. The others, they have their moments, but they are often fleeting.

Mississippi State is proof positive of that. Now that we’re just days away from a huge battle in Starkville between the 7-2 Bulldogs and 8-1 Tide, we can’t help but harken back to a year ago when the two teams met.

It was Hail State’s time, finally after all these years.

And they let it get away.

A year ago, Mississippi State strolled into Bryant-Denny Stadium as the No. 1 team in the land. For this current generation of Bulldogs fans, it was the best State team they had ever seen. Same went for their fathers, too, probably. Unranked at the beginning of the season, they finally showed up in the polls at No. 14 in Week 5. By Week 8, after wins over No. 8 LSU, No. 6  Texas A&M and No. 2 Auburn, they were No. 1.

And when the first-ever College Football Poll came out in Week 10, it was unheralded Mississippi State at the top.

But Alabama, No. 5 in the country themselves and loaded with talent, was ready for them, ready to remind them all about this SEC pecking order. They jumped out to an early lead and stretched it out to 19-3 by halftime. Dak Prescott and the Bulldogs rallied in the fourth quarter, but came up short, losing 25-20.

State’s shot at a conference title slipped away. And then so did their chance at sneaking into the playoffs as a second SEC team when it lost to Ole Miss. Throw in a bowl game loss to Georgia Tech and suddenly a magical season turned out to be a 10-3 disappointment.

Or least as much as 10-3 can be disappointing in Starkville.

Here’s what’s tough about making inroads. It looked like 2014 might be a turning point for the Bulldogs. But then 2015 rolls around and they are picked to finished last in the brutal SEC West. So much for progress.

It hasn’t helped this year that the Bulldogs lost twice early and completely fell off the regional and national radar. The LSU loss was tough, a 21-19 defeat that featured a missed 2-point conversion try with four minutes left and a failed field goal attempt at the buzzer.

The 30-17 beatdown by Texas A&M was embarrassing, with both sides of the ball getting dominated. But now four straight wins has changed the landscape again. Given up for dead long ago in the SEC West race, once again the Bulldogs are relevant.

There’s a lot that needs to happen, but it’s not all that far-fetched, especially if you really like the way Mississippi State is playing right now. Win out against Alabama, Arkansas and Ole Miss and finish 6-2 in the league, tied with Alabama. State would have the tiebreaker.

LSU needs to help out. Losses to Arkansas and Ole Miss the next two weeks would be key, because State’s best path is a simple two-way tie with Alabama. But after watching LSU last Saturday, you can’t rule it out that a hot team like Arkansas and a dangerous club like Ole Miss could take them down. If that happens, Ole Miss, LSU and Arkansas would all finish 5-3.

Crazier things have happened, right?

What’s good about all this is that the Bulldogs are back in the conversation. That big game with Alabama is here again, and this time it’s in Starkville. You’ve got a veteran QB in Prescott and plenty of weapons. Pull off the upset – a very big upset – and say hello to the national spotlight once again.

Mississippi State is 20-5 in its last 25 games, tied with Alabama for the best mark in the SEC. But coach Dan Mullen is 0-6 against the Tide in his career and Prescott is 0-3.

It’s the last chance for Prescott. But it’s a chance all the same.

We didn’t expect to say that six weeks ago.