Mississippi State Football

Mississippi State has reached the SEC Championship Game just one time—in 1998—since the annual contest began in 1992.

The Bulldogs, coming off a 7-6 season, likely won’t reach Atlanta again this year, either.

Yet they could be the surprise of the SEC West and potentially provide a roadblock for divisional favorites Alabama, Auburn and LSU.

Mississippi State coach Dan Mullen knows all too well how tough the division will be, though he eyes taking the “next step.”

“The difference in the SEC West is that, in the last five seasons, six SEC West teams have competed for the national championship,” Mullen told BleacherReport’s Barrett Sallee. “A lot of times, the next step is ‘Hey, we’ve built a program as a consistent winner; now let’s go win a conference championship.’ In the SEC West, you skip that step.

“A conference championship is also a national championship here. And that’s just in the West, never mind the Florida run before that. Our next step is to play for a national championship, because that’s where it’s been if you win the SEC West.”

Mullen also points out the brutality of his program’s 2013 schedule, which featured games against five teams that won 10 or more games. State went 0-5 in those games and also lost a road shootout to then-No. 11 Texas A&M.

The slate becomes easier in 2014 when the Bulldogs face no real challenges in the nonconference season and trade a road game at South Carolina for a home game against Vanderbilt.

Mississippi State required overtime wins in the final two regular-season games—against Arkansas and Ole Miss—last year just to reach a bowl game last season.

Getting those two victories did more than allow the Bulldogs to sneak into the Liberty Bowl. They showed that—even without rising offensive star Dak Prescott—they could rely on a sneakily good defense to win games.

Now Mississippi State finds itself in a position of having expectations from some even outside the Magnolia State.

Of course, Mullen isn’t completely correct about taking the next step.

For Mississippi State there’s a little more remaining on the checklist than simply winning a national championship.

The next step would be taking down one of the big boys within the division. Since 2008, the Bulldogs are 1-19 against Alabama, Auburn, LSU and Texas A&M with the lone win coming against an Auburn team that went 0-8 in the SEC in 2012.

The Aggies could be down in 2014 while trying to replace quarterback Johnny Manziel, but the other three seem to be line to battle it out for the divisional title.

Mississippi State’s next step is creating waves in the race by ruining the season for one of the would-be contenders rather than allowing them to settle it amongst themselves.

Mullen should have the team to do just that.

Prescott, one of the top breakout stars in the SEC last year, returns with a full spring under his belt as the unquestioned starter.

The rising junior evokes memories of Cam Newton—a big-bodied sledgehammer of a running back. If Prescott can evolve in the passing game, adding a bit of polish to a plenty-strong arm, he could spell trouble for SEC defenses.

Prescott, who opens 2014 as a dark-horse Heisman Trophy candidate, gets his favorite target back as well. Receiver Jameon Lewis accounted for 1,040 total yards of offense and eight touchdowns last season.

Tailback Josh Robinson is already drawing hype as this year’s potential breakout star.

More importantly, the Bulldogs will field a defense capable of keeping them in games with LSU, Alabama and Auburn.

State finished fifth in the SEC in scoring defense.

Sieve-like defensive performances such as the ones seen against LSU and Texas A&M in 2013 can no longer be accepted from Geoff Collins’ unit. Those two opponents combined for 110 points—more than one-third of the total points State allowed all season.

Instead, the State defense needs to cling on to the efforts seen for 58 minutes of the Auburn game or the entirety of the Ole Miss and Alabama games.

Ole Miss, especially, appeared lifeless on offense for much of the game against the rival Bulldogs.

State plays two of the perceived favorites—LSU and Alabama—on the road.

It does, however, get Auburn in Starkville.

Mullen’s team has given the Tigers scares in the past, including a near miss against Newton’s 2010 team that ultimately won the BCS National Championship. Nick Marshall’s remarkable two-minute drive allowed Auburn to escape with a home win over Mississippi State last year.

Alabama also had trouble dispatching State in 2013. A defensive touchdown pulled the Bulldogs to within a field goal early in the third quarter before the Crimson Tide scored the final 10 points to clinch the game.

LSU was the only one of the big three from the SEC West to dismantle the Bulldogs. Though the Tigers should again boast a disruptive defense, an unsettled quarterback position leaves questions about how good the program will be in 2014. 

Mullen says Mississippi State is on the verge of winning its first SEC West title since 1998.

He might be off, but the Bulldogs seem as likely as any program to take the next step in 2014. That would mean delivering a devastating blow to one of the three strongest teams in the division.

Mississippi State appeared to be headed for a sub-.500 season in mid-November 2013, but back-to-back overtime wins, including a 17-10 Egg Bowl victory over intrastate rival Ole Miss, sent the Bulldogs to a bowl game for the fourth straight season.

All they did in that bowl game is dispatch Rice 44-7 in the Liberty Bowl.

With 16 starters returning, including quarterback Dak Prescott—who took the job over from Tyler Russell last season when Russell was injured—they could be set up for a breakout season in 2014.

What does head coach Dan Mullen think of his team as spring practice closes? Barrett Sallee caught up with the sixth-year head coach of the Bulldogs to get an update on the state of the program.

Bleacher Report: Your quarterback, junior Dak Prescott, is getting a little bit of Heisman Trophy love. How good can he be and how important is it for you to have a full offseason as the unquestioned starting quarterback?

Dan Mullen: It is important, but I don't know how important. He started a couple games for us because of injuries last year. I had a guy who won the Heisman in his first year as a starter when Tim Tebow won it [in 2007] at Florida. Dak is a guy who has a lot of work to do, and he is a great worker. He doesn't get too caught up in the hype or anything like that. He's competing as if he's trying to win the starting job, which is always good. You want to have quarterback competitions and guys pushing for playing time.

The biggest thing with him is work ethic. He's always trying to get himself better, whether it be how fast he's making his reads and his decision-making when things break down. It's easy to make the right reads, but how good are you when things get a little funky? He's good at those things.

B/R: You've got a lot of talented running backs coming in, most notably of which is Josh Robinson, who looked good in limited snaps last year. What do you expect from him and how important was some of the extended playing time last year for his development?

DM: We like to have a lot of tailbacks, and we always try to rotate guys. He got a lot of reps last year, and really the last couple of years, he's gotten more and more. He's going to be more the "A" position for us this year rather than the "B" back, and he's done a really great job. He has breakaway speed, which he's shown in games last year, as well as a physicality where he can drop his pads and run in between the tackles. You always want guys to stay healthy, and if he stays healthy, he has a chance to be a really good all-around back.

B/R: Jameon Lewis (64 rec., 923 yards, 5 TDs) being the leading returning receiver in the SEC might be a bit surprising to some folks. Is he the best receiver who not many people have heard of?

DM: Sure, I guess. I mean, we know a lot about him here. He set a lot of school records last year. He's an explosive guy. He's done a really good job at working at becoming an all-around player. You know, the techniques, the fundamentals and everything it takes to become that. Instead of being a great athlete—you know, being the great high school quarterback that he was—learning the receiver position and the ins and outs of that, I think he's done a great job developing year to year. He had his first time as a starter last year and really took advantage of that and had a great season.

B/R: Who else has impressed you this spring at wide receiver?

DM: We've had a bunch. Robert Johnson is coming into his senior season and he's had a really good spring. De'Runnya Wilson has really gotten to learn a little bit more about the game at the receiver position. I expect some things out of him. Fred Ross is a guy as a true freshman played for us last year a little bit. Now with another guy like De'Runnya who has the opportunity to learn what's going on rather than scrambling and getting caught up and all the adjustments those guys go through to really learn has had a really good spring. 

B/R: Defensively, Mississippi State looked pretty solid in several games last season. A lot of those impact players on that side of the ball are coming back. How important is having that experience in your back pocket as you build that depth you need in the SEC West?

DM: Coming into last year, we had a very, very young defense. They got better every game as the year went on and were really peaking towards the end of the year. You look at that crew, 19 of the 22 on our two-deep are back; as well a guy like [defensive back] Jay Hughes, who missed the entire season with an injury—and he was a starter too. For us, the depth is really important because we want to rotate in and out. I love rotating guys. I love looking at the stats at the end of the game and the snaps played stat never hits 40 for any defensive player. If that happens, then those guys will be playing with the passion and the effort that we expect them to play with.

B/R: Four straight bowls for Mississippi State and you've still had to deal with doubters. And I'll be forthcoming, one of those was me and you proved me wrong. You've been on record saying that it's hard to take that next step in the SEC West because it's not just a regular step, it's a really big step. What do you have to do to make that step?

DM: Here's the thing, we're in position to do that. Last year, I give our staff a lot of credit, I think it was the best coaching job we've done since we've been here. We had almost 120 games missed by starters due to injuries last year. On top of that, I think we played, statistically speaking, one of the top three or five hardest schedules in the country. I think we were the only team in the top five hardest schedules in the country to make a bowl game—and we won the bowl game. For all of the injuries we had, to make it and win that bowl game and win four out of five Egg Bowls—which is huge here—is pretty special.

That next step, if you're going to compete for a title, you have to be a consistent program. We've created expectations. When I first got here, the expectation was to maybe go to a bowl game. That's not a good enough expectation for me. I don't like that expectation of "hey, let's just have a winning season" and call that good enough. We want to compete for championships.

Certainly within that program that expectation has been changed. Outside the program, doing something that's never been done in over 100 years of this program still puts you on the "hot seat," that's a good thing to me. Because that means that expectations have changed. People look at our program and expect us to win a championship.

The difference in the SEC West is that, in the last five seasons, six SEC West teams have competed for the national championship. A lot of times, the next step is "hey, we've built a program as a consistent winner; now let's go win a conference championship." In the SEC West, you skip that step. A conference championship is also a national championship here. And that's just in the West, never mind the Florida run before that. Our next step is to play for a national championship, because that's where it's been if you win the SEC West.

Obviously, with the new College Football Playoff, that can change. But those are our sights. Those are expectations for guys within this program to play for the SEC title and I guess at that point the national championship.

B/R: What did you think of the BCS and do you like the idea of a four-team playoff?

DM: I don't know. Hard to say because we have to see it play out first. Besides the 2004 season, I think the BCS got it right. I was on the bad end of it that year with the University of Utah. I thought we could have beat anybody in the country with that team, and I'm sure Auburn has a lot of claims to it as well that year and they didn't get an opportunity.

If you wanted to do it perfect, I guess that year you should have had a four-team playoff. Other years, you may not have needed it. Maybe one year one team gets a berth and two others do a one-game playoff while one team waits for the winner.

It seems to me [the BCS] kind of got it right most years. I like the old way. I love going to your pre-slotted bowl games and hey, if there are two national champions, then there are two national champions. I don't know if there's an exact way to do it.

Look at basketball. There's a No. 7 and a No. 8 seed in the Final Four. Essentially, then, the regular season meant nothing to those teams. All that matters is that you get in the tournament. 

The last time there were co-national champions in 2003, do both sets of kids consider themselves national champions? That's an unbelievable experience, isn't it? That's educational. That's motivational for young people. What a great opportunity for student-athletes. Instead of just 85, 170 got to call themselves national champions. What a great educational experience for those young people. 

B/R: Last year's ending to the Egg Bowl against Ole Miss was riveting, with Dak coming off the bench, sending it to overtime and then you guys winning after recovering a fumble on the game's final play. How big was that for your program, and how much does that come up when you're out on the road in Mississippi?

DM: In this state, it's 24/7/365. That's the game that matters. Winning that game is everything. It sounds maybe crazy, but here in the state of Mississippi, that's what people talk about. Year-round, that game will be talked about nonstop. I haven't heard many people talk about our bowl win, but they all talk about the Egg Bowl because it's a neighbor against neighbor game. Everywhere you turn, you're either one school or the other. That lasts the whole year.

B/R: Do you have any thoughts on the effort by Northwestern's players to unionize, and what are your general thoughts on player compensation?

DM: I love player compensation. I don't consider myself a super smart person, but I do understand that most people don't pay attention to the tax implications. I can tell you this, the IRS is not going to not get their share—especially with April 15 coming up on us. Maybe I'm off on this, but if our players are going to have to pay tax on the value of their scholarship, which could be the case if you're an employee, I don't think a lot of people would be into that. 

But I do think that, however way possible, players should get a little bit more spending money to put in their pocket. There are methods out there. If you want to give them minimum wage like any other job, that's fine. I'm not sure how you do it. I think the cost of attendance is the one that people come up with who are smarter than me, and they understand the intricacies of the tax code.

I mean, you can't pay the players for playing because they have to then file income tax in every state in which a game is played like the NFL does. You're looking at an IRS nightmare for these players; now they're going to have to go hire accountants and they'll end up losing money. 

These guys do have a lot of value built in in addition to the scholarship. You know, there's tutoring, they get exposure not just as a football player, but when they go on a job interview they have job recognition that "Johnny Averageman" doesn't.

I am great for players having a voice and a say, and I'd love to compensate them for the work they put in. However we can do it, allow them to do it. I'm into all of that. There are a lot of smart people working on it, and I hope they come up with some good answers that better improve the lives of these young men. But I don't know if some of the things we've seen are the best ways to do it.

B/R: Are you relieved that we don't have to talk about the 10-second rule for the next 10 or 11 months?

DM: The injuries and all that, I don't know about all that. Everyone's looking to get an advantage. The thing I liked about the 10-second rule was consistency. In the SEC, we have great officials in this league. Not that they don't make mistakes, but as a coach, you want consistency. If they say they're going to call it tight, then they're going to call it tight the whole game. If they're going to call it loose, they're going to call it loose the whole game. As long as it's consistent, I'm great. 

The one thing that a 10-second rule would have done would be to give you a consistent snap point for the ball. When you go to another league's officials, all of the sudden they spot things differently. I never had a substitution issue with tempo offenses that we played last year. I never thought it was an injury or health issue, to be honest with you. There are much bigger health issues in the game than snapping the ball within 10 seconds. 

I do think it was going in the right direction. Let's look at all the snaps that took place within 10 seconds, and let's review those. Were there any deception issues? Was the umpire out of the way? I'm an offensive coach and I think [tempo] is a neat deal sometimes, but as a head coach, here's the umpire putting the ball down and turning his back to the line of scrimmage when the ball is snapped and he's actually in the way blocking either your "Mike" linebacker or your 3-technique [defensive lineman] while the ball is being snapped. I never saw that happen with us in the SEC, but I do think [the 10-second rule] would lead to consistency from league to league. That part of it, to me, was interesting.

* Barrett Sallee is the lead SEC college football writer for Bleacher Report. All quotes were obtained firsthand and all stats were courtesy of CFBStats.com.

Follow @BarrettSallee

Mississippi State kicks off spring practice on Tuesday, and that means the SEC's most underrated quarterback will be on the field.

Quarterback Dak Prescott.

The rising junior for the Bulldogs stepped in for an injured Tyler Russell last season and promptly threw for 1,940 yards and tossed 10 touchdowns, adding 829 yards and 13 more scores on the ground.

That was as a midseason Band-Aid. 

Now, the 6'2", 230-pound native of Haughton, La. has the keys to the bus in head coach Dan Mullen's offense—which thrives with a dual-threat bruiser at quarterback. He has a solid arm, is willing to take on tacklers as a running back and now has an entire offseason as the unquestioned starter to grow himself and expand the offense.

Because of that, expect even bigger things from Prescott in 2014.

On top of that, he has a supporting cast full of established weapons, including the SEC's leading returning receiver in Jameon Lewis (923 yards, five touchdowns) and running back Josh Robinson, who ran for 459 yards and three touchdowns in a backup role last year.

"He's working harder now than I've ever seen him work before, which says a lot because he's one of the hardest-working guys on our team," Mullen told ESPN.com's Edward Aschoff last month.

If all goes well and he leads his team to a few key upsets, he could emerge as a dark-horse Heisman candidate, as I stated in late January.

Year	Comp.	Att.	Comp. %	Pass Yds.	TDs	INTs	Rush Yds	Rush TDs
2012	18	29	62.1	194	4	0	118	4
2013	156	267	58.4	1,940	10	7	829	13

For the first time since he was hired prior to the 2009 season, Mullen has a quarterback who can run the full offense that got him the job in Starkville in the first place.

Sure, Russell was solid as a passer and Chris Relf was solid in this offense. But neither of them had the upside of Prescott—at least in terms of upside within the framework of the Bulldog scheme.

The one aspect of Prescott's game that needs some work is the downfield passing attack. A 7.3 yards-per-attempt average is solid as a Band-Aid but probably won't cut it long term. 

Can you imagine what the offense will look like if Prescott does find a way to stretch the field?

Passing lanes will open up over the middle, running lanes will part like the Red Sea and Prescott will have even more room to work his magic. 

With Southern Miss, UAB and South Alabama on the schedule before traveling to LSU, Prescott and the Bulldogs not only have time to develop the offense this spring but the opportunity to either test out new wrinkles in game settings prior to that trip to Red Stick or save things for Les Miles and the Tigers.

Prescott is already a proven winner, and he's on the cusp of becoming a full-fledged superstar.

Don't be surprised to see him take that leap in 2014.

Barrett Sallee is the lead SEC college football writer for Bleacher Report. All statistics are courtesy of CFBStats.com.

Follow @BarrettSallee

Three of the last five Heisman Trophy winners have come from the SEC, and there will be no shortage of stars next season in the mix for college football's most prestigious individual award.

Auburn quarterback Nick Marshall, Georgia running back Todd Gurley, Alabama running back T.J. Yeldon and South Carolina running back Mike Davis are just a few SEC stars who'll be in the preseason discussion for the Heisman.

If you're looking for a dark-horse contender, direct your attention to Starkville, Miss., and Mississippi State quarterback Dak Prescott.

The 6'2", 230-pound rising junior burst onto the scene as a sophomore, first as a reserve in place of injured starter Tyler Russell and eventually as the Bulldogs' starting quarterback. He completed 58.4 percent of his passes (156-of-267) for 1,940 yards, 10 touchdowns and seven picks in 11 games, adding 829 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns on the ground.

His season culminated with a sizzling performance versus Rice in the Liberty Bowl in which he passed for 283 yards, rushed for 78 yards and accounted for five touchdowns in a 44-7 win—Mississippi State's third straight win to close the season.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eJYbKY89Rqk

Not a bad debut, but even more impressive considering he was widely regarded as head coach Dan Mullen's second-team quarterback until Russell left the season-opening loss to Oklahoma State with a head injury. 

Mississippi State adjusted to Prescott on the fly during his successful sophomore season, and now Prescott has an entire offseason with many of the same pieces to fine-tune his game as the unquestioned starter.

More importantly, Mullen has an entire offseason to fine-tune his offense to Prescott.

If there is a weak spot in Prescott's game, it's his efficiency. He finished last season with a rating of 126.58, which ranked 11th in the SEC. But Mullen was hired to bring his offense to Mississippi State from Florida, and he was successful at Florida specifically because of his ability to produce efficient offenses.

Florida led the SEC and finished in the top five nationally in passing efficiency in 2007 and 2008, per CFBstats.com. Yes, the Gators had quarterback Tim Tebow running the show and a litany of superstars on offense, and no, Prescott isn't Tebow.

But the rising junior can look like Tebow at times, and that's incredibly important for the Bulldogs because it allows Mullen to do what he was brought to Starkville to do—run an offense similar to the one that made Florida successful.

Plus, Prescott's a quarterback and that's incredibly beneficial in the race for the Heisman. 

Only twice since 2000 have non-quarterbacks won the Heisman Trophy, and one of those later returned his to the Heisman Trust (Reggie Bush, 2005). The glamour award is for the glamour position, and Prescott is one of the best in the SEC.

But can Mississippi State win enough for him to get into serious consideration?

That's what will relegate Prescott to being a dark-horse contender rather than a front-runner this offseason.

With eight players returning on offense and a defense that's staying largely intact, the Bulldogs will come back as one of the most experienced teams in the SEC West. If they can ride this wave of offseason momentum generated from a 7-6 season, get a couple of upsets and finish with eight regular-season wins with the possibility of a ninth in the bowl game, will that get Prescott enough exposure?

Maybe.

It's hard to say without knowing what goes on with other key contenders around the rest of the country. If it shakes out like the 2013 season, when Jameis Winston was the only real constant in the Heisman race, eight regular-season wins certainly should keep Prescott's Heisman chances alive.

Keep an eye on Prescott during the 2014 season. He may not start out on many Heisman boards, but could make his way into the discussion as the season goes on.

Follow @BarrettSallee

Junior defensive tackle T.D. Moton, one of the top-100 recruits in the Class of 2015, has decommited from the Mississippi State Bulldogs, according to Derek Tyson of ESPN:

Moton later confirmed the news himself:

Ranked No. 97 on the 247Sports composite, Moton (6'4'', 310 lbs) has an ideal frame for the position and was supposed to be a lynchpin of Mississippi State's future. His composite grade of .9535 made him the Bulldogs' highest-ranked recruit in the class and would have made him (by far) the highest-ranked recruit in this year's class as well.

Moton plays for Woodlawn High School in Shreveport, La., an area traditionally dominated by local LSU. He's the No. 5 prospect in the state and seems a good fit for John Chavis' defensive scheme, so it was curious to see him commit to MSU in the first place.

Does that make him a lock to go the Tigers? Not quite. But LSU is definitely the favorite, currently checking in with 100 percent on the 247Sports "Crystal Ball." With so much time to go before next year's signing day, though, it's hard to call this a fixed deal.

Moton has other offers from Arizona, Arkansas, Baylor, Florida State, Georgia, Nebraska, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Ole Miss, TCU, Texas A&M and USC. He also has interest from Alabama. He'll have his pick of the litter.

Though this is obviously bad news for Mississippi State, it's not the major blow that it may seem. The Bulldogs have five other recruits committed in the Class of 2015, currently checking in at No. 7 in the 247Sports team rankings. This isn't the end of the world.

What's more, it's not like they're out of the running for Moton. Per John Talty of the Clarion-Ledger, Dan Mullen's team will remain heavily involved in his recruitment:

The Class of 2015 is a marathon, not a sprint, and Mississippi State is still one of the pack leaders. It still has time to overcome this loss, though today was a step in the wrong direction.

Head coach Dan Mullen might finally take Mississippi State to the next level in 2014. He certainly has the quarterback to compete for the Bulldogs' first SEC West title since 1998. 

Sophomore Dak Prescott showed why he'll go into next season as one of the more intriguing quarterbacks in the SEC. In a 44-7 win over Rice in the Liberty Bowl, the sophomore passed for 283 yards, ran for another 78 and had five total touchdowns. 

Beyond the numbers, Prescott looked confident and in control of the offense. He had help from the running game, which picked up significantly in the second half after averaging less than four yards a carry in the first, and from his offensive line as well. 

But even when Prescott was pressured, he was able to evade while keeping his eyes downfield. He looks like a real playmaker. 

It's easy to knock Rice, and the Owls probably aren't a 10-win team outside Conference USA, but they're no slouch of an opponent, either. This is a Rice team that gave Texas A&M fits to start the season and hammered Marshall in the C-USA championship game. 

Rice's defense isn't anything to write home about, but ranking 33rd in scoring defense (NCAA) and 50th overall in defense in F/+ rankings isn't terrible either. For Mississippi State's offense to blow through the Owls after the long layoff is worthy of at least some praise. Not to mention motivation can sometimes be a factor in bowl games. 

The Bulldogs, led by Prescott, look motivated to make some noise in '14 as well. Prescott was thrown into the fire early and often while Tyler Russell, who started the season at quarterback, missed what amounted to roughly six or seven games with various injuries. 

The potential was always there for Prescott—he led the team with 751 yards rushing and 11 touchdowns in addition to his 1,657 yards passing—but he had some growing pains, too. He struggled mightily in losses to LSU and South Carolina, throwing four interceptions and zero touchdowns. He also played while grieving when he tragically lost his mother to cancer in November. 

But with a full offseason to develop, Prescott can enter next year with a leg up on other SEC West teams. The SEC was a noted quarterback conference in 2013, something that hasn't always been said about it in recent years. But Alabama's AJ McCarron, LSU's Zach Mettenberger and likely Texas A&M's Johnny Manziel will be gone—and that's just in the West Division. 

ESPN's Edward Aschoff is already fond of Prescott for next year: 

Auburn's Nick Marshall and Ole Miss' Bo Wallace return, but Prescott is physically gifted with a ton of upside. If he cuts down on the mistakes and plays more like he did against Rice, Prescott's ceiling will be unbelievably high. 

Keep in mind that Mississippi State also has a receiving group that, if it stays intact, can be special next year. The passing game wasn't great in '13—Jameon Lewis led the way with 703 yards and five receiving touchdowns—but the Bulldogs have the potential to put up a ton of points with some more time to come together. 

Bowl season can be a goodbye party for some teams. For Mississippi State, it was an exciting reminder of what's coming back. 

In a clash of conferences that might normally produce a mismatch, the Conference USA's Rice, which won 10 of 13 including the league championship, battles the SEC's Mississippi State (6-6), which won its last two games just to become bowl eligible.

The power conference gets the respect from the oddsmakers, as the Liberty Bowl odds favor the Bulldogs.

Point spread: Bulldogs opened as 7.5-point favorites; the total was 51.5. (Line updates and matchup report)

Odds Shark computer prediction: 32.1-26.1 Owls

Why Rice can cover the Liberty Bowl spread

This might be one of the most motivated college football teams coming into the postseason, as the Owls are enjoying a storied season after winning their first outright championship since 1957 with an impressive—and dominating—win over Marshall in the title game. This team has done special things over the past two seasons, winning 17 games combined and now has a chance to close this campaign with a win over an SEC foe.

By using the nation's 16th-best rushing game, Rice can control the clock and the pace of this game, while keeping Mississippi State's offense stagnant while waiting on the sidelines. Underdogs have dominated the Liberty Bowl betting odds situation (7-2 against the spread) over the past decade.

Why Mississippi State can cover the Liberty Bowl spread

The Bulldogs, who covered four straight spreads to end the season, have conceivably played a tougher schedule than Rice. That always makes a difference in the postseason in college football and could be the case in this game. After all, how else do you explain a six-win team laying a touchdown to a 10-win team?

Mississippi State is loaded with experience and will be making its fourth straight trip to a bowl game, so confidence won't be hard to come by with the Bulldogs. Their defense was stellar down the stretch, allowing just four touchdowns over their last three games.

They have won five of their past six bowl games and look to buck that trend of underdog winners.

Smart Pick

Mississippi State has won five of its last six trips to a bowl, but laying -7 to the Owls is a big mistake. The motivated underdog is the wise move. Rice, which has won and covered its last two bowl games, will relish the opportunity to prove everybody wrong—especially the oddsmakers who made this line.

Senior Charles Ross will be the star of this game. The power running back rushed for 1,252 yards and 14 touchdowns this season and his downhill style will overwhelm the Dawgs.

Trends:

• Favorites just 2-7 ATS past 9 Liberty Bowls
• Rice won and covered past two bowl games
• Mississippi State is 5-1 SU in bowls since 1999
• Bulldogs covered four straight spreads to end the season

Note: All spread and odds data powered by Odds Shark - follow us on Twitter for injury updates and line move updates.

For a game that ended 17-10, featured 16 punts and six combined turnovers, the Egg Bowl between Mississippi State and Ole Miss certainly closed with a bang.

Mississippi State quarterback Dak Prescott, who missed the last two games with a stinger, came off the bench in the fourth quarter, completed 11-of-20 passes for 115 yards and scored the game-winning touchdown on a three-yard run on 4th-and-1 in overtime to lead his team to a win.

The decision to go in was all Prescott's according to Bob Carskadon of HailState.com.

Mullen: "I turned to him in the 4th quarter and said, 'Do you want to go in?'" Dak responded, "Put me in."

— Bob Carskadon (@bobcarskadon) November 29, 2013

Just how questionable was Prescott going in? Mullen "confirmed" that he wouldn't play earlier in the week, and the sophomore from Haughton, La. was only cleared to play Thursday morning according to Carskadon.

MSU had a doctor flown in from Nashville to check out Prescott. Thought there was no chance this morning, called turnaround "miraculous."

— Bob Carskadon (@bobcarskadon) November 29, 2013

It wasn't just a win in a rivalry game for Mississippi State, it got the Bulldogs to 6-6 and gets them to a bowl game for the fourth consecutive season for the first time in program history.

It was an emotional win for Prescott, who lost his mother to cancer earlier this month, according to NBCSports.com. His performance against the Rebels in an emotional time coming off of injury wasn't lost on Bulldog head coach Dan Mullen, who got choked up talking about his quarterback in the postgame press conference.

Third time Mullen has gotten choked up talking about Prescott. Says Dak dedicated this game to his mom before the game.

— Bob Carskadon (@bobcarskadon) November 29, 2013

But Prescott's heroic effort wasn't the only thing that made this final 15 minutes and change of this game worth the wait.

After Prescott's touchdown run, Ole Miss had the chance to send it to the second overtime. On 1st-and-10 from the 11, Rebel quarterback Bo Wallace took off for the end zone but was hit by Nickoe Whitley short of the goal line and fumbled, which was recovered by Mississippi State's Jamerson Love to end the game.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BTG8al-WjB0

It was a huge win for Mullen. His Bulldogs won back-to-back overtime games to get to bowl eligibility, which broke a stretch that saw the program lose 11 of its previous 17 games coming in.

Any pressure that was building over his job status—whether real or perceived—will likely be gone for the time being, following the dramatic overtime victory in a rivalry game in front of the Bulldog faithful. That's big, and Mullen knows it.

Ha. Mullen: "I guess I'll be on the hot seat again tomorrow."

— Bob Carskadon (@bobcarskadon) November 29, 2013

Not tomorrow.

I've been one of Mullen's biggest critics and wrote that he should be coaching for his job in this game after last week's win over Arkansas.

Whether he was or wasn't doesn't really matter, because his team—and Prescott in particular—came through for him in a huge moment.

Now the Bulldogs have some much-needed momentum headed into the offseason. They finished one game behind Ole Miss overall, but even with the Rebels at 3-5 in the SEC and the Egg Bowl trophy on their shelf.

Not a bad way to save a season.

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It wasn't the prettiest win in the world, but style points don't matter for Mississippi State.

The Bulldogs topped Arkansas 24-17 in overtime in Little Rock, marking the first win for MSU in the state of Arkansas in program history and keeping its bowl hopes alive as it enters a must-win Egg Bowl vs. Ole Miss on Thursday night in Starkville.

"First time in 113 years we've ever won in this state, and we have the opportunity for the first time in 113 years to go to four straight bowl games," head coach Dan Mullen told SEC TV's Cara Capuano on the broadcast after the game. "This team can make unbelievable history for this program this week."

But is that enough to keep Dan Mullen employed beyond the 2013 season?

In his fifth season as the head coach of the Bulldogs, Mullen has failed to achieve a signature win. His teams are 5-26 versus FBS teams that have finished with eight or more wins, a record that could get worse depending on how it goes against Ole Miss this week and how LSU and Bowling Green do to close out the season.

Mullen has elevated the floor of the football program, which is exactly what he was trying to illustrate in his postgame interview on the broadcast. But he's done nothing to impact the ceiling.

Is that enough?

It is enough for him to stay employed now, but having a program that's clearly stuck in neutral is only tolerable for so long—even at a place like Mississippi State, where sustained bowl eligibility has been elusive.

On top of raising the floor of the program, Mullen has the backing of athletics director Scott Stricklin and has been at the helm as the program has embarked on a $75 million renovation and expansion of Davis-Wade Stadium.

However, keeping him around for another year is only delaying the inevitable for Mississippi State.

It's clear that the Bulldogs are fighting an uphill battle in the SEC West. After a one-year lull, Auburn has zoomed past the Bulldogs in 2013, Ole Miss has regained control of the state borders, and Arkansas—despite falling to the Bulldogs on Saturday—isn't going to stay down forever.

The problem Mullen faces is the next step. 

In the SEC West, "the next step" is contending for the SEC West title. Since the start of the 2007 season, the SEC West champ has been in legitimate BCS National Championship contention late into November. 

Is Mississippi State ready to make that kind of leap?

Not with Mullen. 

It'd be better off taking a risk on a proven head coach who may be looking for an out and another chance (looking in your direction, Bobby Petrino) or a solid up-and-coming head coach like Mark Hudspeth at Louisiana-Lafayette.

Mullen won't be fired after this season, regardless of what happens in the Egg Bowl on Thanksgiving night. He should be, but he won't. 

Next season, however, contending for lower-tier bowl slots may finally get old and cause the Bulldogs to go in a different direction.

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After hanging around with top-ranked Alabama for the better part of four quarters in a 20-7 loss Saturday night, Mississippi State earned a victory in defeat by snagging two big-time 2015 recruits, according to John Talty of the Clarion Ledger.

T.D. Moton and Timothy Washington are both 4-star players who didn't need to wait another year before making their college choices.

Washington, a defensive end listed at 6'3", 200 pounds, brings a versatile body to the front seven while Moton, a defensive tackle listed at 6'4", 310 pounds, adds a powerful space-eater in the middle.

While some teams can get away with smaller defensive lines in other conferences, games in the SEC are typically won in the trenches, and if the close loss to the Crimson Tide is any indication, the Bulldogs really aren't too far off.

While the new commits won't be able to aid a defense allowing 26.5 points per game for a couple years, the recruiting victory should bring optimism and legitimacy to a program often lost in the shuffle of perennial conference powers.

Washington's coach, Tony Woolfolk of Yazoo City, told the Clarion Ledger:

He's growing into his own ,but he can do a lot of things. He loves to hit, loves to tackle and loves to mix it up. He's not contact shy; he comes 100 miles per hour at you all game.

Perhaps the most important aspect of Moton's commitment is that he hails from Shreveport, LA, and had a variety of offers, including ones from Georgia, Florida State and LSU.

That Mullen was able to sway Washington to commit at the same time is simply icing on the cake, as defensive tackles like Moton don't grow on trees and they often separate good defenses from great ones.

The Bulldogs travel to Arkansas on Nov. 23rd before hosting Ole Miss on Nov. 28th to close out the season. A pair of wins would make them bowl-eligible.