Mississippi State faces 'game of a lifetime' against Alabama
A mere 83-mile stretch of U.S. Highway 82 separates gridiron peasantry from royalty.
That's the distance from the humble football hamlet of Starkville, Miss., to the gentrified enclave of Tuscaloosa, Ala. It is the closest distance between any two schools in the Southeastern Conference. You head east across the state line, roll through Reform, go past Gordo, cross the Black Warrior River – and there it is, Bryant-Denny Stadium.
The seat of power in the SEC.
This is the place where Mississippi State will try to complete its improbable peasant rebellion by overthrowing the king, Alabama.
"Nick Saban has the model program in the country right now," Mississippi State coach Dan Mullen said. "They seem to be a team that is always in the championship discussion every single year."
The Bulldogs are never in the championship discussion. Until now. Until being 9-0 for the first time in school history, with victories of escalating impact over LSU, Texas A&M and Auburn. Until being ranked No. 1 for the first time as well.
Now here they are, ready to make that short bus trip across the great divide between two programs dissimilar in every way other than geography and conference affiliation.
It's the game of a lifetime on one side of the divide, just the next big one on the other.
Mississippi State's one and only SEC title came in 1941. Alabama has won 27 of them, the most recent in 2012.
Mississippi State has never dreamed of a national championship, only once finishing in the top 10 (that was 1940). Alabama claims 14 of them (some more authentic than others).
Mississippi State has a winning all-time record against only one SEC team – thank you, Vanderbilt. Alabama has a winning record against everyone but Missouri (series tied at 2).
No program has beaten the Bulldogs more often than 'Bama – 77 times in 98 meetings. And 'Bama has beaten no program more often than the Bulldogs.
'Bama is State's nemesis. State is 'Bama's piñata.
So history favors the Crimson Tide. So does the coaching matchup – Nick Saban is a perfect 5-0 against Dan Mullen. So do the recruiting rankings ("They probably have more five-star players sitting on the bench than we have on our entire team," Mullen said). So does home-field advantage, fortified by the 101,821 fans who will fill Bryant-Denny.
And so do the oddsmakers. Mississippi State may be undefeated and No. 1, but King Crimson is heavily favored – by a touchdown or more, depending which point spread you're looking at.
"In every article you read, we are big underdogs heading into this game," Mullen said. "We know that role. We are going to be OK with that. Our guys are going to come in with a chip on their shoulder and play with great effort."
The chip on the shoulder must offset the burden on the Bulldogs' backs. Mississippi State has played three games since rising to No. 1 in the rankings, and none has been as dominant as the six that preceded taking over the top spot. The pressure may be getting to the Bulldogs.
But sliding back to the more familiar underdog role could help. The timing of the game helps, too.
Alabama is coming off the annual brawl with LSU, a rivalry that, on average, probably is the fiercest and most physical annual matchup in the country. It is difficult to emerge from that game without feeling sore and flat the following week. In the past dozen years, there is plenty of evidence of an LSU hangover for the Tide.
Alabama has not scored a first-quarter touchdown in the game after playing LSU since 2001. That's an astonishing stat. In the past 12 years, the Tide has been outscored 76-28 in the first quarter of the game after LSU, and gone 7-5 in those games.
Of course, that includes a 5-1 mark against Mississippi State – but let's face it, Alabama should beat the Bulldogs virtually every year. This time, it will have to beat the best State team in history.
And to do that, 'Bama likely will need something better than its usual post-LSU struggle out of the gate.
Mississippi State starts fast. It has led after the first quarter in eight of nine games, and the only deficit was 3-0 to Arkansas. The Bulldogs have won the first quarter 93-23 on the year, including a 49-13 advantage in three SEC Western Division games.
Alabama has won the first quarter 75-30, but most of that traces to two games: a 21-0 lead on Florida Atlantic and a 20-0 lead on Tennessee. Against SEC West competition, the Tide has scored just 10 first-quarter points and given up 10.
Of all Alabama's LSU hangover games, the most famous was two years ago – the last time the Tide played in Baton Rouge. That 2012 game, like last week's matchup, was a tense battle that went late into the night before being decided.
The following Saturday, 'Bama was ambushed at home by Johnny Manziel and Texas A&M. The score was 20-0 after one quarter, and the Aggies held on for a huge upset that helped establish their program in the SEC and stamped Manziel as the favorite for the Heisman Trophy.
Having been ranked No. 1 for more than a month, Mississippi State certainly will not benefit from a similar element of surprise. But it should benefit from being the fresher, healthier team. If dual-threat quarterback Dak Prescott has a Manziellian game, he could return to the Heisman favorite role himself.
And historically humble Mississippi State could finally close the football chasm that separates it from its closest SEC neighbor.
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