What Will Playoff Committee Need to See from Mississippi State in the Egg Bowl?

Even in the age of the College Football Playoff, the sport is essentially a beauty contest.

Despite being ranked No. 4 last week by the College Football Playoff selection committee, Mississippi State needs to use its Saturday showdown with Ole Miss as the runway. 

If Alabama wins the Iron Bowl with Auburn, it'll be the last chance for the Bulldogs to leave an impression on the committee. Because of that, head coach Dan Mullen's crew needs style points against the Rebels on national television on Saturday afternoon.

As Mississippi State offensive lineman Ben Beckwith notes (via: Bob Carskadon of HailState.com), the Rebels want to play spoiler.

The Bulldogs' spot in the four-team event is tenuous at best, with Baylor, Ohio State and TCU all nipping at their heels. Some or all of those teams could boast conference championships—a stated point of emphasis for the committee—when all is said and done, and Mississippi State's job this week should be to minimize the impact of those conference championships as much as possible.

What specifically does Mississippi State need to show?

Game Control

The Bulldogs need "game control." Lots and lots of "game control."

Unfortunately, that term has crept into the national narrative in this new age of the four-team playoff, and with Ole Miss reeling following its 30-0 loss at Arkansas last week, Mississippi State needs to earn a lot of game control points against an Ole Miss team whose flaws have surfaced over the final month of the season.

Rogelio V. Solis/Associated Press

Ole Miss' loss last week really hurts Mississippi State. Sure, Arkansas looks a little tougher now, but a Top 10 matchup on rivalry weekend would have been the perfect way to go out on a high note.

Instead, the Rebels are beat up with star wide receiver Laquon Treadwell out and quarterback Bo Wallace nursing an ankle injury, and they haven't been able to run all season long even at optimal health. Mississippi State's front seven has to hold the Rebels rushing attack in check and force "Bad Bo" to make an appearance. 

The Bulldogs' resume is more beefy than a team like Baylor's, which only has beaten three teams with records above .500. But Mississippi State doesn't have a top-end win like Baylor's over No. 5 TCU or one as emphatic as the Bears' 48-14 road win at Oklahoma.

A win over Ole Miss wouldn't really change the fact that Baylor has the better signature win, but if the Bulldogs go on the road and emphatically beat a team in the lower half of the Top 25, it would at least bolster the case.

A Complete Defense

There are no great teams in college football this year, there are just a bunch of good ones. Mississippi State is in that group, and proving to the committee that it has fixed its flaws late in the season would be a good way to tie a bow on the resume.

What are Mississippi State's problems? Its defense has holes.

Andy Lyons/Getty Images

Sure, the Bulldogs are giving up just 18.4 points per game (11th in the nation) and boast the best red-zone defense in the country (59.46 percent), but they're giving up 400.7 yards per game and 4.24 yards per play.

Simply put, defensive coordinator Geoff Collins' crew bends but doesn't break very much.

It needs to be as stiff as a board on Saturday.

These are uncharted waters for all of us, and while the committee can set forth specific metrics that are emphasized, Mississippi State would be best-served to prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that it has become a truly complete football team by holding Ole Miss' offense in check everywhere on the field, not just inside the 20-yard line.

Team	Total Def.	Total Def. Rank	Red-Zone Def.	Red-Zone Def. Rank	Scoring Def.	Scoring Def. Rank
Mississippi State	400.7 YPG	70	59.45%	1	18.4 PPG	11
Baylor	329.7 YPG	18	84.62%	83	21.7 PPG	27
TCU	278.8 YPG	54	86.21%	94	23.1 PPG	24
Ohio State	330.4 YPG	19	81.82%	57	22.5 PPG	30

Strength vs. Strength

Ole Miss is known for its stifling defense that's giving up just 309.9 yards per game and 179.0 through the air, which will present a tough challenge for Mullen, quarterback Dak Prescott and running back Josh Robinson.

Stacy Revere/Getty Images

Mississippi State's offense needs to show that it's strong against one of the best, and that means big days from Prescott, Robinson and the loaded group of receivers that includes Jameon Lewis and De'Runnya Wilson.

Prescott thinks that the 51-0 win over Vanderbilt that saw the Bulldogs put up 502 total yards and break the 500-yard mark for the eighth time this season served as a nice tuneup (via: Carskadon):

Prove it. 

Go out there and play the brand of Mississippi State football that earned the No. 1 ranking earlier in the season over defending national champ Florida State, despite the 'Noles not losing a game.

This is a beauty pageant, and there's a runway waiting for Mississippi State in Oxford on Saturday afternoon.

It needs to turn some heads, regardless of where it's ranked going in.

Barrett Sallee is the lead SEC college football writer and video analyst for Bleacher Report as well as a co-host of the CFB Hangover on Bleacher Report Radio (Sundays, 9-11 a.m. ET) on Sirius 93, XM 208.

Quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. All stats are courtesy of CFBStats.com, and all recruiting information is courtesy of 247Sports. Follow Barrett on Twitter @BarrettSallee.