Mississippi State Setting Stage for Epic Clash with Alabama

Three weeks ago, Mississippi State looked like a capable understudy to Alabama and Auburn in the SEC.

Now at 6-0, with five wins coming by double digits, the Bulldogs are now primed to show out on Nov. 15 at college football's Broadway stage in Tuscaloosa, when they face off against the Crimson Tide.

The Bulldogs are now fresh off three straight wins against top 10 SEC opponents—LSU, Texas A&M and Auburn. Quarterback Dak Prescott and the rest of Stark Vegas have proven they belong, for now at least, in the College Football Playoff.

And after going through the gauntlet, the Bulldogs' next three games leading up to the showdown with the Tide are a breather. 

They travel to Kentucky next week, which could be a trap game as the Wildcats are actually playing good ball. But they did lose to Florida (in three overtimes) and have been the beneficiaries of a much easier schedule than most anybody else in the SEC. 

After that, the Bulldogs get Arkansas—another pesky but still below-average SEC squad that Prescott and Co. shouldn't have a problem with—than a gimme at home against UT Martin. 

Then, Nov. 15 comes. And the country can't wait. 

Alabama has a tougher road ahead of it between now and that date, with matchups against Texas A&M, Tennessee and LSU, before squaring off against Mississippi State. 

But knowing Nick Saban, it's hard to see the Tide losing any of those games, as he knows that another loss will likely knock Alabama out of playoff contention.
 
So how do the Bulldogs stack up against the Tide? 

Well, with how Prescott is looking, you've got to think that the Bulldogs will have a decent chance at the game just because of him. He's put himself squarely into the Heisman Trophy conversation and he's poised to boost his numbers over the next three weeks. 

Defensively, the Bulldogs are looking to join the party of elite SEC stoppers, holding teams to just 20 points per game heading into this week. They also held Auburn, a team that had scored at least 40 points in all but one of their games this season, to just 23. 

The Bulldogs earn their paychecks by stopping the run, where heading into this week they ranked 11th nationally, allowing just 98 yards per game on the ground.

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Gaining yards on the ground is Alabama's bread and butter, as the Tide rush for 240 yards per game. 

So come Nov. 15, when CFB's biggest game of the year to that point will take place, the battle will be won in the trenches.

If Mississippi State can dominate the line of scrimmage and limit Alabama's rushing attack and put pressure on Tide QB Blake Sims, who already failed his first big test of the year against Ole Miss, then the Bulldogs should come away with a victory. 

And that should put them in the driver's seat to not only stay in the hunt for a playoff berth, but to earn the top seed in the playoffs.