For years the Battle of Hwy 82 between Starkville and Tuscaloosa has been insignificant. Usually, it matches two teams that differ in talent as much as the night differs from the day. One team to win, the other throwing up a prayer to keep it close. One program  has never been in elite light before, and one program has more crystal in its trophy case than Kay Jewelers has in its stores. But in 2014, a new chapter is being written.
No. 1 Mississippi State University, a program on the rise, will travel 82 miles into Bryant-Denny Stadium to take on the titans of football, the No. 5 Alabama Crimson Tide. This is easily the biggest game in MSU history, and with it comes several storylines.
Oh the struggles of the wild, wild SEC West. For the Bulldogs to win the Western division and get into the playoffs, they may need to knock off five, yes five, ranked SEC West opponents. Whoever wins this physical matchup puts themselves in the primary position to win the toughest division in the nation.
For the first time in school history, the Bulldogs have a Heisman contender. Quarterback Dak Prescott enters as a legitimate contender for the most prestigious award in college football, but this game will ultimately decide his fate. A great performance in the game combined with a win could cement himself as the front-runner of the award going into the final two weeks. A poor performance and a loss could end his chances.
There will be a No. 1 ranked team playing in Tuscaloosa, and it will not be Alabama. Mississippi State comes in as the top-ranked team, while Alabama sits just outside the playoff rankings at No. 5. For the time being, Alabama has a chip on its shoulder, and it will come in fired up to prove itself as a true playoff contender.
On the other side, Mississippi State is an 8.5-point underdog. Even with a No. 1 ranking by its name, the betting lines still don’t have much confidence in this team. It looks as if the Bulldogs have found chips on their shoulders as well.
So which team can prove itself? Which team will come into Saturday and be able to control their emotions and execute? Mississippi State will win this game if one aspect goes its way, and if it doesn’t, it will need help to come out with a win. The answer? The Flow.
Let me explain.
This game will ride on emotion. Alabama might be the best team in the country playing at home, and if the crowd and the team get into a groove, it will be hard for the Bulldogs to climb back into it.
If Mississippi State can come in and control the tempo and punch Alabama in the mouth early, it could very well be the deciding factor in the biggest win in school history. It sounds possible, but Alabama has ways of making things difficult for any team.
The Crimson Tide comes in with the top-ranked SEC defense for the eighth year in a row. The defense has size and speed that will try to throw anything it can at Prescott and the Bulldog offense to try and confuse them.
If the Bulldogs are going to control the flow, the main key will be balance in the offense. They already have the most balanced offense in the country, averaging 267 yards passing a game and 255 yards rushing a game. However, if they become one-dimensional, Alabama will key on players and use its talents to wreak havoc all day long. 
On the defensive side of the ball, the Bulldogs will have to lean heavily on their secondary, which has shown some issues all season. To keep the flow of the game in MSU’s favor, the Bulldogs will have to keep eight or nine players in the box and stop the run. Put the game on quarterback Blake Sims shoulders. Blake Sims is the X-factor for Alabama.
For the third time in the history of MSU, the Bulldogs travel to Tuscaloosa 8-0 or better. The first two meetings (1999, 2012) had the Bulldogs coming home defeated. Hopefully the third time is the charm and the Bulldogs can pull off its greatest milestone win in history.
A win would sure make that 82-mile bus ride home much more enjoyable.