When Mississippi State (1-4, 0-3) takes the field on Saturday, the Bulldogs will line up against their third Top 10 opponent in five games.
Only this time they brought it on themselves.
Saturday’s game against the No. 4 West Virginia Mountaineers will be the first of a two-game home-and-home series that the Bulldogs agreed to in 2002, when the Mountaineers had just gone 3-8 during head coach Rich Rodriguez’s first season in 2001.
“This series was already developed before I got here,” Bulldog head coach Sylvester Croom said. “I’m not one that worries a whole lot about schedules. The schedules are made in advance and now we are playing one of the better teams in the country.”
Since 2001, the Mountaineers’ program has blossomed, winning nine games in 2002, eight games in 2003 and again in 2004 and then 11 games last season in 2005.
Rodriguez has guided the team to four straight bowl games, most recently a 38-35 win over SEC Champion Georgia in last season’s Sugar Bowl.
“They are an outstanding football team-the No. 4 team in the country right now-and it is exciting when you play those people,” Croom said. “I expect our players to respond to the challenge of playing one of the top teams in the country.”
“It’s on our schedule,” senior quarterback Omarr Conner said. “We play in the SEC and play some of the toughest teams in the nation. So we have to be ready to play-no excuses.”
Conner said the team’s schedule is indeed brutal, but he prefers it that way.
“I like playing Top 10 teams,” Conner said. “It’s all about getting good and getting yourself to that next level. Playing guys like West Virginia, Auburn and LSU, you just keep getting better.”
Coming off a 48-17 loss to No. 9 LSU in Baton Rouge last weekend, the Bulldogs are already in critical condition on the depth chart at many positions.
Senior defensive tackle Deljuan Robinson was knocked out of Saturday’s contest with a knee injury and underwent arthroscopic surgery this week.
Senior guard Brian Anderson also left Saturday’s game with an injury but is expected to start against West Virginia.
“It is tough for us to play two opponents like this back to back, but it is also a great challenge,” Croom said. “The good thing is that we do have them at home.
“This is the only way you get better and the only way to measure just how good you are individually and as a football team.”
West Virginia will be without sophomore wide receiver Jeremy Bruce on Saturday.
Bruce has been suspended indefinitely after being arrested for drunken driving early Sunday morning.