After last week’s win over Kentucky, the 4-5 Bulldogs have fans talking about going to their second bowl game in three years.
Mississippi State would have to win at least two of its next three games to become bowl eligible.
The Dawgs are on a bye this week, but play host to Alabama next week, then travel to Arkansas to face the Razorbacks and end the season at home with the Egg Bowl against Ole Miss.
Coach Dan Mullen said he does not care who MSU beats to do it; he just wants to play in a bowl game in his first year at the helm.
“Any game that would be for bowl eligibility for us would be really good,” Mullen said. “I’d be happy with that. Just getting us to a bowl game would be great for recruiting. I can tell you that much.”
The trio of SEC West rivals is daunting, but senior running back Anthony Dixon said the possibility of making the postseason is realistic when considering the past.
“These teams we’re getting ready to play, when I’ve been here, we’ve beat them before,” Dixon said.
His experience will certainly help the Bulldogs, but it is Dixon’s level of play in these next three games that will likely decide MSU’s fate.
Not counting Jackson State when he was suspended, Dixon has rushed for an average of 170 yards per game in Bulldog wins and averages 98.4 yards per game on the ground in Bulldog losses. Only once in a loss has Dixon rushed for more than 106 yards, and his lowest total in a win is 123 versus Vanderbilt.
This is a Bulldog offense that lives and dies by the All-SEC back, as evidenced by the loss to Florida, when Dixon was held to 53 yards, and the only Bulldog touchdowns were scored by the defense.
With those stats in mind, Alabama looks to be the toughest matchup of the next three games. The Crimson Tide defense allows an SEC-low, 64.6 rush yards per game.
Dixon said he knows the Tide will be gunning for him, but he is excited to play a team he is familiar with.
“It’s definitely a challenge,” he said. “They know that once they come to Starkville, they have to try to stop Anthony Dixon. The thing about that is I’ve got ten more dudes that are willing to fight with me.”
Arkansas is the best matchup for the Bulldogs on paper, and a victory over the Hogs may be the only way MSU will play past November.
The Razorbacks defense is at or near the bottom of the league in almost every defensive category, allowing 27.4 points per game and 410.6 total yards per game.
Dixon and the rest of the Bulldog backfield will have a cushy matchup, but State’s passing game stands to benefit the most.
The Dawgs are currently 10th in the conference in passing, generating 165 yards per game, but the Arkansas secondary may be the fix Tyson Lee and company are looking for.
After all, the Razorback secondary is dead last in the SEC, allowing opponents an average of 264.1 yards per game through the air.
The Ole Miss defense falls somewhere in between the stiff ‘Bama D and the porous Razorback unit.
The Rebs are currently allowing an average of 138.4 yards per game rushing – well above the 106 yard mark for Dixon, which seems to seal the Dawg victory – and are right in the middle of the SEC in pass defense, allowing 174.2 yards per game.
The dream scenario for many Bulldog faithful: MSU wins one of two games between Arkansas and ‘Bama while 5-3 Ole Miss loses to Tennessee and LSU.
The Rebels’ game Saturday against FCS opponent Northern Arizona does not count toward bowl eligibility, as rules only allow one FCS victory to count.
That said, the battle for the Golden Egg could easily become the game that will determine which team goes bowling.
Dixon said such a scenario would be monumental.
“Man, that would be a showcase,” Dixon said. “That’d probably be the game that I remember the most on my way out of here. Us laying it on the line against Ole Miss for a bowl bid – if it ends up like that, I’m going to be geared up for it. It’s going to be all-out war.”