The Notre Dame Fighting Irish did not have to deal with starting the season unranked. Alabama, given all its past dominance could never fathom a preseason poll placing it outside of the top 25. LSU, South Carolina and Wisconsin are all names that have become constants in the Associated Press poll, and with the powerhouses that have been established at these schools, one can see why. The Mississippi State football team did not get such respect from voters to begin the 2014 football season.
A lot of hype surrounded the Bulldogs in the preseason. Mississippi State faithfuls felt they had a lot to be excited about.  The team returned nearly all of its starters on both sides of the ball, not to mention quarterback Dak Prescott, who was mentioned in many college football circles as a Heisman darkhorse. The fans knew it and the player surely knew it: there is something special about this team. It is our time.
With so many good things being said about the Maroon and White, it was expected they would crack the top 25. Some experts had the Bulldogs just outside the top 25, with the AP poll voters placing us around 36, but one would have found it challenging to find a poll with Mississippi State ranked among the nation’s elite. But for Dan Mullen and his team riddled with two and three-star recruits, being overlooked is nothing out of the ordinary. In fact, you could even say they welcomed it.
So the confident, seasoned Bulldogs opened the season eager to prove they belonged, eager to silence all the naysayers and doubters. Their hunger was evident from the onset of the season opener against Southern Miss in a game that ended in a 49-0 drubbing. They showed in the next game, which was closer than many would have preferred. Fans saw it again in the Maroon and White’s absolute annihilation of South Alabama in a trap game where some even went so far as to predict the Bulldogs faltering.
Of course, the Bulldogs expected to win all these games, as they were essentially “gimmes.” The voters’ acknowledged the success, giving the Dogs votes in the polls, but not allowing them a spot in the top 25. The nation’s college football pundits shared these sentiments positing something for thought as well: can they do it against the country’s best?
Many felt the answer was no. So, as is normally the case for most teams going into Death Valley at night, the Bulldogs entered the game as underdogs. In dominating fashion, they left the fabled stadium as the victors of a 34-29 contest that was not nearly as close as the score suggests. The question asked for so long had finally been answered. With the answer came State’s first entrance into the AP poll at No. 14 and a prime opportunity for a team on the rise to prove itself again against yet another top-10 opponent- Kenny Hill and the vaunted Texas A&M offense.
Apparently someone forgot to pack the respect this Bulldog team so rightfully deserved with everything else. Even though they had just manhandled the mighty LSU Tigers, many were still unimpressed. That LSU team was young and inexperienced, they said. They couldn’t possibly beat two top-10 teams in consecutive weeks, could they? Well, why not?
In dominating fashion, the Bulldogs won another huge game. Prescott was masterful in making his case for Heisman contention, the defense gave Kenny Hill fits, and eyes finally began to open. Mississippi State jumped in the polls yet again, and, with key losses by top-10 teams, entered week 7 as the No. 3 team in the nation preparing to host Auburn, last season’s national runner-up.
For whatever reason, the doubters remained, and yet again had the Bulldogs as the underdogs against Auburn. When the final buzzer sounded, the cowbells of Maroon Nation rang louder than ever as its team emerged triumphant in impressive fashion. With the victory definitely came the spoils, as the Bulldogs earned a No. 1 ranking. In doing so, they became the first team ever to go from unranked to No. 1 in five weeks.
So to all the doubters, skeptics and disbelievers, we of the Maroon and White Nation say this: keep doubting our team they will keep winning. Keep labeling them as underdogs, and they will go out each week and prove you wrong. Our Heisman candidate will keep wowing you, and our defense will continue to dominate the line of scrimmage. Or, you could give credit where it is due. Because like it or not, this is OUR time and this is OUR state. Hail State!