By BJ Bennett
SouthernPigskin.com

Follow us at Twitter.com/SouthernPigskin.  Become a fan at the SouthernPigskin.com Facebook Page

Mississippi State’s quest for a winning conference record will feature three teams likely ranked in the top 15, the 2010 BCS Champions and a road game at Georgia.

Mississippi State hasn’t had a winning season in the SEC this millennium. The Bulldogs have had strong seasons, overshadowed by mostly disappointing ones however, and have been right on the edge on occasion. The more common locale for this program the last decade has been much more grounded.

This past season MSU head coach Dan Mullen quickly changed the confidence, the expectation level in Starkville. A 7-2 start, which included wins over both Florida and Georgia, set a November scene that hadn’t been seen in over a decade in east Mississippi. While the Bulldogs lost their home finale in a thrilling 38-31 overtime clash against Arkansas, the regular season rounded out with a road Egg Bowl triumph over arch rival Ole Miss. The win brought Mississippi State to .500 in league play and earned the program their first new year bowl game since the century prior.

The tone this fall was resoundingly set January 1st with a staggering 52-14 thumping of tradition-rich Michigan in the Gator Bowl. The 38-point drubbing State handed, backhanded rather, the Wolverines was the most lopsided bowl loss in UM history. Quarterback Chris Relf scored four total touchdowns, setting the school record for rushing touchdowns in a season along the way. Running back Vick Ballard offered a trio of rushing scores. Mullen added a little more.

“We went from average to good and now we want the ability to go from good to great,” he explained. “Hopefully that catapults us into the step from good to great.”

That quote stands as the springboard into year three of the Mullen era. With 15 returning starters, Relf and Ballard included, this slow southern summer has been a bit more frenzied in Oktibbeha County. Major networks are mentioning Mississippi State, national top 25 polls have welcomed the Bulldogs with open arms. Opponents haven’t been so responsive; they may not have a choice. Division discussions have gone from Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn and LSU to Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn, LSU and, for the first time in quite some time, Mississippi State. Athlon Sports has the Bulldogs picked ahead of the defending national champions in their league projections.

After nine wins a year ago, the encore comes with a larger spotlight and a larger target. State’s quest for a winning conference record will feature three teams likely ranked in the national top 15, the 2010 BCS National Champions, a road game at Georgia and a home clash with the reigning SEC East title-holders South Carolina. Rival Ole Miss waits the last week in November as well.

The task is a tough one. Even with a modest non-conference slate, the Bulldogs have one of the nation’s most difficult schedules. Five regular season SEC wins would mean at least a trio of wins against teams who will be ranked in the pre-season top 25. It would also likely mean ten wins with a bowl game, the program’s first double-digit win outing since 1999 and just the third in school history.

With two national title contenders headlining devastating conference schedule, this may not be the season Mississippi State wins more than they lose in the SEC play. But as last year’s 4-4 showing implied, the gap has been closed considerably. Breaking the mold in the SEC West will require much more than time. A believer, a team of them, is needed; Mullen’s conviction is starting to take shape.