Jackson Free Press

For Mississippi State University, football has come full circle.

Last season, the Bulldogs lost to Alabama 20-7 in the final of three straight losses (University of South Carolina and Texas A&M were the other two). Mississippi State set at 4-6 on the season and needed to beat the University of Arkansas and the University of Mississippi just to get to six wins and a bowl game.

The Bulldogs beat both teams in overtime to get to six wins and bowl eligibility. The team made it three wins in a row by beating Rice out of Conference USA to win the Liberty Bowl.

Mississippi State hasn't lost since last season's unnerving tangle with the Crimson Tide, and when the two teams mix it up again this Saturday, it will mark 364 days since MSU has last tasted defeat.

So much will be on the line when the Bulldogs and Tide face each other—the SEC West title, a spot in the College Football Playoff, MSU's undefeated season and possibly the Heisman Trophy.

The term "the biggest game in program history," gets thrown around a lot nowadays, but honestly, Mississippi State football has never seen this much at stake in a single match-up. This is bigger than the 1940 win over Alabama in MSU's only undefeated season, or the 1941 win, the only time the Bulldogs ever won the SEC title, or bigger than 1980 win in Jackson over the Tide in Jackson. This season, Mississippi State has reached heights that most teams only dream of reaching. However, with each successful step they take, the Bulldogs make the idea of a potential loss even more heartbreaking.

MSU hasn't beat the Crimson Tide since winning back-to-back games in the 2006-07 seasons. Meanwhile, Alabama has ruined perfect MSU seasons the past, including in 1999 and 2012.

Even Las Vegas is going with the easy money and picking Alabama. Today, VegasInsider.com put the Tide as 7-point favorites, and sports analyst Dan Sheridan expects a poor showing from MSU.

Both teams are great at running the ball on offense and stopping the run on defense. Both teams are good at passing the ball on offense, but Mississippi State has had issues in pass defense this entire season.

Last time, the Tide was ranked No. 1. This time it is the Bulldogs in the top spot. If you were going to bet on one thing, put your money to on Dak Prescott to come up big. If he is going to win the Heisman, he will with a win against Alabama this Saturday.