Josh Robinson is one of the most underrated players in America. (Spruce Derden-USA TODAY Sports)
STARKVILLE, Miss. — Mississippi State made the most rapid climb from unranked to No. 1 in college football history. The Bulldogs prefer not to think about how steep the fall might be with a loss at Alabama.
Mississippi State enters Saturday’s showdown with the Crimson Tide as the nation’s No. 1 team for the fifth straight week and riding a 12-game winning streak.
However, the fourth-ranked Crimson Tide opened as a 6.5 favorite at home which means the Bulldogs find themselves in a familiar position once again.
“Every article you read and everywhere you look, we’re a big underdog going into this game,” said MSU coach Dan Mullen. “We’ve done that before. We know that role and we’re going to be OK with that.”
The Bulldogs entered the year unranked and ascended to the top by knocking off three consecutive top 10 opponents. State downed then No. 8 LSU 34-29 on Sept. 20 in Baton Rouge and followed up with back-to-back home wins against No. 6 Texas A&M 48-31 on Oct. 4 and No. 2 Auburn 38-23 on Oct. 11.
Those wins set the stage for this weekend’s game against Alabama to not only have SEC West title implications but also an impact in the College Football Playoff as well.
“The opportunity to play big games late in the season is what it’s all about,” Mullen said. “It’s what you work for. Playing in important games in mid-to-late November is going to be fun. Hopefully that becomes the norm for our program.”
Eleventh-ranked Mississippi State traveled to Tuscaloosa at 7-0 during Dak Prescott’s redshirt freshman season to face No. 1 Alabama in 2012.
Prescott came off the bench in the fourth quarter and completed 4 of 6 passes for 40 yards including a 2-yard touchdown pass to Robert Johnson a 38-7 loss.
“He’s been in that situation before,” Mullen said of Prescott. “He’s played over there and now he’s played in some big games. He has that experience and will walk on the field with some confidence and comfortable in the situation. The moment will not be too big for him.”
A shoulder injury kept Prescott out of the Alabama game last year.
NOTES: WR Jameon Lewis has missed three of the last five games with a right leg injury. Lewis was held out of the UT Martin game last week and is expected to play against Alabama this week. … OG Justin Malone missed the final 12 games last season with a broken foot. Malone was also held out last weekend but will be back against Alabama on Saturday. … LB Zach Jackson returned to action last week after missing the Arkansas game. Jackson had three solo tackles against UT Martin.
