Ascent started vs. Hogs

Mississippi State coach Dan Mullen, celebrates Mississippi State's 24-17 overtime victory over Arkansas with defensive back Nickoe Whitley (1) after the NCAA college football game in Little Rock, Ark., Saturday, Nov. 23, 2013. (AP Photo/David Quinn)

FAYETTEVILLE -- Mississippi State Coach Dan Mullen was on the brink of having a very uncomfortable winter last year with his team riding a three-game losing streak heading into a road game at Arkansas.

Mississippi State had never beaten the Razorbacks in Arkansas and another loss would eliminate the 4-6 Bulldogs from bowl consideration. Some unhappy fans had even started up a website for the express purpose of seeing him fired.

Mississippi State

(7-0, 4-0 SEC)

DATE;OPP.;RESULT

Aug. 30;So. Miss, W 49-0

Sept. 6;UAB, W 47-34

Sept. 13;at S. Alabama, W 35-3

Sept. 20;at No. 8 LSU, W 34-29

Oct. 4;No. 6 Texas A&M, W 48-31

Oct. 11;No. 2 Auburn, W 38-23

Oct. 25;at Kentucky, W 45-31

Nov. 1;Arkansas, 6:15 p.m. (ESPN2)

Nov. 8;UT-Martin

Nov. 15;at Alabama

Nov. 22;Vanderbilt

Nov. 29;at Ole Miss

Mullen's team rallied from a 17-10 deficit in the fourth quarter at War Memorial Stadium, won in overtime, and went on to defeat-arch rival Ole Miss 17-10 before smashing Rice 44-7 in the Liberty Bowl to finish with a winning record.

The winning hasn't stopped in Starkville, Miss.

Mullen, in his sixth season, has the Bulldogs in a place many SEC observers never thought possible: At the top of the national polls.

The Bulldogs earned the school's first No. 1 ranking after beating No. 2 Auburn 38-23 on Oct. 11, and they've held the top spot in both major polls for three consecutive weeks.

Mississippi State (7-0 overall, 4-0 SEC) is riding a 10-game winning streak, the Bulldogs' second-longest ever, with the Razorbacks headed to Davis Wade Stadium for Saturday's 6:15 p.m. game.

Mississppi State, which has appeared in one SEC Champiomship game since its introduction in 1992, beat No. 8 LSU on the road, No. 6 Texas A&M and defending-SEC champ Auburn in succession to complete the fastest rise from unranked in the preseason to No. 1 in the 78-year existence of the AP poll.

Now Mullen is fielding questions like the one he got at his weekly news conference on Monday. As the only undefeated team left in the SEC, does it feel like the playoff system is starting now because if your team wins out, it will be included in the first College Football Playoff?

"The playoff system, I think, in the SEC started eight weeks ago," Mullen said, grinning. "You know, that starts Game 1 for us.

"I think our focus is on beating Arkansas. Again, that's like coach talk, but to me, as soon as you start thinking about more than the next play, more than the next opponent, to get past that, you're not going to be very, very successful."

The Bulldogs have created a hype machine with their scintillating rise:

• Quarterback Dak Prescott is considered a top Heisman Trophy contender by many analysts.

• Mullen's name is being mentioned as a candidate to move to a more high-profile job at season's end.

• Tailback Josh Robinson (121 carries, 887 yards) ranks 15th nationally averaging 126.7 per game for the season but has done even better against the three teams ranked in the AP poll when the Bulldogs played them, going for 147 rushing yards per game.

• They have gained 500 or more yards in seven of eight games and rank ninth nationally, averaging 531.4 yards per game.

• They made the cover of Sports Illustrated -- paired with cross-state rival Ole Miss -- after beating Texas A&M while Ole Miss was defeating Alabama.

Prescott, a 6-2, 235-pound junior from Haughton, La., is the face of the program.

Prescott accounts for 20.6 points per game to rank fourth nationally. His four games with 200 passing yards and 100 rushing yards leads the nation. His passer efficiency rating of 202.8 on third down leads the country.

"He's just playing with great confidence," Arkansas Coach Bret Bielema said. "You can tell by the way he carries himself and the way he conducts himself, and the way the players rally around him, I think they have great confidence in what he's doing."

Mississippi State fans got worked up when Prescott came to post-game interviews after last Saturday's 45-31 victory at Kentucky wearing a protective boot on his right foot.

Mullen said Monday that many of his players wear the boot as a precaution.

The Bulldogs hope to get more playing time from top receiver Jameon Lewis, who missed three weeks of practice before returning last week and having no catches at Kentucky.

Prescott had a shoulder injury and did not play in Mississippi State's 24-17 overtime victory in Little Rock last year. Bielema said he has revisited last year's tight game with his players.

"We took them to overtime last year, and I kind of challenged our guys ... have they improved that much more than us that we're a 4-4 team and they're a team that's ranked No. 1 in the country?" Bielema said Monday. "So I kind of threw it at our guys with that. It's meant as respect.

"We've played some really good teams already. But they collectively probably have a little bit of swagger to them that is very apparent."

Sports on 10/28/2014