Arkansas Sports 360 - ArkansasSports360.com

11/16/2011 at 2:43pm

Image by Mark Wagner

Mississippi State (5-5, 1-5) faces Arkansas (9-1, 5-1) on Saturday in War Memorial Stadium. Kickoff is set for 2:30 p.m.

Billboards across Mississippi feature MSU coach Dan Mullen next to the words "Welcome to our STATE." The Bulldogs are clearly the best SEC team in the Magnolia State, but that's about all they've got in 2011.

After finishing 2010 with big wins over Florida and Georgia as well a Gator Bowl victory over Michigan, and getting positive previews before the 2011 season got underway, the Bulldogs are currently winless in the SEC West and have only a win against Kentucky on their league resume. Mississippi State lost a close one to Auburn, the only SEC West opponent it was picked to be on par with. The Bulldogs also had to fight off a Louisiana Tech team in overtime that beat Ole Miss last week.

Mississippi State (5-5, 1-5) travels to Little Rock on Saturday to face No. 6 Arkansas (8-1, 4-1) for a 2:30 p.m. kickoff to be televised on CBS.

Mississippi State is favored to beat Ole Miss again in the regular season closer, and for many fans, winning the Egg Bowl is enough for bragging rights. (The Bulldogs are even planning on debuting new gold-tinged uniforms for the game.) But head coach Dan Mullen must be wishing that the straws for his team had fallen in a different way. Compared to the other SEC coach in Mississippi, Mullen has plenty of support, but what could wind up as a 6-6 season should raise expectations for next year rather than lowering them.

So do the unranked Bulldogs think there's a chance they could close out the season with two SEC West wins, starting with Arkansas at War Memorial Stadium? The coaching staff certainly isn't giving up. Brandon Marcello covers the Starkville beat for the Clarion Ledger and maintains one of the more concise blogs on an SEC team out there.

This week, Marcello posts a video interview of defensive coordinator Chris Wilson where Arkansas' underrated running game gets some attention. On the other side of the ball, Mullen hasn't shied away from experimenting with novel plays late in the season. The Bulldogs managed to confuse Alabama a few times despite losing 24-7. And Mullen has kept his three-quarterback rotation spinning, even using Tyler Russell, Chris Reif and Dylan Favre (who, yes, has an Uncle Brett) on the same possession.

The Bulldogs are 2-11 in SEC West play during the last two seasons (with both of those wins against Houston Nutt and Ole Miss.) They have yet to beat a ranked opponent this season. If they lose on Saturday and beat Ole Miss next week, the Bulldogs will be bowl eligible as well as completing the first three-game streak against the Rebels since World War II. Milestones, to be sure, a win against Arkansas would certainly pull MSU out of just being a warm body in the division.

Tagged: Dan Mullen, SEC West, Mississippi State Bulldogs, Arkansas Razorbacks