Following the three-game gauntlet Mississippi State has endured, the Bulldogs are licking their chops with Arkansas coming to town. The Razorbacks won’t be a pushover but MSU players and fans know this is their best chance to win in the last month.

Blasphemy, you say? Hardly, I argue. Facts are facts and here are the last three opponents for Mississippi State: at Texas, at Georgia at home against Texas A&M. Those three are ranked Nos. 5, 2 and 14 this week.

That’d be a tough stretch for the Dallas Cowboys to endure. Of course, the Cowboys — a beloved team for many fans throughout the Land of Opportunity and owned by Arkansas native and former Razorback Jerry Jones — might have trouble winning the salty Southeastern Conference.

The SEC standings find A&M and LSU as the lone unbeatens in league play, with that little argument over who is best to be settled Saturday in the home of the Aggies. Five teams in the SEC have a single setback and three more have two, including Arkansas.

While the Hogs hope to finish in the top half of the league, Georgia has higher hopes, like winning another national title. The Dawgs proved how good they can be by waltzing into Longhorn-land last Saturday and thoroughly dominating then-No. 1 Texas, 30-15.

That’s got to make Mississippi State feel kind of good, even though the Bulldogs were kicked around a bit while losing 35-13 in Austin. Then, State hung tough the next week before falling 31-21 at Georgia in the ‘Dog eat ‘Dog game. In beautiful downtown Starkville last Saturday, the Aggies worked hard to escape with a 34-24 victory.

Clearly, MSU has seen the best college football has to offer this season. The Bulldogs have seemingly been toughened by that task, so surely the Razorbacks don’t strike fear in the hearts and minds of Starkvegas’ finest warriors.

Still, the Hogs get more respect from the oddsmakers, despite their ugly 34-10 home loss to No. 8 LSU on Saturday. Arkansas is a touchdown favorite for the 11:45 a.m. kickoff in Starkville. It’ll be televised on the SEC Network.

“This road game is big for us and we usually play pretty good on the road,” Arkansas coach Sam Pittman said during Monday’s press conference. The Hogs did outplay Oklahoma State and Auburn, winning the second of those.

What’s worrisome to Pittman, though, is how the Hogs lost to LSU. In his words: “We got handled physically from the start.” Since Pittman also said Mississippi State is a “very physical football team,” it stands to reason the Razorbacks better strap their helmets on tight if they expect to come away with a victory.

To most fans, MSU’s 1-6 record makes them little cause for concern. Georgia and A&M would argue otherwise. The Bulldogs’ only win was the opener, 56-7 against Eastern Kentucky.

Most embarrassing loss for the Bulldogs is the 41-17 whipping they took at home from Toledo. The Rockets led 28-3 at halftime. Toledo boasts a 5-2 record, 2-1 in the mighty Mid-American Conference.

“Ever since the Toledo game, I think they’ve just gotten better and better,” Pittman said of MSU. “They had some breakdowns and given up some scores and you don’t see that happening now. They fly to the football.”

Then, the ominous part from Pittman: “They’re a very physical football team.” Since the head Hog felt his team got pushed around by LSU — an admittedly brutish bunch on both sides of the line — it stands to reason that Pittman might not sleep well this week.

More cause for concern: the bad guys have won the last two in ‘Dogs versus Hogs. MSU is seemingly gaining its footing after the slow start under first-year coach Jeff Lebby. But the Bulldogs still haven’t proved they can beat a good football team.

Question remains whether Arkansas is a good football team or not. The Razorbacks are 4-3 overall, 2-2 in the SEC. They’ve shown flashes of greatness but commit too many turnovers: minus-8 in that department in their three losses.

The Hogs have been impressive on defense at times, explosive on offense, but woefully inconsistent. Still, they’ve accomplished one huge task that Mississippi State has not: they’ve beaten a really good team.

That happened two games ago when the Hogs upset then-No. 4 Tennessee, currently ranked seventh in the AP poll after knocking off Alabama last weekend. The Hogs did not get pushed around in that game against the Vols. They controlled the line of scrimmage from both sides for three quarters and gave notice they were a team to be feared.

Is that still the case just a few weeks later? We’ll know after Saturday’s scrap in the noisy and annoying Cowbell Land of college football when the Hogs and ‘Dogs settle their business for 2024.

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