STARKVILLE – The rankings mean nothing to Dan Mullen on the field. There’s no strategic advantage gained from a higher ranking. But in his household, Mississippi State’s No. 3 spot means everything, especially in popping up on his son Canon’s radar.
“He’s really into the rankings right now,” Mullen said. “We’re starting to compete with some other people for his favorite. He likes the winners.”
The 5-year-old took an interest in Florida State recently. It’s no coincidence the defending national champions are ranked No. 1 in both the AP and coaches polls. Mississippi State has a chance to jump FSU next week.
The Bulldogs received two first-place votes in this week’s AP Top 25. Their opponent, No. 2 Auburn, tallied 23. If either team received those 25 first-place votes this week, it would have been enough to surpass Florida State.
“Now that we’re climbing, he’s excited about it. When you climb, you’re always on the ticker,” Mullen said. “There’s not a time we don’t roll on the ticker and, ‘Dad! Dad! Dad! There we are!'”
The Bulldogs shot up into the top 5 after back-to-back top-10 wins. Mississippi State beat LSU at Baton Rouge for the first time since 1991 on Sept. 20. Two weeks later it pounded Texas A&M.
It all led to the school’s highest ranking ever at No. 3. A third straight top-10 victory could propel MSU to No. 1.
“Everyone talks about we’re going to win championships,” Mississippi State athletic director Scott Stricklin said. “I’m much more concerned about being the No. 1 team at the end of the year than right now.”
Mississippi State had never received a first-place vote before this week. Davis Wade Stadium has never hosted a top-3 matchup before.
Many national pundits believe the matchup between the Tigers and Bulldogs features the best two teams in the country.
“For us, our goal is to win the SEC West,” Mullen said. “…We haven’t done that. Everything else, I’m not really sure that it’s really important. In my years in the SEC, one thing I’ve learned, if you win a really big game in this league, the gift is you get an even bigger one the next week.”
The ranking has been a gift for Mississippi though — for both schools. Ole Miss and Mississippi State are both ranked No. 3. Football Outsiders efficiency rating slots the two teams 1 and 2.
The same pundits who believe the best two teams will be playing in Starkville this week slot Ole Miss at No. 3. There’s little debate the Magnolia State is the mecca of college football.
“You’re always hearing about what Mississippi’s last in. Or if we’re ranked high, it’s something for not being great,” Mullen said. “But to be considered one of the best at something that’s really dear to everyone’s heart in the state, that really everybody in the whole state can celebrate, not pointing fingers or anything like that. Everybody can celebrate it. I think it’s pretty special.”
Mississippi State has enjoyed this kind of exposure before.
“It’s not unlike the run the baseball team made playing for the national championship two years ago,” Stricklin said. “The deeper you go in that thing, the more Mississippi State gets talked about more often. The higher you go up in the football rankings, it’s the same deal.”
Only the microscope for football magnifies its objects with much more power.
There’s no guarantee how long it will last. Mullen’s voice cracked and eyes watered last weekend describing just how difficult it is to win, especially in the SEC West. Away from the top-3 matchup in Starkville, Ole Miss travels to College Station to face No. 14 Texas A&M.
“The reality of it all is you’ve got to get to work and be a better football team,” Mullen said. “Except for being able to feel good this week and our guys getting patted on the back around campus, we haven’t accomplished anything close to what we want to accomplish.”
The sixth-year coach is well aware how quickly the praise can turn into criticism, too.
“The difference between a pat on the back and a kick in the rear end is six inches,” Mullen said. “We’ve got to make sure we keep it on the high end of those six inches.”