Auburn used to be the early systems check. Heck, Auburn used to be the game of year for the SEC in the early 2000s. Then it tempered down a little, but always hung around as the early season litmus test. How that game went usually let us know how our chances would go in terms of the division. At least we would know early on.
And now Mississippi State has taken on that billing. They always feel early in the year. They have come around in the last few years and put us in our place a couple of times.