Mississippi State and Massachusetts have winning streaks on the line when they meet at Davis Wade Stadium in Starkville, Miss., on Saturday.
How they got to this point are different stories.
Thanks to a decisive 35-14 road whipping of Texas A&M last week, the Bulldogs (6-2, 3-2 SEC) are ranked 16th in the initial rankings from the College Football Playoff selection committee. Earlier this season, Mississippi State was at No. 17 in the AP poll after beating then-No. 12 LSU in the third game.
But then came losses to Georgia and Auburn, and the Bulldogs fell off the radar.