STARKVILLE, Miss. (AP) Mississippi State is rested, riding a three-game winning streak. The Bulldogs are pushing to be a factor in the Southeastern Conference Western Division during the final month of the regular season.
Following a weekend off, the 24th-ranked Bulldogs (6-2, 2-2 SEC) travel to Missouri to take on the Tigers (4-4, 1-4) on Thursday night.
Mississippi State needs some help to win the West, but still has opportunities to make up ground in November, including home games against division rivals seventh-ranked Alabama and No. 19 Mississippi.
''We want to peak at the end of the season, not at the beginning or the middle,'' Mississippi State coach Dan Mullen said.