No. 16 Mississippi State plays hosts to second-ranked Alabama in an SEC showdown Saturday night.
Dan Mullen is 0-8 against Alabama during his time in Starkville, but a MSU upset would turn the College Football Playoff world upside down and give the Bulldogs their first win over a Nick Saban-coached team since 2007.
Here are three keys for Mississippi State to pull the upset and create a cowbell cacophony.
1. Avoid the deep ball early
Mississippi State’s defense has shown marked improvement under first-year defensive coordinator Todd Grantham, but the Bulldogs were hurt early by the deep ball against Louisiana Tech, Georgia and Auburn.