It’s another week in the rough and tough Southeastern Conference, and a battle of Bulldogs is set for Saturday in Starkville, as Georgia visits Mississippi State.

Georgia heads to the game, still squarely in the middle of everything, with a record of 7-1 and 5-1 in the Southeastern Conference.

Mississippi State is 5-4 and 1-4 in the SEC.

Both Georgia and Mississippi State are coming off thrilling victories that came down to the wire. The Bulldogs from Athens came back in the fourth quarter for a 24-20 victory over Florida in Jacksonville. Under the watch of future Hall of Fame coach Kirby Smart, the Bulldogs have now won 38 of their last 41 SEC games and 64 of the last 70 overall since losing to Florida in 2020. The victory in Jacksonville marked Georgia’s fifth in a row over the Gators and eighth in the last nine meetings.

State defeated Arkansas 38-35 in Fayetteville. MSU scored late in the fourth quarter and held on for the win.

Like every team in the toughest league in the land, both teams have been involved in a plethora of tight games.

Let’s start with Mississippi State, the Maroon Bulldogs from Starkville are one of the most improved teams in college football. They may be THE most improved team in the country. Last season, in Jeff Lebby’s first at the helm at MSU, the record was 2-10 and 0-8 in the SEC.

State won its first four games of the season, including a 24-20 victory in the second game of the season over then-12th ranked and defending Big XII champion Arizona State. Then came a four game losing streak against a brutal stretch of the schedule. But State was right there. MSU fell in overtime to Tennessee 41-34. Then came a 31-9 loss at Texas A&M. The next two weeks, State came up just short 23-21 in Gainesville to Florida, then lost to Texas 45-38 in overtime to Texas in Starkville.

So close to those signature wins at home, MSU is eyeing Georgia as a golden opportunity.

Smart’s Dogs have shown tremendous resiliency. Georgia has trailed in four of its five SEC victories, including this past weekend’s triumph in Jacksonville.

State can punch its bowl eligibility ticket with a win and be a shining triumph in Lebby’s outstanding turnaround season.

Georgia, still in the middle of everything, can take another step towards the College Football Playoff with a road win.

This is the second straight season that these two have squared off. Last season, Georgia won 41-31 in Athens. En route to a second straight national championship, Georgia beat MSU 45-19 in 2022 in Starkville. Georgia leads the all-time series 21-6.