POLL: Which Remaining Game is Most Important?

Oct 11, 2014; Starkville, MS, USA; Mississippi State Bulldogs running back Josh Robinson (13) celebrates with the Mississippi State Bulldogs fans after the game at Davis Wade Stadium. Mississippi State Bulldogs defeated the Auburn Tigers 38-23. Mandatory Credit: Spruce Derden-USA TODAY Sports

The Bulldogs have played 6 games and won 6 games. With the unprecedented success and accompanying number 1 ranking in the Coaches’ Poll and the number 1 ranking in the AP Poll, Mississippi State has worked their way into the playoff conversation. Almost every analyst and college football pundit has Mississippi State currently in the playoff, and most everyone has Mississippi State as their number 1 seed.

The Bulldogs obviously want to take advantage of this opportunity. Most people seem to agree that any SEC West team that finishes the season with one loss will find their way to one of the four spots in the first ever College Football Playoff. Mississippi State has convinced me that every game is winnable, but that doesn’t mean that they will. It’s going to be difficult to win every single game from here on out. That is just life in the SEC West. So which of those games is most important on the Mississippi State schedule? Would it be Alabama, the team that started the season as the number 2 ranked team in the country? Would it be Ole Miss, the Bulldogs’ most fierce rival and only other unbeaten team in the SEC? Or would it be any of the other four teams we play because a loss to any of the other teams would be so unexpected? Let’s make the case for each.

Alabama: Perception is reality. Despite the success of both Mississippi State and Ole Miss, there is still the belief among many that Alabama is the best team in the SEC. If Mississippi State could beat Alabama in Tuscaloosa, it would completely do away with any belief that these are the same Bulldogs that Dan Mullen has led on the field his previous five seasons.

Ole Miss: Ole Miss is the rival. They are our biggest competition for recruits. We could both enter the game undefeated. If that were the case, the winner would be the clear favorite to be the number 1 seed in the Playoff. On the flip side, if both teams were undefeated, both teams will probably end up in the Playoff anyways, regardless of who wins.

Any other team: Mississippi State is going to be heavy favorites in every other game besides those two games. Many have already penciled in the Bulldogs with 9 wins for their big showdown with the Crimson Tide. A loss to any other team on the schedule would likely wipe away any chances of making the Playoff and send the Bulldogs tumbling from the top spot of the polls.

So which is it? Which game is the most important remaining game? Vote in the poll and let us know what you think. Also, if you choose any other team, do you think there is one that sticks out more so than the others.