Mississippi State football: re-living the 2014 Auburn game

Mississippi State’s 2014 game vs. Auburn was a spectacle unlike any other we’ve seen in the history of Scott Field.

The Auburn Tigers will visit Starkville this week for the first time since October 11, 2014 when they were in the top 5 and so were the Bulldogs. It was a game to remember, so we’ll do just that today.

Setting the stage…

The week prior was quickly referred to as the ‘greatest football day in the state of Mississippi’s history’ when MSU stomped #6 Texas A&M and Ole Miss beat #3 Alabama (#1 in the Coaches poll). Those wins vaulted the two teams into a tie for the #3 national ranking.

Mississippi State would have no time to celebrate, however, as #2 Auburn was coming to Starkville the next week. Pundits who were projecting their own College Football Playoff top four (because the official ones were a couple of weeks away from being released) universally ranked Auburn #1 and Mississippi State #2 due to Florida State being perceived as vulnerable.

At no time in history before this game had MSU been ranked in the top five – but now they were number three. Rather obviously, this was the first ever top five match-up in program history.

To make things even more exciting, ESPN’s College Game Day set up in Starkville for the first time ever.

The game was also broadcast by CBS – the first time in nine years MSU hosted the SEC game of the week on that network.

This was the moment which seemingly only existed in the dreams of State fans. The defending SEC championship and national runner-up was in town to play the biggest game Scott Field had ever seen.

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