Mississippi State football: re-living the 2014 Auburn game

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Oct 11, 2014; Starkville, MS, USA; Mississippi State Bulldogs fan celebrates after the final seconds of the game between the Mississippi State Bulldogs and the Auburn Tigers at Davis Wade Stadium. Mississippi State Bulldogs defeated the Auburn Tigers 38-23. Mandatory Credit: Spruce Derden-USA TODAY Sports /

It was pretty clear that, as the #3 ranked team, after beating the #2 ranked team MSU would vault to the top spot in the rankings.

That is exactly what happened the very next day. Both the AP and Coaches poll ranked Mississippi State as the number one team in the country on October 12, 2014….for the first time ever.

This was beyond the dreams of every lifelong MSU fan. Sure, it was only at the midway point of the season, but this was a new frontier. And we had two full weeks to enjoy the new spot before playing another football game.

The next week, after State’s bye week, the College Football Playoff committee released their initial rankings. The first ever CFB Playoff poll saw Mississippi State sitting on top as #1.

MSU went on the beat Kentucky and remain at #1. Then Arkansas and UT-Martin as well.

For five straight weeks the Bulldogs held the #1 ranking in the AP and Coaches poll.

The week after beating Auburn is the mountain top of MSU football history to this point. There have been big wins before like 1980 vs. Alabama or games with more impact like the 1998 SEC Championship or actual banners to hang like the 1941 title – but never before had a MSU team reached the top spot. They didn’t just get there, they dominated top 10 teams on their way and did it on the biggest stages.

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