Five most important games for Mississippi State in 2018

Joe Moorhead's first season as Mississippi State's head coach is set up to be a successful one. The Bulldogs return 16 starters from a team that was ranked as high as No. 14 in the College Football Playoff rankings last season.

Of course, that was before an injury ended star QB Nick Fitzgerald's season prematurely.

Fitzgerald is expected to be back at full health before the opening game against S.F. Austin. That means the expectations for an SEC West title are at an all-time high.

Every game on the schedule is winnable. Yes, even the Week 11 matchup against Alabama. State won't be the favorite heading into Tuscaloosa, however.

That game will be important if the team wants to make it to the Playoff, but there are other matchups that will play of a bigger role in determining how people view the overall success of the season.

There's a lot of people overlooking Kansas State on the schedule. It's true the Wildcats lost key players such as WR Byron Pringle (30 receptions, 724 yards, 6 TDs) and LB Jayd Kirby (99 tackles, 11.5 TFL, 4.0 sacks).

That doesn't mean the roster will lack talent, however.

The quarterback competition is still ongoing. But Alex Delton (637 passing yards, 500 rushing yards, 11 total TDs) and Skylar Thompson (689 passing yards, 267 rushing yards, 8 total TDs) both showed in 2017 that they're capable of leading the offense.

Mississippi State can't afford to overlook Bill Synder and the rest of these Wildcats.

This game marks the highly-anticipated return to Starkville for Dan Mullen. That return will obviously be the most talked about storyline leading up to the game, but the matchup in itself would be considered a critical factor to the Bulldogs' season, regardless.

It's already been established that Kansas State won't be a cupcake. Neither will Kentucky. The Florida game, however, will be Moorhead's first true test to show the Playoff committee just how good this team can be.

The Gators will be bringing with them a dynamic run game that's led by Jordan Scarlett (179 attempts, 889 rushing yards, 6 TDs in 2016) and Lamical Perine (146 touches, 643 total yards and 9 TDs in 2017). They'll also have all five starters along the offensive line back to go with last year's leading receiver (Tyrie Cleveland - 22 receptions, 410 yards, 2 TDs) and Ole Miss transfer WR Van Jefferson.

Combine all that with a much-improved defense, it's easy to see why Sept. 29 is considered one of the most important days on the calendar.

Auburn's 2018 outlook suffered a major blow when they lost several top juniors early to the NFL draft. It could be argued that RB Kerryon Johnson, CB Carlton Davis and Buck LB Jeff Holland were the three best players on the team.

Still, this is a Gus Malzahn-led offense that will return one of the top quarterbacks in the SEC (Jarrett Stidham - 3,158 passing yards, 66.5 percent completion rate, 22 total TDs).

On the other side of the football, the Tigers are bringing back one of the best defensive lines in the country (37.0 sacks). If there's one defensive front-four that could rival Mississippi State's, it's the one that will be coming to Starkville on Oct. 6.

Alabama is considered the favorite to win the SEC West. The biggest challenger could very well be the one who comes out on top in this game.

Following a brutal 37-7 defeat back in Week 3 of 2017, LSU was sent back to Baton Rouge with a damaged ego. That 30-point loss would be the worst the Tigers would suffer all season, after all.

Now, it's going to be the Bulldogs' turn to go on the road in a hostile environment.

To makes matters worse, they'll be coming off that tough two-week stretch that will include emotional, physically draining games against Florida and Auburn. Not to mention a road game against an improved Kentucky team.

If you're looking at these two teams on paper, State should be able to walk away with a double-digit win. The Tigers lost several key starters such as RB Derrius Guice, DE Arden Key and WR DJ Chark.

Assuming victory will be a lot easier said than done, however. Going into Death Valley is never an easy task, and this LSU team will be looking for blood after last year's beatdown.

There's always something to be said about handing your in-state rival a loss. Even if the rest of the season doesn't go as planned, that alone can alleviate some of the pain.

There could end up being more at stake this season.

If anything should be taken away from 2017, it's that a one-loss SEC team still has a chance to make it into the Playoff. Does that mean it'll happen two years in a row? No, but a precedent has at least been set.

Even if the Bulldogs stumbled once against Alabama or any of the other teams on this list, there's still a possibility.

Ole Miss doesn't have that option. Due to the two-year bowl ban, any chance at a Playoff appearance will have to wait until at least 2019. That makes them extremely dangerous.

The Rebels lost their top defensive player in Marquis Haynes (47.5 TFL, 32.0 sacks in his career), but the offense is littered with playmakers.

Even with the loss of Van Jefferson, the receiving core is still one of the deepest in the country. A.J. Brown (75 receptions, 1,252 receiving yards, 11 TDs) is the obvious headliner. DeMarkus Lodge (41 receptions, 698 receiving yards, 7 TDs) and D.K. Metcalf (39 receptions, 664 receiving yards, 7 TDs) round out a dominate group.

They won't have Shea Patterson throwing to them anymore, but Jordan Ta'amu was a more than adequate replacement. In only six starts, he threw for 1,682 yards and 11 TDs to only 4 INTs. He also added 165 yards and 4 TDs on the ground.

Getting up for this rivalry game won't be an issue.