Posted by ESPN.com's Chris Low

Despite what happens the rest of the way this season, the fans in Starkville are genuinely excited about the future of Mississippi State football. They’re expecting a record crowd this Saturday night when No. 1 Florida comes to town. It’s the first of several daunting tests for the Bulldogs during the second half of the season. Alabama will visit in November, and Mississippi State still has to go to Kentucky and Arkansas and then ends the season at home against Ole Miss. As it turns out, the Bulldogs’ schedule has been even more difficult than it appeared back in August. Senior Anthony Dixon is having an outstanding season and is one of those guys who can take all the carries you want to give him, but he could still use some more help out of the passing game. It’s Tyson Lee’s show at quarterback, especially with Chris Relf remaining on suspension for the time being.

Best-case scenario: The Bulldogs man up defensively and find a way to squeeze out three more victories, most likely against Kentucky, Arkansas and Ole Miss, to get to 6-6 and become bowl eligible.

Worst-case scenario: The Florida game gets out of hand, and the Bulldogs go downhill from there. They don’t win again and finish with a worse record than a year ago at 3-9.

Prediction: The Bulldogs pick up two more wins behind a 1,000-yard rushing season from Dixon, but a 5-7 record keeps them out of a bowl game for the second straight year.