What if Mississippi State Had a Money in the Bank Briefcase?

The concept behind the WWE's Money in the Bank briefcase is simple. Defeat all of the other superstars in the Money in the Bank ladder match, and you get a title shot at any time. The men who have snagged this briefcase have almost always cashed it in successfully to become the new WWE or World Heavyweight Champion. Edge was the first. The list continued: Rob Van Dam, Edge (again), C.M. Punk (twice), Jack Swagger, Kane, The Miz, Alberto Del Rio, Daniel Bryan, Dolph Ziggler, and Randy Orton. The only person to cash in and fail to win the championship was John Cena, making the man to cash in the Money in the Bank contract 11 for 12.

This got me to thinking (which is always dangerous): What if Mississippi State had a Money in the Bank contract that the Bulldogs could cash in for a virtually guaranteed win against any opponent on their 2013 schedule? Who would Mississippi State cash in against and why?

Mississippi State knows that it should already beat Alcorn State, Troy, Bowling Green and Kentucky on the schedule. Arkansas and Auburn should be wins as well. That leaves six games up for debate: Oklahoma State, LSU, Texas A&M, South Carolina, Alabama, and Ole Miss. From this group, I eliminated Texas A&M, LSU, and South Carolina. Yes, the Bulldogs would like to defeat all three of those teams, but wins in those games may not mean as much as a win in the other three. In the end, the list settled as follows--

Number 3: Ole Miss-Any win over your rival is a big one. Without a doubt, if Mississippi State could only win one game, they would want to win this one. However, Mississippi State should win at least six games this season, and the Bulldogs have to feel as if they have a great chance to knock off Ole Miss. Why use a guaranteed win if you feel you can pick up the victory already?

Number 2: Oklahoma State-A season opening win in Houston would be huge for Mississippi State. It would provide instant momentum after the end of the 2012 season. it would also give Mississippi State a big win over a Big 12 opponent that many feel has a chance to win that conference. If Mississippi State was going to pick up a win, they could do worse than this one.

Number 1: Alabama-The Alabama Crimson Tide are the John Cena of this generation of college football. They are on top the world as the two-time defending champion, and given the current state of college football, Alabama is close to becoming a dynasty. Given the fact that the Bulldogs host the Crimson Tide on November 16, a win by Mississippi State could halt this Alabama run in a similar fashion to the Bulldogs win in 1980.

Considering the fact that Alabama could be the number one team in the nation at that point in the season, there could be no bigger win for the Bulldogs than one over Alabama in 2013.