STARKVILLE — Mississippi State quarterback Dak Prescott walked into the media room at MSU’s Seal Football Complex and immediately saw an old friend. Prescott, smiling broadly, walked to the front of the room and leaned over to give that friend a kiss.

That friend was the Golden Egg trophy, given annually to the winner of the rivalry showdown between MSU and Ole Miss.

“This game is just special,” Prescott said. “We’re going to come in and play with emotions and from the heart. It’s a good rivalry, and it’s great to be a part of it. You have rivalries inside of households. You have two kids, one going to Mississippi State and one going to Ole Miss. It just means so much to the state of Mississippi. Everybody is buzzing on social media.”

It’s a trophy that demands attention, is cherished by the winners, and for the first time in 364 days, will be at stake this Saturday when MSU visits Ole Miss to cap the 2014 regular season.

Across the state, less than 100 miles away in Oxford, Ole Miss coach Hugh Freeze affirmed Prescott’s belief in the importance of the trophy, a prize the Rebels gave up a year ago with a 17-10 loss in Starkville.

“The bottom line is we lost the most prized possession of this university’s football program,” said Freeze, who is 1-1 in two tries against MSU. “The first thing we talked about was being thankful for the opportunity to represent this great university in the Egg Bowl and the importance of it to our fans, our football program and this entire university. They have a clear understanding of how much this game means to so many.”

It’s doubtful that MSU coach Dan Mullen has needed to tell his team how important the annual rivalry game is. After all, he’s done that consistently since he became MSU’s coach in late 2008. Since taking over the Bulldogs prior to the 2009 season, Mullen has put the spotlight on the Egg Bowl, making it an integral part of MSU’s season goals each year. He’s also won four of his first fives games in the series, losing just once in 2012.

“I think this is bigger than all of those rivalries,” said Mullen when asked to rate the Egg Bowl against more well-known rivalries nationally. “It’s neighbor against neighbor. There’s so much in this trophy and with the bragging rights that go on in this state. I think everybody in this state takes this game extremely seriously, as well as the outcome. They hold on to that outcome for 365 days, until it gets played again and you have another opportunity to grab those bragging rights for that year.”

In a year that has seen both teams reach unprecedented heights, the Egg Bowl carries as much weight as ever. With MSU, at 10-1 overall and 6-1 in Southeastern Conference play, still harboring hopes for conference and national championships, a win over Ole Miss is a must. For the Rebels, who have dropped three of their last four games after a 7-0 start, a win Saturday would be a great way to salvage a poor November. Perhaps more importantly, though, it would allow Ole Miss to spoil MSU’s championship aspirations.

“They’re a very good football team,” Freeze said. “Coach Mullen and his staff, in their six years, have built a good team there. They have quality depth everywhere. It shows. They’re a very solid football team. They’re ranked that high, and they’re deserving of it. It speaks to the depth in the SEC West, also. They’ve done a nice job building really good depth and developing the kids they have there to improve.”

On the other side, Mullen and the Bulldogs have history at stake. MSU has never won 11 games in a regular season, a fact that could change Saturday. The Bulldogs have never won seven SEC games in a season, a fact that could change Saturday. And MSU remains in heavy contention to compete in the first-ever College Football Playoff, and their championship profile could receive a big boost with a win in Oxford.

But for Mullen, everything at stakes for MSU takes a backseat to the importance of the rivalry itself.

“I think it’s huge because around here, that’s who you’re around,” Mullen said. “I think our fans look at it as if you go to the grocery store you see ‘the school up north’ people. When you go to the country club, you see those people. When you’re out at church, you see those people. I don’t know how many different academic competitions we do or other things, but this is Mississippi, and football is really important here. I think that’s what people kind of judge the two schools on is this game. That’s what makes it important for all of the people.”

Follow Dispatch sports writer Brandon Walker on Twitter @BWonStateBeat