The crowded field of bowl-eligible SEC teams left little elbow room, which is one reason a team expecting to spend the holidays in sunny Florida instead got squeezed out of the Outback Bowl and landed once again in the Peach Bowl.

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When Mississippi State takes on Clemson (6-5) in the Dec. 30 game, it will mark the Bulldogs' fourth contest in the Georgia Dome since 1993. State played in the '93 and '95 Peach Bowls, then last year played Tennessee in the SEC Championship Game at the Dome.

State fans, therefore, won't need a map to find their way around Atlanta. Many of the players won't, either. Ten Bulldogs hail from Georgia, including three senior starters from the Atlanta area who will finish their college careers in front of the hometown fans.

Safety Tim Nelson, who lives 10 minutes from the team's headquarters hotel, the JW Marriott at Lenox, is ready to play tour guide.

"I'll be waiting on everybody Christmas night," said Nelson, referring to when the team arrives. "Anybody who wants to ride with me better be in the car quick because with the little free time we'll have, we're going to do a lot."

Although many State fans are still bitter that the 9-2 Bulldogs were passed over by the Outback Bowl (site: sunny Tampa) in favor of 7-4 Georgia, the State players say another game in the comfortable confines of the Georgia Dome is a fine alternative.

"When we didn't get a chance to make it back to the (SEC) Championship game, I just didn't think I'd get another chance to play in the Dome," said cornerback Robert Bean, who lives 25 minutes from downtown Atlanta. "I love playing there, so I'm just glad to get back."

The Bulldogs' No. 1 goal is to claim their first bowl victory under Jackie Sherrill, who is taking his fifth team bowling in his ninth season at the school. But Bean and Nelson won't miss out on a chance to mix pleasure with business, visiting friends and relatives.

"All my people know I'm coming home, so you know it's going to be hype," said Bean. "Right now, all I've got is my six tickets, but I need more."

Nelson said he's looking forward to a couple of home-cooked meals from his grandmother. He also sees this as a chance for many friends and relatives who never made the trip to Starkville to see him play in person.

"We're gonna see how Atlanta will treat us," said Nelson. "There will be a lot of folks in the stands wearing that No. 17 (his number) jersey. All my family that missed us in Starkville will get a chance to see what the atmosphere of a big-time college football game is like."

The players aren't the only Bulldogs excited about another trip to Atlanta.

Assistant head coach Jim Tompkins, who has recruited the Atlanta area since 1984 when he worked at Richmond, has developed many friends and contacts in the area during that time.

Among the Atlanta-area players Tompkins has signed for State who now make their living playing football are linebacker Greg Favors, cornerback Walt Harris, offensive tackle Robert Hicks and offensive guard Randy Thomas. Bean will probably follow in their footsteps; he's projected as a first-round NFL pick.

Tompkins said a key to selling the big-city kids on the sleepy little burg of Starkville is giving them a chance to relax.

"I try to tell them that Starkville is a real good school in a laid-back atmosphere," Tompkins said. "And the nicest thing is everything is steered around the university here. You go back to Atlanta and you're driving in that Indy 500-type environment. This is a good place to go to school, get a degree and play football. And we're only 4½ hours from Atlanta."

The Personnel File

HONORS: Four members of State's top-ranked defense were named to the AP all-SEC first team, including three of the four defensive back positions. Both cornerbacks, Robert Bean and Fred Smoot, were chosen, along with safety Ashley Cooper. Also picked to the first team was linebacker Barrin Simpson, the team's leading tackler.

OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Kelvin Love, Sr., WR. Nobody made more big plays for the Bulldogs than Love, a junior college quarterback who was converted to receiver because of his athleticism. He led the Bulldogs in receptions (43), yards (834) and touchdown catches (three).

DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Ashley Cooper, Sr., SS. When you lead the nation in total defense, there are a lot of candidates. Cooper is the hardest-hitter on a team known for its gang-tackling and hard licks. He was the second-leading tackler on the team with 76 hits, tied for most tackles for loss (15), had four sacks and picked off two passes.

COACH UPDATE: Jackie Sherrill (58-44-2 in 9 years at Mississippi State; 163-89-4 in 22 years overall). When talk of Mike DuBose's impending ouster at Alabama surfaced, Sherrill was mentioned as a possible replacement. He played on a national championship team at Alabama under Bear Bryant. Now that DuBose is likely going to hang on at Alabama, don't look for Sherrill to be leaving State any time soon.

STRENGTHS: The Bulldogs lead I-A in rushing defense and total defense, and are sixth nationally in scoring defense, allowing 13.5 points a game. Only Kentucky (22) and Ole Miss (20) scored in the 20s against the Bulldogs. … Nobody was better than State this season in the SEC (and possibly the nation) in fourth-quarter comebacks than State. The Bulldogs rallied four times for final-quarter victories.

CONCERNS: Although he threw for a lot of yards, quarterback Wayne Madkin was inconsistent most of the season and threw more interceptions (11) than touchdown passes (10). ... The ground game had been a strength the last couple of seasons and was expected to be good again this year, but the Bulldogs averaged barely 100 yards a game on the ground and rank 98th nationally in rushing.

THE JC ROUTE: Sherrill has made a living by taking advantage of the abundance of talent in the Mississippi junior college circles. Example: Six starters on this year's team, including Bean, Smoot, Ashley and talented receiver Kelvin Love, are JC products.

It's no surprise, then, that Sherrill signed five more JC players during the December period. The new Bulldogs include defensive back Julius Griffith (brother of current MSU fullback Justin Griffith), offensive lineman Courtney Lee, defensive back Marco Minor, wide receiver Clarence Parker and offensive lineman Tommy Watson. All but Lee played for Copiah-Lincoln Community College in Mississippi. Lee hails from Blinn (Texas) College.

Watson and Lee were selected first-team JC All-American by SportsLine/PrepStar.

Noteworthy

EAT MORE CHICKEN: Senior defensive tackle Kevin Sluder said it would have been nice to spend a week or two in Florida, but said, "If a bowl didn't want us, we didn't want to be there anyway."

The Peach Bowl is a sellout.

Sluder said there's one more thing to like about the Peach Bowl, which is sponsored by a fast food restaurant chain that specializes in chicken sandwiches. "I love Chick-Fil-A," Sluder said. "There's no better sponsor for a bunch of hungry football players."

FACE OFF: Neither team has a star player of Heisman-hype caliber, but Mississippi State and Clemson have coaches with name recognition and two very contrasting styles.

Opposing State's Sherrill is first-year Clemson coach Tommy Bowden, son of Florida State icon Bobby Bowden and the coach who last year led Tulane to its first undefeated season (12-0) in more than 50 years.

With Tampa Bay Bucs rookie Shaun King at quarterback last year, Tulane threw the ball all over the place. Clemson does the same. Offensive coordinator Rich Rodriguez's wide-open passing attack accounted for a school-record 2,713 passing yards. State, meanwhile, ranks No. 1 in Division I-A total defense, allowing just 222 yards a game.

"You have a very fast-paced offense, and defensively you have to be very prepared and be willing to take some gambles, and our defensive team does that," Sherrill said. "I think it's a great match-up."

MORE PRACTICE TIME: One of the benefits of qualifying for a bowl game is the extra practice time a team is allowed under NCAA rules.

"It's kind of like spring practice," said State offensive coordinator Sparky Woods, who used much of the extra time for concentrated work with the Bulldogs' young offensive linemen of the future. "We're just going back to teaching. Stance, starts, blocking and tackling. We get a chance to work on fundamentals and get them on film.

"I think you can make great advancements in all areas but I think linemen probably get the most out of this extra work. The adjustment from high school to college is greatest on a lineman."

State loses two starters off the line, center Paul Mooney and tackle Wes Shivers. Among the Bulldogs' top candidates to replace them are twins Eric and Derrick Thompson and Donald Tucker, all redshirt freshmen who stand 6-5 or taller and weigh more than 300 pounds.

A Look Ahead

Here's a glance at who the Bulldogs will have to replace in the starting lineup next season.

OFFENSE: Five. The biggest loss will be big-play receiver Kelvin Love. Others not back include tight end Terrence McCaskey, tailback Chris Rainey and linemen Paul Mooney and Wes Shivers.

DEFENSE: Eight. Even though coordinator Joe Lee Dunn has more depth than ever before, the Bulldogs will take a hit here. From leading tackler Barrin Simpson (linebacker) to top cover corner Robert Bean to hard-hitting safety Ashley Cooper to tackle Kevin Sluder (a three-year starter and team leader), the Bulldogs lose a lot of talent off the nation's top-ranked defense. Also leaving: Nose guard Alvin McKinley, tackle John Hilliard, end Cornell Menafee and safety Tim Nelson.

SPECIAL TEAMS: One. Replacing punter Jeff Walker, who averaged 42.7 yards per kick, might not be as easy.