You can’t say nobody ever thought Mississippi State would be the No. 1 team in the country. 

There was always at least one person who knew deep down the Bulldogs had the potential to soar to the top of the rankings. It just so happened to be the guy who bails them out when they struggle to move the ball.

Mississippi State punter Devon Bell came to Starkville in 2012, experiencing an 8-5 season his freshman year that ended in a Gator Bowl berth. His team was solid, but ended the year losing five of its last six games and struggled to notch that key SEC West victory that would make them serious players in the loaded division.

Just two seasons later, it’s Mississippi State that pops up first in the inaugural College Football Playoff bracket on ESPN every Tuesday night.

And Bell knew it could happen all along.

“It’s an awesome feeling,” he said. “When I first came here, I knew we had the potential to be a No. 1 team. It’s good to actually have a dream come true.”

The Vicksburg native started his career in Starkville as a placekicker, connecting on 14 of 21 field goals his freshman season while averaging 60.3 yards on kickoffs with 13 touchbacks. By the time Bell was a sophomore, coach Dan Mullen decided to move him exclusively to punting duties, where the former Warren Central standout has starred ever since.

While his team fights for a conference and national championship, Bell has played a pivotal role in its success. He’s averaging 43.88 yards a punt — good for 26^th nationally — and has already booted 1,492 total yards this season while his team boasts a big No. 1 next to its name.

“At the beginning of the season we had high expectations,” Bell said. “We knew we could do it. Now we’re living up to our expectations. It’s just awesome. It’s unbelievable.”

Bell attributes a lot of the achievements he’s been able to reach in college to his time as a two-sport star at Warren Central. Despite the fact that Bell didn’t experience a winning season on the gridiron in high school, he also knew what kind of program coach Josh Morgan was capable of building — one that is 17-6 the past two seasons and has begun breeding winners like duck hunters breed champion dogs.

“All the coaches at Warren Central … they just put a mindset in all their players. If you buy into it, you’ve got to have the ‘it factor,’” Bell said. “Whether you’re a punter or a catcher, first base, whatever. They all just have that ‘it’ factor. They just try to instill it into all the players’ minds. I bought into it and I just have that attitude about it.”

With each good luck call or congratulatory text, Bell realizes just how many people support his journey to the top. It feels like the entire town of Vicksburg has gotten behind the junior, who is enjoying a banner season both individually and with his team — even if they still can’t believe it themselves.

“A lot of them can’t even believe I’m playing for the No. 1 team in the nation,” he said. “They’ll just like text me and stuff and be like ‘I can’t believe I know someone that’s playing for the No. 1 team in the nation.’ It’s pretty awesome.”

It’s a surreal experience, being the best team in the country after starting the season unranked, and one that Bell is living up while Mississippi State beats down the LSU’s and Auburn’s of the college football world. He might be working hard to stay on the road, but he’s also enjoying the ride.

“You’ve just got to live it day by day. Just keep on practicing as hard as we can,” he said. “We all still practice really hard. We’re not really worried about what the rankings are. We’re just playing our football and taking it day by day.”