Every team aspires to win its conference title, but sometimes the title of “best team in the state” is almost as important.

The bitter rivals in the state of Mississippi feel no differently. Dating back to 1901, the Egg Bowl is one of the fiercest rivalries in the SEC.

The 2014 season was a special year for both teams. Mississippi State reached its first ever No. 1 ranking while Ole Miss won nine games for the first time in more than a decade. This past season, each team reached new rare heights, combining for 19 victories and winning their bowl games.

From an outside’s perspective, it may not appear the gap between the two programs is very wide. Ole Miss only won one more game than Mississippi State in 2015 and the two schools’ records are identical over the last two seasons.

But that is a bit misleading. The gap between the two programs is growing wider.

The Rebels won two more conference games than the Bulldogs and defeated Mississippi State for the second year in a row in 2015. And Ole Miss has beaten Alabama in two straight seasons. But the biggest difference — the one creating the widening gap — is in recruiting.

Fresh off his best two seasons, Ole Miss coach Hugh Freeze has landed two five-star commits and 10 four-star commits for the 2016 recruiting class. According to 247 Sports, the Rebels have the third-best recruiting class in the SEC and fifth-best in the entire country.

Mississippi State hasn’t been nearly as successful at bringing in recognized top talent. Coach Dan Mullen has one four-star recruit and 13 three-star commits. 247 Sports ranked the Bulldogs’ class 12th-best in the SEC and 46th-best nationally.

Granted, recruiting class rankings can certainly be blown out of proportion. No one really knows for sure which kids are going to work out, especially after they are exposed to college coaching. Mullen seems to get maximum production from his players.

But Ole Miss has become a legitimate contenders in the SEC West. The Rebels are recruiting at a level close to Alabama and LSU. Despite rising to No. 1 ranking in the country and appearing in the Orange Bowl in the last 15 months, and the Bulldogs’ recruiting class is more on par with South Carolina, Kentucky and Vanderbilt.

Further escalating the problem, Mississippi State is losing QB Dak Prescott, a standout for the last three seasons. Ole Miss returns outstanding signal caller Chad Kelly and have a commitment from five-star Shea Patterson, who should give the Rebels’ a quality successor for the following three seasons.

The gap between Ole Miss and Mississippi State may not seem very big at the moment. But if the recruiting rankings are any indication, it will grow larger.