Mississippi State’s 2026 season looks like a real turning point for Jeff Lebby, and the schedule has enough twists to make bowl eligibility feel very much in play.
The Bulldogs are coming off a 5-8 season in 2025, a three-win jump, but Lebby still hasn’t put together a winning record in Starkville. Now he gets a new starting quarterback in Kamario Taylor and a reworked staff that includes Zach Arnett back as defensive coordinator. The challenge gets bigger, though, because the SEC’s move to a ninth conference game forced Mississippi State to drop its scheduled nonconference matchup with Troy and replace it with another league opponent.
Even with that added pressure, the early part of the schedule offers a path. ULM comes to Davis Wade Stadium on Sept. 5 at 6:30 p.m.
CT, and that should be a comfortable opener for the Bulldogs. The next week brings a tougher trip to Minnesota on Sept. 12 at 2:30 p.m.
CT, a sneaky interesting nonconference game against a Golden Gophers team that has reached seven straight bowl games under PJ Fleck, with quarterback Drake Lindsey drawing first-round buzz and defensive lineman Anthony Smith back after leading the Big Ten in sacks last season.
The SEC stretch starts with a trip to South Carolina on Sept. 19 at 3:15 p.m. CT, and that one is projected to go Mississippi State’s way in a tight finish.
The Bulldogs are also picked to take care of Missouri, assuming star running back Ahmad Hardy is still out while recovering from an offseason gunshot wound. That would give Lebby his first SEC home win.
From there, the schedule gets brutal fast. Alabama visits Davis Wade Stadium on Oct. 3 at 11 a.m.-noon CT, and the prediction has the Crimson Tide winning their ninth straight in Starkville.
Mississippi State then goes to LSU on Oct. 17 at 11 a.m.-noon CT, where the Bulldogs are expected to hang around for three quarters before an LSU touchdown off a strip sack of Taylor swings the game. Oklahoma comes to town on Oct. 24, and even though Lebby faces his former team for the first time since taking the Mississippi State job, the Bulldogs are still projected to lose in overtime.
A week later, Texas gets the edge in Austin on Oct. 31 at 5-7 p.m. CT, with Arch Manning and company turning what’s described as MSU’s only really bad offensive game into a 27-13 defeat.
November is where the schedule opens up. Vanderbilt comes to Starkville on Nov. 7, and Mississippi State is projected to stop the skid there, winning 24-20.
The Bulldogs also host Auburn on Nov. 14 and Tennessee Tech on Nov. 21 before finishing the regular season at Ole Miss on Nov. 27 at 11 a.m. CT.
That Egg Bowl is expected to go to the Rebels, who are led by quarterback Trinidad Chambliss and now have Pete Golding as coach after Kiffin left for LSU. The prediction has Ole Miss winning a fourth straight Egg Bowl for the first time since the 1980s.
In the end, the forecast lands at 6-6 in the regular season, which would send Mississippi State to the Gasparilla Bowl against Florida Atlantic in Tampa, Florida.
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Auburn Has An Early Name To Watch In A Big WR Race
Auburn has an early SEC name to monitor in the 2026 Biletnikoff Award race after the honor released its preseason watch list, which includes 13 wide receivers from the league. The award annually goes to college footballs top pass-catcher, so being on the early list is a solid starting point for any receiver trying to separate from a deep field.
The path from here is still a long one, with semifinalists set to be announced on Nov. 16 before finalists are revealed on Nov. 24. From there, the winner will be handed the trophy on Dec. 11 during the College Football Awards show, leaving plenty of time for the SECs wideouts to reshape the conversation. [Read more 🡒]