Mississippi State Homecoming Suddenly Feels Bigger Than Anyone Expected

Despite a struggling season, Mississippi State's affordable homecoming game against Vanderbilt offers a prime opportunity for fans to show their support and enjoy campus festivities.

Mississippi State’s homecoming weekend comes with plenty going on around campus, but the football game itself is turning into one of the cheaper tickets on the board.

Saturday’s matchup with Vanderbilt at Davis Wade Stadium has the Bulldogs and Commodores set for a 3:15 p.m. CT kickoff on SEC Network, and the resale market has pushed the lowest entry price down to bargain territory.

TickPick showed seats starting at $25 when checked, while Vivid Seats’ most recent accessible listing came in at $28 with fees included, refreshed October 29. Those are just the prices being advertised at the moment, and the final checkout total will depend on what’s available when a buyer actually clicks in.

That kind of number is hard to ignore for a homecoming game, especially when $25 is less than what plenty of fans will spend just to park and eat on Saturday. Still, the cheapest ticket is only part of the story. TickPick’s average listing was $100.63, so the lower-end price is really about getting in the door, not finding a premium seat on the cheap.

The inventory picture helps explain why the floor keeps sliding. Vivid Seats said only 3% of its stock remained, while TickPick still listed 3,594 tickets available. That leftover supply is what keeps dragging the entry price down, and it could dip a little more if the quarterback situation stays unsettled through Friday.

The on-field circumstances haven’t exactly helped demand. Mississippi State has lost four straight, Kamario Taylor is out for the season with a toe injury, and AJ Swann, who stepped in for him, left the Texas game with an arm injury. Vanderbilt comes in with five straight losses of its own, which makes this a tough sell even with homecoming on the calendar and a TV window attached.

The Bulldogs do still have something tangible to play for. They need two wins in their final four games to become bowl eligible, and with Tennessee Tech still on the schedule, a victory Saturday would move them closer to that goal.

The rest of Mississippi State’s home slate doesn’t offer nearly the same bargain. Auburn comes to Starkville on Nov. 14, with TickPick listing tickets starting at $36.

The Egg Bowl trip to Ole Miss on Nov. 27 is a much steeper ask, with prices starting at $119, nearly six times the homecoming get-in price. The only game left that comes in cheaper is the Nov. 21 matchup with FCS Tennessee Tech, which starts at $13.

Attendance has already shown how the mood around this team can swing. Davis Wade Stadium holds 60,311, and Mississippi State drew 60,417 fans for both Missouri and Alabama while the Bulldogs were still unbeaten. The smallest crowd so far came in the opener against Louisiana-Monroe, when 48,771 were on hand, and homecoming could challenge that mark.

Lebby said the team is ready to head back after spending two of the last three weeks on the road. “Yeah, those guys understand, man, we’re going home,” Lebby said.

As always, the numbers on the resale boards can change fast right up to kickoff, and the listed get-in price is not the same thing as a final checkout total.

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