Mississippi State is adding a notable nonconference series to its future slate, lining up a home-and-home with Oklahoma State for the 2030 and 2031 seasons.
The first meeting is set for Sept. 7, 2030, at Boone Pickens Stadium in Stillwater, Oklahoma. A year later, the Bulldogs will host the Cowboys at Davis Wade Stadium in Starkville on Sept. 6, 2031.
That gives Mississippi State another Power Four opponent on the schedule and a fresh two-game set against a program it hasn’t faced in more than a decade. It also creates a split road-home rhythm for the Bulldogs, who will open the series on the road before bringing Oklahoma State to Starkville the following season.
Oklahoma State’s 2030 nonconference slate also includes a road game at Tulsa on Sept. 14. In 2031, the Cowboys are scheduled to host Tulsa on Sept. 13 after their trip to Mississippi State.
The Starkville matchup will be a bit of a rarity for Oklahoma State. The 2031 game will be just the fourth time the Cowboys have played in Mississippi.
The series history already has some mileage behind it. Oklahoma State leads 3-2, with the teams first meeting in 1970 in Jackson, Mississippi, where Mississippi State pulled out a 14-13 win.
The Cowboys answered with victories in Stillwater in 1971 and 1998. Mississippi State evened the series with a win in Starkville in 1999, but Oklahoma State took the latest meeting.
That game came in the 2013 AdvoCare Texas Kickoff at Reliant Stadium in Houston, where Oklahoma State beat Mississippi State 21-3. It remains the only game in the series played at a neutral site.
Every other matchup in the series has gone to the home team, which adds a clean little wrinkle to this upcoming home-and-home. Mississippi State gets the road opener, then the chance to use its own crowd in the rematch.
The scheduling comes as the SEC moves toward a nine-game conference slate and a requirement to face one nonconference opponent from a Power Four league. That shift raises the value of matchups like this one, where quality opponents are built into the future calendar.
For Mississippi State, the Oklahoma State series brings another Power Four test and another reason for fans to start looking ahead.
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