Oklahoma’s first trip to Starkville now comes with a kickoff time and a TV window.
The SEC announced Monday that the Sooners’ Week 8 game at Mississippi State will start at 2:30 p.m. CT on Oct.
- The matchup will air on either ESPN or SEC Network, and it will be the first time Oklahoma and Mississippi State have ever played each other.
That also means Davis Wade Stadium will host the Sooners for the first time ever.
The game brings a familiar face back into the picture for Oklahoma. Mississippi State head coach Jeff Lebby will face Brent Venables and the Sooners for the first time since leaving his job as OU offensive coordinator after the 2023 season. Lebby called plays and coached quarterbacks during Venables’ first two seasons in Norman, helping guide Oklahoma through a 6-7 year in 2022 and a 10-2 regular season in 2023 before taking his first head coaching job in Starkville.
Now in Year 3 with the Bulldogs, Lebby has Mississippi State sitting 16th in the latest AP poll. He is 11-19 overall as a head coach, after a 2-10 debut season and a 5-8 follow-up last year.
Mississippi State enters the Oklahoma game at 4-1, with the lone blemish coming in a 56-23 home loss to Alabama in Week 5. The Bulldogs were idle in Week 6 and will head to Baton Rouge, Louisiana, this weekend for a top 25 matchup with No. 22 LSU before turning back to Starkville for the Sooners.
Kamario Taylor has led the way for Mississippi State, as the quarterback tops the SEC in passing. And Lebby won’t just be seeing old coworkers across the field. Mississippi State also has several former Oklahoma players on its roster, including receiver Zion Ragins, who has 11 catches for 184 yards and four touchdowns, defensive back Kendel Dolby with 22 tackles, and offensive lineman Isaiah Dent.
Before that road trip to Mississippi, Oklahoma gets one more home game in front of it. The Sooners will host No.
15 Kentucky in their SEC home opener at Oklahoma Memorial Stadium on Saturday at 6:30 p.m. on SEC Network. That comes on the heels of OU’s 27-24 upset of then-No.
1 Texas in the Red River Rivalry.
In Other News...
Anthony Evans III Has Mississippi State Watching One Big Record Chase
Anthony Evans III has put Mississippi State in position to watch a record chase unfold over the rest of the season. The sophomore receiver has openly targeted the Bulldogs single-season receiving yards mark, and his start has given that goal real weight. Through five games, Evans has become one of the most productive targets on the roster, piling up catches, yards and touchdowns while giving Jeff Lebbys offense a dependable downfield threat.
What has stood out around the program is how Evans has gotten there. Lebby has pointed to his work ethic, while teammate Sanfrisco Magee has praised the consistency that has made Evans such a steady presence week after week. With seven regular-season games still to play, Mississippi State has a receiver who is not just chasing history but doing it in a way that keeps the conversation alive every time he lines up. [Read more 🡒]
Mississippi State Just Got A Harsh LSU Warning Before Kickoff
The line for LSUs matchup with Mississippi State has moved sharply as kickoff approaches, a sign that the market has grown more skeptical about the Bulldogs chances. LSU opened as roughly a 10.5-point favorite, but that number has climbed to 14.5, with Mississippi State quarterback Kamario Taylors status hanging over the game and shaping how oddsmakers and bettors view the matchup.
For Mississippi State, the concern is obvious: if Taylor cannot go, the Bulldogs offense becomes much harder to project against an LSU defense that already has a strong edge in the matchup. LSU is also coming off an upset loss, which only adds to the urgency around how it responds, but the bigger question for the Bulldogs is whether they can keep the game competitive if their quarterback situation remains unsettled. [Read more 🡒]
Mississippi State Needs Recruiting Momentum Back For Chris Jans
Mississippi States recruiting picture for the 2027 class remains thin as the program keeps working to reset the conversation around Chris Jans and the Bulldogs future. With the staff already looking ahead to the 2026-27 campaign, the push on the trail matters even more after a challenging 2025-26 season, because momentum there can change how the next phase of the roster takes shape.
For now, the class is anchored by combo guard Jacques Mitchell, while the Bulldogs continue to chase top-end talent to build around him. Among the names on the board are five-star prospects A.J. Williams and Lewis Uvwo, and landing either would go a long way toward giving Mississippi State the kind of recruiting boost it needs as Jans tries to get the program back on firmer footing. [Read more 🡒]