Perhaps no SEC team is as much of a wild card as the Mississippi State Bulldogs. Following the tragic passing of Air Raid guru, Mike Leach, the Bulldogs promoted defensive wizard Zach Arnett. In our Mississippi State season predictions, we assess whether the changing of the guard will yield positive results for the Bulldogs.
Mississippi State Season Predictions: Predicting the Game-by-Game Results
Using groupthink, College Football Network analysts have painstakingly gone through every game for every team in the SEC and across the country.
Picking these games straight up with a projected score using the rosters as up-to-date as the last spring practice, the Mississippi State season predictions indicate what fans can possibly expect for the Bulldogs in 2023.
Week 1 — Mississippi State vs. SE Louisiana: Win, 33-5 (1-0)
The Bulldogs start their season by hosting SE Louisiana. This game should give us a good idea of what the Bulldog offense will look like in 2023. It’s naive to think that there will be no changes whatsoever on that side of the ball, but we still expect Will Rogers to excel at quick, timing-based throws.
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Week 2 — Mississippi State vs. Arizona: Win, 27-24 (2-0)
This is one of my games of the week in Week 2, not necessarily because it’s between two of the top teams in the country, but simply because this game is going to be a lot of fun. The matchup of quarterbacks may be unmatched across college football, with the steady but high-volume Rogers taking on one of the most high-risk, high-reward quarterbacks in the country, Jaden De Laura.
All of our experts gave a narrow victory to the Bulldogs in this one.
Week 3 — Mississippi State vs. LSU: Loss, 21-32 (2-1, 0-1 SEC)
The Bulldogs host one of the best in the SEC West, the LSU Tigers. While it certainly helps that this game will be at home, our analysts think the Tiger offense is simply too powerful for Zach Arnett’s defense.
LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels is one of the best in the country, and even a talented Bulldogs defense will have trouble stopping LSU from putting up a bunch of points in this one.
Week 4 — Mississippi State @ South Carolina: Loss, 26-28 (2-2, 0-2 SEC)
The Bulldogs go on the road for a rare game at South Carolina. The Gamecocks boast the best special teams unit in the country, and one of the most hot and cold quarterbacks, Spencer Rattler. Early returns of the new-look South Carolina offense are strong, and indications within the program are that Rattler will look more like the guy that played exceptionally well in the last three games of last season rather than the guy that struggled in the first 10.
Our analysts are split, as Cam Mellor has this as a narrow Bulldogs victory while Oli Hodgkinson and I both gave it to the Gamecocks in a close one.
Week 5 — Mississippi State vs. Alabama: Loss, 22-37 (2-3, 0-3 SEC)
One of the issues in Mississippi State’s 2023 SEC schedule is that it gets its most winnable games on the road, while playing some of the top teams in the conference at home. Hodgkinson and Mellor both have this as a 10-point loss for the Bulldogs. I, on the other hand, am more bullish on the Crimson Tide and have this as a blowout win for Alabama.
The Bulldogs will be outmatched at most positions but have the advantage at quarterback. If they pull off an upset, it will be because of Rogers.
Week 6 — Mississippi State vs. Western Michigan: Win, 33-13 (3-3, 0-3 SEC)
After a brutal three-game stretch to start the SEC season, the Bulldogs get a break with non-conference Western Michigan coming to Starkville. The Broncos, like a lot of the MAC, are a bit of a wild card this season. That being said, all of our analysts have no doubts that Mississippi State should be able to put this out of reach early.
Week 8 — Mississippi State @ Arkansas: Loss, 27-29 (3-4, 0-4 SEC)
After a well-timed bye Week, the Bulldogs go to Fayetteville to take on the Razorbacks. Mellor is much higher on the Bulldogs than me or Hodgkinson and has this as a 2-score win for Mississippi State.
I believe KJ Jefferson’s legs could be the difference here, and lean toward the Razorbacks in a close game.
Week 9 — Mississippi State @ Auburn: Win, 27-25 (4-4, 1-4 SEC)
All of us think that the game on the plains will be a tight matchup. Hodgkinson and Mellor both believe that the Bulldogs will pull this one out and after thinking through it a little bit, I could be convinced.
It all depends on which Rogers we get in this one. As it stands, I have this as a one-point loss for the Bulldogs, but I was easily overruled, and we give this to Mississippi State for their first win in SEC play.
Week 10 — Mississippi State vs. Kentucky: Win, 28-22 (5-4, 2-4 SEC)
It’s interesting to me that while none of us are low on Kentucky, we each gave this game to the Bulldogs by about a touchdown. We really like the value we get when Mississippi State plays a toss-up game at home and think that Rogers and the Bulldogs take this one home in a battle of top-tier quarterbacks.
Week 11 — Mississippi State @ Texas A&M: Loss, 21-24 (5-5, 2-5 SEC)
Once again, all of us are in agreement, and this time we have the Bulldogs losing by three or four points on the road. Beating Texas A&M at Kyle Field is a tall task, and we think that the Aggies will just squeak this one out. I, in particular, have this as a very low-scoring game, and as much as I hate the trope, this really could come down to field position.
MORE: Texas A&M Season Predictions
Week 12 — Mississippi State vs. Southern Miss: Win, 32-11 (6-5, 2-5 SEC)
The Bulldogs host one of the most run-heavy teams in the country when the Golden Eagles come to Starkville in Week 12. The Bulldogs may have some issues with Frank Gore Jr, but they’re the deeper and more talented team overall. Expect Rogers to air it out early and often in this one and find some success against a weaker Southern Mississippi defense.
Week 13 — Mississippi State @ Ole Miss: Win, 28-22 (7-5, 3-5 SEC)
Mellor is higher on the Bulldogs than the rest of us, having them at 8-3 entering the Egg Bowl. Ironically, he’s the only one that has the Bulldogs losing this game. No expert can truly predict the Egg Bowl, but in giving it our best shot, we all have it as a close, low-scoring, weird game. I think the talent of Rogers and the Mississippi State offense give the Bulldogs a late touchdown to win it.
