Where Mississippi State is projected to play in bowls
STARKVILLE – This is a year full of abnormalities. Add a team that can win no more than five regular season games possibly playing in a bowl game to the list of them.
Mississippi State has one more scheduled game against Auburn on Dec. 12. The Bulldogs are also expected to play Missouri on Dec. 19, but that won’t be made official by the SEC until Friday.
Even if Mississippi State wins both of those games, the Bulldogs will finish the year with a 4-6 record. If they lose both – and it’s very possible they will be home underdogs to both – then they might still go bowling with a 2-8 record. Huh?
Yes. Every team, no matter its record, is bowl eligible this season. In its first season under Mike Leach, Mississippi State may very well play in a program record 11th straight bowl game despite a record that would not warrant a postseason appearance in any other season.
Here is where major media outlets project the Bulldogs to play during bowl season.
Birmingham Bowl
Don’t have New Year’s Day plans?
Leave a spot open at 11 a.m.
Kyle Bonagura and Mark Schlabach of ESPN both predict the Bulldogs to play in the Ticketsmarter Birmingham Bowl against Memphis at Legion Field on Jan. 1.
CBS Sports’ Jerry Palm has MSU playing UAB in the Birmingham Bowl and Athlon Sports has the Bulldogs playing Memphis in it, too.
If that’s indeed the bowl Mississippi State draws, it would be the second time in three years that Mississippi State plays a postseason game on New Year’s Day.
Gasparilla Bowl
Mississippi State is familiar with playing on New Year’s Day, and some players on this year’s team are familiar with playing at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida, too.
Stewart Mandel of The Athletic projects Mississippi State to play Virginia Tech in the Union Home Mortgage Gasparilla Bowl at 11 a.m. on Dec. 26.
Mississippi State’s designation, if it earns one, will be made official on Dec. 20.