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Mississippi State Football 2018 Opponent Spring Recap: Kansas State

By Ethan Lee

STARKVILLE, MS - OCTOBER 8: Quarterback Nick Fitzgerald #7 of the Mississippi State Bulldogs scrambles for yardage against the Auburn Tigers during the second half of an NCAA college football game on Oct. 8, 2016 in Starkville, Mississippi. Auburn won 38-14. (Photo by Butch Dill/Getty Images)
STARKVILLE, MS - OCTOBER 8: Quarterback Nick Fitzgerald #7 of the Mississippi State Bulldogs scrambles for yardage against the Auburn Tigers during the second half of an NCAA college football game on Oct. 8, 2016 in Starkville, Mississippi. Auburn won 38-14. (Photo by Butch Dill/Getty Images) /
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STARKVILLE, MS – SEPTEMBER 10: Nick Fitzgerald #7, Gerri Green #4 and Torrey Dale #49 of the Mississippi State Bulldogs celebrate with fans after a game against the South Carolina Gamecocks at Davis Wade Stadium on September 10, 2016 in Starkville, Mississippi. The Bulldogs defeated the Gamecocks 27-14. (Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images)
STARKVILLE, MS – SEPTEMBER 10: Nick Fitzgerald #7, Gerri Green #4 and Torrey Dale #49 of the Mississippi State Bulldogs celebrate with fans after a game against the South Carolina Gamecocks at Davis Wade Stadium on September 10, 2016 in Starkville, Mississippi. The Bulldogs defeated the Gamecocks 27-14. (Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images) /

Joe Moorhead and his Mississippi State football team will face a rather unique challenge with a road trip to the Kansas State Wildcats

In the second week of the 2018 Mississippi State football season, the Bulldogs take a rather intriguing road trip. On September 8th, 2018, the Mississippi State Bulldogs will play in Manhattan, Kansas. MSU and Kansas State agreed to a home-and-home series and MSU will play against the Wildcats on their home turf this season.

That means a first time FBS head coach in Joe Moorhead is facing a rather longtime FBS head coach in Bill Snyder.

The Bulldogs, depending on who you ask, are coming into 2018 riding high expectations. Whether or not that’s rightfully placed also depends on who you ask. ESPN’s Football Power Index has Mississippi State as the 16th best team in the country going into this season. Kansas State sits all the way down in the 44th spot on that same ranking.

The Bulldogs are favored by ESPN’s FPI to win 10 of their 12 games this year. That Kansas State game is included here. MSU is being given a 65.8 percent chance of beating the Wildcats in Manhattan this year.

For a road game against a team that often challenges significantly more talented teams, that’s important for MSU

This game will be a good litmus test for who exactly the Mississippi State football team is this year and how good they can be. An early road game will possibly reveal some of MSU’s flaws but also show how resilient the Bulldogs can be.

MSU could run into a challenge by the Wildcats and their raucous crowd. Kansas State is a rough place to play and the Bulldogs will have to overcome that home court advantage.

Can Mississippi State do that? Will Joe Moorhead lead his Bulldogs to a significant early season win in one of his first tests?

Probably. But it probably won’t be easy.

So, who exactly are the Wildcats going into 2018. At this point, if you’re a Mississippi State football fan and you’re reading this, you probably have a decent idea of who Mississippi State is this year. But, you may not know how good the Wildcats are.

It’s time to dive into who the Wildcats are and why they’re a tough test for the Bulldogs.

All stats via Sports-Reference.com and KStateSports.com

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