Mississippi State football: Early 2023 kickoff times announced

As we get closer to the 2023 college football season, kickoff times for some of Mississippi State football’s games have been set. It’s another key moment in the offseason calendar that signals football being just around the corner. What times will the Bulldogs be in action?

Mississippi State announced a major piece of scheduling news late last week with the confirmation that the 2023 Egg Bowl versus Ole Miss will take place on Thanksgiving night at 6:30 PM CT. The primetime, holiday matchup will be broadcast on ESPN.

A Thanksgiving Egg Bowl is nothing new, of course. The rivalry has been played on Thanksgiving night five of the last six years. That will continue this season as the smell of fried turkey will once again drift through the Junction air on MSU’s Senior Night.

On Wednesday, kickoff times and TV channels for four other Mississippi State home games were announced. This includes the Bulldogs’ first three games of the season and their Week 12 matchup with Southern Miss.

MSU’s season opener against FCS Southeastern Louisiana will be a 3:00 PM CT kick on the SEC Network. A mid-afternoon game on Labor Day Weekend in Mississippi? I’d suggest sunscreen and water. Lots of sunscreen and water…

Bulldogs fans will get a much more preferable game time when the Arizona Wildcats come to town on September 9th. The first night game of the season kicks off at 6:30 PM CT on the SEC Network. MSU has also announced this will be a White-Out game.

While that should make for a great atmosphere, there was some thought that State should vie for a morning kick against the Cats, forcing them to play what would be the equivalent of a 9:00 AM game back home in Tucson. That would only be fair after MSU kicked off at 10:00 PM CT in the desert last season.

Not to mention it wouldn’t hurt to put those Arizonans through a bit of midday, Mississippi humidity. Their dry heat out west doesn’t prepare you to play football in a sauna.

Mississippi State will play an 11:00 am game in September, though it won’t come against an opponent you’d like it to. MSU’s SEC opener against the LSU Tigers will be a part of the early slate on ESPN on September 16th.

You’d love to see such a huge game played under the lights after a long day of tailgating. But instead, the Bulldog faithful will have to arrive early and deal with the sun bearing down on them as they hope to exact revenge against the Bayou Bengals. Mimosas, anyone?

This will be the 3rd-straight time Mississippi State has had to play a day game in Starkville against LSU. You have to wonder if a negative national perception is keeping MSU from getting a night game versus the Tigers.

Another 11:00 AM kickoff was announced for MSU’s 2023 home slate, but the weather should be a bit nicer by the time that one is played. State will face a familiar non-conference opponent on November 18th when they host Southern Miss. It will be the fourth time MSU has met USM on the gridiron since 2014, and this will be State’s annual Military Appreciation game.

The important note on this game is that it will only be available via streaming on either ESPN+ or SEC Network+. Anyone who subscribes to ESPN+ or has access to the SEC Network through their television package can stream the game.

Though some of these kickoff times may not be the most ideal, Mississippi State will still have a few more opportunities for home primetime games in 2023 when they host Alabama and Kentucky. Of course, we won’t know for sure until we’re into the season. But regardless, it’s still exciting to see the schedule come together.

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