Mississippi State football: 5 toughest games in 2023

Nov 19, 2022; Starkville, Mississippi, USA; Mississippi State Bulldogs quarterback Will Rogers (2) runs the ball against the East Tennessee State Buccaneers during the second quarter at Davis Wade Stadium at Scott Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Bush-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 19, 2022; Starkville, Mississippi, USA; Mississippi State Bulldogs quarterback Will Rogers (2) runs the ball against the East Tennessee State Buccaneers during the second quarter at Davis Wade Stadium at Scott Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Bush-USA TODAY Sports
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South Carolina Gamecocks football helmet
JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA – DECEMBER 30: A detail of a South Carolina Gamecocks helmet on the sideline during the second half of the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl between the South Carolina Gamecocks and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish at TIAA Bank Field on December 30, 2022 in Jacksonville, Florida. (Photo by James Gilbert/Getty Images)

No. 4: Mississippi State football vs. South Carolina Gamecocks

This game is a fascinating one and it’s hard to tell exactly how good the South Carolina Gamecocks are right now. This is a team that steamrolled the Tennessee Volunteers and ended up getting a surprising win over the Clemson Tigers.

This is also a team that ended up getting flattened by the Florida Gators to the tune of 38-6 and lost to the likes of Arkansas and Missouri in embarrassing ways.

The Gamecocks truly could be a good team and playing on the road doesn’t make this any easier for Zach Arnett and the Bulldogs. But will we see a South Carolina team that is more consistent next year? And will they be consistently good or consistently underwhelming?

It’s hard to tell!

As for the history in this series, the Bulldogs and Gamecocks haven’t played each other regularly and they haven’t played each other in a while. The last meeting of these two teams came back in 2016 when Dan Mullen’s struggling Bulldogs beat South Carolina 27-14.

Can Zach Arnett turn this into a winning streak over USC? Or will Shane Beamer end up upsetting a ton of Mississippi State fans?