SP+ prediction favors Arkansas Razorbacks vs. Mississippi State Bulldogs

The Mississippi State Bulldogs face a tough test on Saturday in Fayetteville and there’s a very real chance the Miss. State football team doesn’t come out on top against Arkansas.

As Zach Arnett takes the Mississippi State football team to Fayetteville for the MSU Bulldogs’ second road trip of the season, Arnett and the Bulldogs are getting set to take on a pretty intriguing test.

Though it could be argued that Arkansas is the worst SEC foe on the remainder of the 2023 Mississippi State football schedule, this is a Razorbacks team that has legitimately challenged some opponents throughout the year.

Both the Bulldogs and the Razorbacks enter into the game with exactly zero wins against SEC competition. And for MSU, this represents a chance to build some momentum so that the Bulldogs can extend their bowl streak.

But how likely is that?

Well, Bill Connelly’s magical math SP+ prediction machine isn’t exactly high on Mississippi State’s chance to win this weekend.

Mississippi State football prediction: SP+ favors Arkansas Razorbacks over Miss. State Bulldogs

According to Connelly’s math equations and number crunching fanciness, Arkansas will get an SEC win before the Bulldogs do and that’s because they come out on top of this game.

But there’s a seven point spread between these two teams in this game. And SP+ seems to think it’ll be closer than that. According to the crunched numbers, Mississippi State will fall in Fayetteville by a score of 30-27.

Here’s to hoping that his numbers are wrong and in a way that benefits the Bulldogs.

But who really knows? Both teams have major flaws to shore up and Mississippi State hasn’t exactly put together a complete performance at any time in the six Mississippi State football games leading up to this contest.

If the Mississippi State Bulldogs can avoid any major errors and State is able to get off to a quick start, then maybe we see Arnett guide this team to be above .500 on the season. That would give MSU a manageable shot at making a bowl game and would do a lot to help ease some of the pressure off of this coaching staff.

Let’s see how this all plays out.