ESPN CFB expert predicts Mississippi State football bowl matchup with Tulane after week 8

With a dull road win over the Arkansas Razorbacks, Zach Arnett’s Mississippi State football team took a very important step towards bowl eligibility.

After finding a way to win on the road against the Arkansas Razorbacks, it’s starting to look like Zach Arnett’s Mississippi State football team might just find itself in a bowl game. In fact, it seems pretty likely that Arnett will guide MSU to a bowl. State is now 4-3 overall and 1-3 vs. SEC teams.

While that SEC record is far from ideal, that overall record at this point in the season gives the first year head coach of the Bulldogs a really good shot to lead this Miss. State football team to a bowl game.

Bowl games have become pretty common for folks around Starkville, Mississippi. But, if State weren’t to make it to a bowl, then that’d be a pretty big deal for Mississippi State football fans. MSU has been to a bowl game in each of the past 13 Miss. State football seasons.

So, for Arnett, a bowl is good.

And it’s also good from a practicality standpoint. A bowl game will give something for MSU fans to celebrate and also it will give the Bulldogs more practices. Given how much of this season has gone up to this point, extra practices and something to celebrate would be welcomed.

Mississippi State football bowl projection: ESPN CFB expert places Bulldogs in bowl game with Tulane Green Wave

Assuming the Mississippi State Bulldogs find a way to get two more wins this season, then we’ll see Arnett and MSU in a bowl game. And it sure seems like ESPN’s Mark Schlabach is among those expecting that to happen.

According to Schlabach’s college football bowl projections, the Bulldogs will have a shot to be matched up with the Tulane Green Wave in the Birmingham Bowl.

It seems unlikely that either Tulane or Mississippi State would be thrilled about playing in Birmingham given how last season went for both the Green Wave and the Bulldogs. But, a bowl game is a bowl game. And both of these teams would benefit considerably from having a few more practices and more time to get some reps in ahead of next season.

If Arnett and the Bulldogs can get at least two more wins, then a bowl would be a lovely and much deserved reward given how rough the start to this season was.