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Mississippi State Bulldogs move up in ESPN SP+ after beating Arkansas

By Ethan Lee

FAYETTEVILLE, ARKANSAS - OCTOBER 21: Seth Davis #23 of the Mississippi State Bulldogs runs the ball during the game against the Arkansas Razorbacks at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium on October 21, 2023 in Fayetteville, Arkansas. The Bulldogs defeated the Razorbacks 7-3. (Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images)
FAYETTEVILLE, ARKANSAS - OCTOBER 21: Seth Davis #23 of the Mississippi State Bulldogs runs the ball during the game against the Arkansas Razorbacks at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium on October 21, 2023 in Fayetteville, Arkansas. The Bulldogs defeated the Razorbacks 7-3. (Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images) /
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As the Mississippi State football team is fresh off of a win over the Arkansas Razorbacks, the Mississippi State Bulldogs have moved up in the SP+ rankings.

The Mississippi State Bulldogs took one huge step towards bowl eligibility, Zach Arnett’s first Mississippi State football team also showed that it could move up a tiny bit in Bill Connelly’s SP+ rankings.

In one of the ugliest games of the 2023 college football season (and quite possibly the single ugliest game of the year), Arnett and the Miss. State Bulldogs managed to get a road win in Fayetteville, Arkansas as they beat the Arkansas Razorbacks in a 7-3 mess.

It wasn’t pretty and most reasonable Mississippi State football fans seemed to be pretty repulsed by what they saw on the field.

But hey, it’s a win, I guess.

Regardless, the Bulldogs did win. It was ugly and reminiscent of the Iowa Hawkeyes, but Arnett’s team is now 4-3 on the season and 1-3 in SEC play. And with that win over Arkansas, the Bulldogs did also manage to climb in SP+ rankings.

Mississippi State football moves up in SP+ rankings after sloppy road win over Arkansas Razorbacks

Last week, the Bulldogs found themselves ranked at No. 49 in Connelly’s SP+ rankings. That’s not bad considering how rough this season has been, but it’s not great and definitely isn’t close to where the Bulldogs want to be.

But with their difficult-to-watch win over Arkansas, the Mississippi State football team moved up a bit.

This week, Arnett’s team sits at No. 45.

Again, not bad but not great. And it’s not where Mississippi State was entering the season. Prior to the start of the 2023 Miss. State football season, the Bulldogs were sitting at No. 29 in SP+ rankings.

Of course, should the Bulldogs win (or even play decently in a loss), that ranking would likely go up a bit. So, play better. Be ranked better. It’s as simple as that. And with just under half of the season left, there’s still a chance for Arnett’s Bulldogs to improve here.

Next. Reliving Mississippi State bowl game history. dark

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