It won't be too much longer before we start seeing many kickoff times announced for the 2025 college football season. Mississippi State has now seen the time and date for one of their most important games announced, and that date is set to be a busy one in Starkville.
2025 Egg Bowl set for early kickoff on Black Friday
Last year, the Egg Bowl was moved off its pseudo-traditional Thanksgiving night slot and onto Black Friday, the first Black Friday Egg Bowl since 2008. The Bulldogs and Rebels faced-off in Oxford at 2:30 PM CT with the game nationally broadcast on ABC.
For this year's game in Starkville, they're sticking with Black Friday. But this time, they'll be kicking-off earlier in the day.
The 2025 edition of the rivalry will kickoff at 11:00 AM CT, the first Egg Bowl played in the early TV window since 2009. That particular Egg Bowl in Starkville was an enjoyable one for Bulldog fans, as first-year coach Dan Mullen's team upset a ranked Ole Miss squad 41-27. Perhaps the 2025 Bulldogs can find similar success.
The scheduling of the Egg Bowl has been subject to controversy in recent years. Many didn't care for the game being played on Thanksgiving because of the negative impact on attendance. Others preferred it, arguing the value of being the lone CFB game played that night as opposed to being buried in the Saturday slate.
Black Friday has been viewed as a compromise of sorts - get off of Thanksgiving to help attendance but still attract more viewership by being one of the more high profile games played that day. However at 11:00 AM, attendance may not be any better than it would have been the night prior. That said, if, unlike last season, the Bulldogs can enter the game with actual stakes, there's no doubt a big crowd will be in Starkville.
Mississippi State basketball hosts SMU on Black Friday
Football isn't the only major sport being played in Starkville on Black Friday this year. Mississippi State men's basketball will host the SMU Mustangs on Black Friday for one of the Bulldogs' high-profile non-conference matchups in the 2025-2026 season.
This November's clash with the Mustangs will be the return trip in the home-and-home series between the two squads. Mississippi State traveled to Dallas to face SMU last November. The Bulldogs made a second-half comeback in Moody Coliseum to win 84-79 against an eventual 24-win SMU team, a significant Quad 1 road victory for State.
It'll be quite the different State team on the floor, as Josh Hubbard is the only major contributor expected back for the Bulldogs next season. He'll be surrounded by quite a few new faces in the lineup, though those new faces look talented. SMU should be a good team once again with some key pieces returning and strong transfer class. Chances are this will once again be an exciting and important game for both programs.
The important question is what time will the game be played? Though a tipoff time has not yet been set, it's safe to assume there won't be overlap between the Egg Bowl and basketball. Bulldog fans should have plenty of time to make the move from Davis Wade Stadium over to Humphrey Coliseum. Though an early Egg Bowl isn't appealing to the fanbase, it being played the same day should only boost attendance for hoops.