Mississippi State football learns SEC opponents for next four seasons

The SEC will be moving to a 9-game conference football schedule starting in 2026, and we learned on Monday that within the new scheduling format the Mississippi State Bulldogs would have annual matchups with Ole Miss, Alabama, and Vanderbilt. Now we have the rest of their matchups laid out for the next four seasons.

Of their annual opponents, the Bulldogs will play Alabama and Vanderbilt at home and Ole Miss on the road in 2026 and 2028. They'll travel to the Tide and Commodores while hosting the Rebels in 2027 and 2029.

In even years, State will play Auburn, Missouri, Oklahoma, LSU, Texas, and South Carolina while playing Arkansas, Florida, Texas A&M, Georgia, Kentucky, and Tennessee in the odd years. In 2026, they'll host the Auburn, Mizzou, and Oklahoma while traveling to LSU, Texas, and South Carolina, flipping home and away in 2028. In 2027, State hosts Arkansas, Florida, and Texas A&M while traveling to Georgia, Kentucky, and Tennessee, again, flipping home and away in 2029.

On the surface, it would seem that 2026 and 2028 are the ideal seasons for the Bulldogs to take advantage of their schedules given that they'll play five SEC home games compared to just four road games in those years. With home field advantage being so critical, those could be years to elevate.

However from an opponent standpoint, the odd seasons look to be the somewhat more favorable draw simply due to the fact that you get three games in those seasons by programs that, both in terms of overall history and current trajectory, are bottom tier teams within the league between Vanderbilt, Arkansas, and Kentucky.

In the even years, just Vanderbilt and South Carolina check in as your opponents that have traditionally struggled and don't seem set up for sustained success moving forward (acknowledging that both, by their standards, had strong 2024 seasons). So despite getting an extra home conference game, the average opponent quality is likely higher across the board.

All in all though, it seems Mississippi State's slate is fairly balanced over the years. There's no one year where they're overwhelmed with elite programs more than any other. 2027 having trips to Tuscaloosa, Athens, and Knoxville is difficult, but that's balanced out by also getting easier trips to Nashville and Lexington plus toss-ups at home.

Obviously, each season the schedule is hard. That's life in the SEC. But the Bulldogs didn't get hit with any totally unmanageable slates in any season.