We're just over a month away from the start of the 2025 college football season, and it's an important one for the Mississippi State Bulldogs. After a disastrous year one for HC Jeff Lebby, the Bulldogs are in dire need of a significantly better season. Which games will be most important towards them achieving that goal?
5) at Southern Miss Golden Eagles
Coming off a 2-10 season, your season-opener becomes critical by default. You've got to start off on the right foot. It becomes even more critical when that game is on the road against an in-state little brother who is going to do everything in their power to earn a signature win. USM was awful last year, but they've got a new and more talented roster under first-year HC Charles Huff. They're likely to be much improved, and this is Huff's chance to make a major statement right away in Hattiesburg. If you're Mississippi State, you cannot allow that to happen. If for no reason other than perception, you need to win and win decisively. Otherwise, the 2025 season could turn sour quickly.
4) at Arkansas Razorbacks
State's SEC schedule would be considered brutal even for a good team. Given the expectations for the program, it's haunting. Finding realistic opportunities for wins is tough. One game that the Bulldogs could have a shot in is their November trip to Fayetteville. Arkansas is widely considered the worst of MSU's SEC opponents with questions at several key positions and HC Sam Pittman on the hotseat. Assuming MSU is much-improved, they could win this one, and they'd likely need to in order to make big strides record wise. The issue? It's on the road, and we saw what the Hogs did to State in Starkville last year.
3) vs Tennessee Volunteers
If Arkansas is the most beatable SEC opponent, you could argue them being higher in these rankings. However based on the opportunity at hand, State's late-September home clash with Tennessee is ahead. If there's a game that could springboard Jeff Lebby's program, it's this one. If the Bulldogs take care of business (that's a big if), they should be no worse than 3-1 entering this game. And if that's the case, it sets the stage for a massive chance at a statement win against a strong Tennessee program. The Volunteers have quite a few questions, particularly on offense, going into 2025 and may not be the playoff-level team they were a year ago. An upset here would make it clear Lebby has MSU ready to take off going forward.
2) vs Ole Miss Rebels
It's impossible to do a rankings of State's most important games in any year and not include the Egg Bowl, and right now, it's impossible to not have it high on the list. The Rebels have won four of the last five in the series, their most dominant run in the rivalry since the early-2000s. Another loss to Ole Miss, and MSU would be looking at their worst stretch in the game since the '80s. This is a game that's incredibly important for the success of the program, and right now, State has hit a rough patch. If Jeff Lebby wants to fully right the ship in Starkville, he desperately needs to get a win over the rival on Black Friday.
1) vs Arizona State Sun Devils
No game is more important to setting the tone of the season than this one. In Week 2, Mississippi State gets 2024 playoff team Arizona State in Starkville under the lights for a rematch of last season's 30-23 defeat in Tempe. Assuming MSU does what it should against USM in Week 1, Davis Wade Stadium should be packed and rowdy for a massive non-conference matchup. This is Jeff Lebby's first real chance to prove to the fanbase he's got his program moving in the right direction. The Sun Devils are again expected to be a playoff contender, but with this game at home and an improved Bulldog roster, State has a chance. A win here, and the door opens for 2025 to be a legitimately good year for a building program.