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Mississippi State football will have to earn a home SEC night game in 2025

State's 2025 schedule has been mapped out, and if the Bulldogs want to host an SEC game at night, they'll have to earn it by winning.
ByAndrew Miller|
Nov 23, 2024; Starkville, Mississippi, USA; Mississippi State Bulldogs running back Davon Booth (21) runs against the Missouri Tigers during the second quarter at Davis Wade Stadium at Scott Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Bush-Imagn Images
Nov 23, 2024; Starkville, Mississippi, USA; Mississippi State Bulldogs running back Davon Booth (21) runs against the Missouri Tigers during the second quarter at Davis Wade Stadium at Scott Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Bush-Imagn Images | Matt Bush-Imagn Images

A few weeks back, kickoff times and TV broadcasts were announced for Mississippi State football's first three games of the season. We've known since early May that the 2025 Egg Bowl will kickoff at 11:00 AM CT in Starkville on Black Friday. Now, the Bulldogs' entire 2025 slate has been mapped out, with kickoff times and windows announced for the remainder of the schedule.

Two more games have exact kickoff times and TV designations set. Mississippi State's September 20 home game against Northern Illinois will kickoff at 3:15 PM CT and will be broadcast on the SEC Network. State's November 8 home matchup with Georgia is set to kickoff at 11:00 AM CT, airing on either ESPN or ABC.

Though exact times haven't been set, Mississippi State's six remaining games have been given kickoff windows to give us a general idea of when they'll be played. Road games at Florida and Arkansas will be played in the afternoon window. The Bulldogs will face Texas A&M and Missouri under the lights, as those road games were selected for the night window. Finally, State's home tilts against Tennessee and Texas have been given flex window designations.

An early window game will kickoff between 11:00 AM and 12:00 PM CT. An afternoon window game will kickoff between 2:30 PM and 3:30 PM CT. A night window game will kickoff between 5:00 PM and 7:00 PM CT. Finally, there's the flex window. Flex window games can kickoff in either the afternoon or night slate.

Mississippi State not guaranteed a home SEC night game in 2025

If there's one thing that stands out about MSU's 2025 schedule, it's that they don't have a home SEC matchup locked into a night time kickoff. Though the Bulldogs have night games at Texas A&M and Missouri, none of their home games against SEC competition are guaranteed to kickoff under the lights.

This isn't a surprise. State didn't have a home SEC night game last season. And given how the 2024 season went and low expectations entering 2025, it's hard to sell the Bulldogs for primetime in the peak of the season.

They do have a chance at a pair of home SEC night games though. Their September 27 matchup with Tennessee and October 25 battle with Texas could end up as night games given their "flex" designation. A pair of 2024 playoff teams that are likely to be ranked when State plays them, those games could earn the primetime slot if MSU has done enough on the field to make them intriguing matchups.

Essentially, whether or not either of those games gets played at night hinges entirely on State's own performance. TV executives would love to get the Vols and Horns in primetime, but they need the game to be compelling. They don't want viewers turned away because they assume the Bulldogs have no chance.

So if MSU is going to see a night SEC game in Starkville, they're going to need wins. State will get a pair of night games in Starkville against Arizona State and Alcorn early in the season, so at least they will get the chance to debut Davis Wade Stadium's new LED lights. But it'd be a real shame if the LEDs don't get broken out in a high-profile conference game. It's up to Mississippi State to make it happen.

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