Week 1 of the 2025 college football season is finally here! One of the more under the radar but intriguing matchups of Week 1 comes Saturday when the Mississippi State Bulldogs travel to Hattiesburg, MS to take on the Southern Miss Golden Eagles.
Both programs are hoping for major turnarounds after ugly 2024 seasons. The Bulldogs went 2-10 last year and need to show major improvement in year two under HC Jeff Lebby with a reloaded roster. The Golden Eagles were just 1-11 last year, and now they enter 2025 with a new HC, bringing in Charles Huff from Marshall (along with many of his players from last year's Sun Belt Championship team).
It's not often we see an SEC team going on the road to face a Sun Belt school, and with this being an in-state battle of rebuilding programs, that makes it even more interesting. Here's how you can watch plus more notes on the matchup...
How to watch the Mississippi State Bulldogs vs the Southern Miss Golden Eagles in Week 1
- Date: Saturday, August 30
- Time: 11:00 a.m. CT
- Venue: M.M. Roberts Stadium
- TV Channel: ESPN
- Streaming: fubo TV
TV announcers for Mississippi State vs Southern Miss
Roy Philpott will be on the call for ESPN Saturday when the Bulldogs take on the Golden Eagles as the play-by-play announcer. He'll be joined by color commentator Sam Acho in the booth with Taylor Davis reporting from the sidelines.
Mississippi State vs Southern Miss odds, point spread and total
Odds provided by FanDuel Sportsbook. Odds are subject to change.
Spread
- Mississippi State -12.5 (-120)
- Southern Miss +12.5 (-102)
Moneyline
- Mississippi State -520
- Southern Miss +385
Total
- 60.5 (Over -115/ Under -105)
Injury report for Mississippi State vs Southern Miss
While no detailed injury reports are available for either squad entering Saturday's season-opener, it appears the both teams are entering Week 1 mostly healthy with their main contributors expected to be good to go. We do know that Mississippi State backup DT Kai McClendon suffered an injury in the spring that's kept him sidelined throughout the preseason. He was not listed on the Bulldogs' initial depth chart, so it's fair to assume he won't be available in Week 1.
Weather forecast for Hattiesburg, MS on Saturday
Those making the trip to Hattiesburg may want to have the rain gear handy. A 50% chance of rain is in the forecast for Saturday, though at the present mostly light, scattered showers are expected. The good news is the rain and cloud cover will keep temperatures from rising too high, topping out in the low to mid-80s. Winds will be light.
Mississippi State Bulldogs vs Southern Miss Golden Eagles Series History
Mississippi State and Southern Miss have played 31 times in their history. The Bulldogs lead the all-time series by a record of 18-12-1 and have won six-straight against the Golden Eagles dating back to 1989. The teams last played in 2023, with Mississippi State winning 41-20 in Starkville. They last faced in Hattiesburg in 2015, a 34-16 Bulldogs' victory. Southern Miss' last win against Mississippi State came in 1988 when they defeated the Bulldogs 38-21 in Jackson.