One of the main talking points for Mississippi State football in 2024 is the difficulty of their schedule, specifically their road slate. Four of State's five road opponents - Texas, Georgia, Tennessee, and Ole Miss - are legitimate CFB Playoff contenders this year. The fifth, Arizona State, is very much not, but that game comes early in the year and could be a tricky road trip given the distance.
Despite the difficult nature of these games, they do provide Bulldog fans will several opportunities to take some fun and unique trips to watch their team play. How would we rank those road trips this season?
1. Austin, Texas
Mississippi State heads to the capitol city of the Lonestar State September 28 to face one of the new additions to the SEC, the Texas Longhorns. And that game provides Mississippi State fans with a chance at taking what could be a first-time trip for many, as the Bulldogs last played at Texas in 1992. Austin is a great weekend travel destination with tons of live music venues and fantastic BBQ. Plus it's a chance to experience gameday at a blue blood program.
2. Tempe, Arizona
September 7 provides Bulldogs with another unique travel destination. State will face Arizona State for the first time ever, meaning this is the first time the majority of Bulldogs will have a reason to head west to Tempe. Fans can explore a major US city in neighboring Phoenix, and Tempe offers an excellent nightlife scene. It's a long journey, but this should be a fun trip for fans.
3. Knoxville, Tennessee
Now we're on to more familiar opponents. It hasn't been that long since MSU played Tennessee in Knoxville (2019), but this is still a great trip to visiting fans. Market Square in downtown Knoxville is a really cool place to spend an evening, and Neyland Stadium is one of the better atmospheres in college football. Plus this November 9 matchup will be a night game that could feature lots of points between two fun offenses.
4. Athens, Georgia
Athens is very well-regarded college town and provides the quintessential SEC experience, so it would make plenty of sense for State fans to travel to the home of the other Bulldogs on October 12. The issue here is this will be the fourth time MSU has played in Athens since 2011 and the fifth time they've played Georgia overall. It's a trip plenty of fans have made against a pretty frequently-played opponent. It doesn't help that this game will likely be ugly...
5. Oxford, Mississippi
I swear this ranking isn't at all about just hating the rival. Oxford, objectively speaking, is a great college town. But it's not at all a unique trip for State fans as the Bulldogs literally play there every other year. The Egg Bowl being on Black Friday as opposed to Thanksgiving might make it easier for fans to travel, and rivalries are always fun. But it still comes in at the bottom of the rankings.