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State can't catch a break - Bulldogs dealt another arduous football schedule for 2025

Technically we already knew what teams they'd be playing, but we could've gone without the reminder right now, SEC!

ByAndrew Miller|
Nov 23, 2024; Starkville, Mississippi, USA; Mississippi State Bulldogs head coach Jeff Lebby reacts to a play during the second quarter of the game against the Missouri Tigers at Davis Wade Stadium at Scott Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Bush-Imagn Images
Nov 23, 2024; Starkville, Mississippi, USA; Mississippi State Bulldogs head coach Jeff Lebby reacts to a play during the second quarter of the game against the Missouri Tigers at Davis Wade Stadium at Scott Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Bush-Imagn Images | Matt Bush-Imagn Images

Mississippi State football is not having a great time right now. They're just a couple weeks removed from the end of their worst season in over 20 years, and the necessary offseason rebuild isn't exactly going to plan. And now the Bulldog faithful have gotten a reminder that it's going to be very hard to see things get considerably better in 2025.

Mississippi State football 2025 schedule announced

Wednesday night, the SEC announced the complete football schedules for each team in 2025. Technically, no one learned anything new when it came to their opponents. The league decided long ago that the SEC matchups for 2025 would be the same as 2024, just with the location of each game flipped. And obviously schools have their nonconference opponents handled years in advance.

So, we already knew the Bulldogs would have a very difficult slate next season, but it would've been nice to not be reminded of that given the frustrations around the program at the present time.

State plays four of this season's College Football Playoff teams - Arizona State, Tennessee, Texas, and Georgia - all in Starkville. That's great from a ticket sales standpoint, but may not be the best thing from a win total standpoint. Those teams will likely all be outstanding again next season, and generally, you'd prefer to play teams you're probably losing to on the road so that potential tossups are at home.

Road trips to resurgent Texas A&M, Florida, and Missouri teams could be rough, and going to Fayetteville to play Arkansas isn't easy either. State's best chance at an SEC win honestly comes at home in the Egg Bowl considering the Rebels are losing everything after this year.

That's not to mention opening the year down in Hattiesburg against a new-look USM squad under Charles Huff and then hosting an NIU team that casually beat Notre Dame on the road this year. After watching what Toledo did to State in 2024, it's not like anyone can feel great about those games.

This ain't gonna be easy.

The good news for State is that, thanks to a bye week between trips to Texas A&M and Florida, they won't actually go on the road in consecutive weeks. And after their season opening trip to USM, they'll play four-straight games at home, which theoretically could help them grab some needed momentum. But that's just trying to find a sliver-lining.

Even if State's offseason overhaul works out in their favor and they're considerably better, this schedule is going to make wins hard to come by. State fans would largely be in agreement that bowl eligibility is needed to feel good about Lebby after 2025, but making that happen will be an incredibly tall task.

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