Starkville- Mississippi State has announced kickoff times for four matchups during the 2022 football season.
State will kickoff the 2022 campaign on September 3rd in a revenge game with Memphis at 6:30 PM CST on ESPNU. Mississippi State fans would like to forget what happened when the Bulldogs traveled up to Memphis last year, as some special team miscues and poor officiating helped the Tigers pick up a 31-29 victory. This year, Memphis makes the return trip to Starkville as the Bulldogs hope to get off on the right foot in 2022. Caesar's Sportsbook lists Mississippi State as a 15-point favorite.
On September 10th, Bulldog fans will get a taste of some Pac-12 After Dark action as State will travel out to play Arizona for an 10 PM CST kick on Fox Sports 1. Mike Leach is very familiar with Arizona during his time at Washington State, posting a 5-2 record over the Wildcats, including a 69-7 route in 2016 and a 69-28 victory in 2018. In year one under head coach Jedd Fisch, Arizona had an abysmal season with a 1-11 record, but they've added some offensive firepower with former Washington State QB and Mike Leach recruit Jayden de Laura, First Team All-Conference USA, and former UTEP WR Jacob Cowing, and the #2 overall receiver in the 2022 class in 5-star Tetairoa McMillan.
SEC play begins on September 17th as Mississippi State travels down to Baton Rouge for a 5 O'clock kick in Tiger Stadium on ESPN. LSU brings in head coach Brian Kelly after 12 seasons at Notre Dame and a wildly revamped roster bringing in 15 transfers, tied for the 3rd most in the Power 5. The quarterback competition in the Bayou bars watching as any of Arizona State transfer Jayden Daniels, redshirt senior Myles Brennan, or redshirt freshman Garrett Nussmeier could be under center for the Tigers when the season kicks off. LSU also returns stud wide receiver Kayshon Boutte who was on his way to an All-American type season with 509 yards and nine touchdowns in six-games before suffering a season-ending leg injury. The strength of the Bayou Bengals appears to be the defensive backfield, as they bring on an experienced group of transfers in Oklahoma State's Jarrick Bernard, Arkansas' Joe Foucha and Greg Brooks, Ohio State's Sevyn Banks, and Louisiana's Mekhi Garner, which should make for an exciting matchup against Mississippi State's Air Raid attack. Mississippi State has gone 1-1 against the Tigers in the Mike Leach era with a win on the road in 2020 and a loss at home in 2021, and the Bulldogs will hope to get that number over .500. Vegasinsider.com lists LSU as a 3.5-point favorite.
Mississippi State closes out the regular season with a Thanksgiving clash on November 24th up at Ole Miss for a 6 PM kickoff on ESPN. Since Lane Kiffin and Mike Leach took over at their respective schools, Ole Miss has won both Egg Bowls. Kiffin brings in one of the nation's top transfer portal classes, headlined by former 5-star TCU running back Zack Evans and USC tight end Michael Trigg. A pair of sophomores will battle it out for the starting quarterback gig as USC transfer Jaxson Dart and Starkville High's Luke Altmyer look to fill in the void left by Conerly Trophy winner and Panthers draft pick Matt Corral. The Rebels have also retooled the wide receiver room bringing in UCF speedster Jaylon Robinson and Mississippi State's Malik Heath. A transfer heavy Rebel squad should make for an interesting matchup against a Bulldog team that returns 17 starters. FanDuel Sportsbook lists Ole Miss as a 5.5-point favorite.
