Mississippi State football faces a daunting schedule in 2024. Going into the year they have six games in which earning a win would mean pulling off a big upset. But there are winnable games on the schedule to give them a chance at earning bowl-eligibility. Here are the six easiest games on the schedule…

State gets to ease into the 2024 season with their FCS opponent. Eastern Kentucky has played a few competitive games with FBS teams in recent years, including providing a momentary scare against Kentucky last season. But it’s still a FCS team coming off a losing season. State should roll.

UMass might as well be a FCS team, and honestly there’s a chance EKU is actually better. But the shades of 2016 and 2017 when State found themselves in struggles with the Minutemen has them as merely second-easiest. But this is a truly bad team that’s a long ways away from competitiveness.

Jason Candle has done a great job at Toledo. The Rockets are a perennial MAC contender and can challenge power conference teams. But they just lost nearly everyone from last season’s 11-win team, and a clear step back is likely in store. They’ll still be solid, but assuming State doesn’t overlook them, they should be fine.

Kenny Dillingham inherited a mess at his alma mater, but even in last year’s 3-9 campaign, he at least made them competitive. The Sun Devils are going to rely on several transfers to improve this season, and they could take a step forward. This game might be tricky on the road, but overall, State’s still got quite a bit more talent.

I’d wager that last year’s 7-3 final score in this game won’t be replicated. Sam Pittman is relying (probably unwillingly) on a familiar face in Fayetteville to save his job. Bobby Petrino should get the Hogs scoring more, but that’s not saying much. State has owned Arkansas since they originally fired Petrino. We’ll see if his return changes the direction of the series, but the Bulldogs should have the edge at home.

Billy Napier is the coach everyone assumes will be fired by the end of 2024 given the combination of poor early results and an almost unbelievable gauntlet of a schedule. But it’s possible the Gators are actually ok this year. There’s some nice pieces on offense, but their defense will have to make big improvements if Napier’s going to survive. Both teams need this game badly for a positive season.

We’re two months away from the start of the 2024 college football season. Mississippi State football will begin a new era as Jeff Lebby makes his debut as coach of the Bulldogs. Here are five bold predictions for Lebby’s first season in Starkville…

Let’s start off hot. Jeff Lebby’s calling card is producing instant offense and putting up huge numbers. So why not come in and break a record owned by the greatest offense in school history? The 2014 Mississippi State offense averaged 513.8 yards per game. Over the last six seasons, Jeff Lebby’s offenses have averaged…513.7 yards per game. So if he simply stays with that pace, he’d be right in range to potentially surpass that record-setting output by Dak Prescott and Co. And they might need to if they’re going to be competitive in SEC play.

Blake Shapen isn’t getting much love as even a top-half SEC QB. Most projections have him near the bottom of the league. But if he does this, he’d certainly change that perception. While Jeff Lebby doesn’t run the Air Raid, his scheme still puts up big passing yardage. And given my concerns with the Bulldog defense, I think he’s going to have to call more passes for State to keep pace. The SEC has some great QBs this year, but most aren’t going to need to throw quite that much, which could move Shapen ahead of them in the numbers.

The bold predictions can’t all be positive. I’ve made it clear I think State’s offense will need to be really good for them to have a successful 2024, and that’s because I have little confidence in the defense. The secondary in particular concerns me. There’s just not much talent or experience in that room, and with some of the offenses they’re going to face, they could find themselves getting burned frequently. There’s a chance MSU’s run defense is solid, but it could be a rough go defending the pass.

Allow me to be the leader of the Branden Jennings hype train. There was no attention on the former Hinds CC linebacker entering the spring, but he shined in the spring game, specifically rushing off the edge. And considering that MSU really doesn’t have any proven pass rushers on the roster, the door is open for Jennings to continue to impress and earn a major role on the defense. Am I overreacting to a glorified scrimmage? Yes. But I loved what I saw.

National expectations are low for State. Some of that is because of the overturn on the roster, but a lot of it is because of their schedule. State plays six teams – Georgia, Texas, Ole Miss, Missouri, Tennessee, and Texas A&M – that are receiving some degree of playoff hype. But I will say confidently that not all of those teams will play to that level. Someone is going to be beatable and vulnerable to getting upset. State’s offense will give them a chance against a lot of teams. At some point, they’ll pounce on an unsuspecting foe assuming an easy win and end their playoff hopes.

Warren County farmer traveled to Washington DC with Mississippi Farm Bureau Federation on an agricultural advocacy trip. 

In a press release, the Warren County Farm Bureau said:

“Chris Harris, a member of Warren County Farm Bureau was part of a small group of farmers from central MS who spent 3 days in Washington D.C. visiting with congressional members and regulatory agencies on the needs of Mississippi farmers.  The urgent need of a new farm bill, labor regulations, and conservation funding were some of the main topics discussed.  Mississippi Farm Bureau Federation is the voice of agriculture in Mississippi and this is one of many ways that the organization accomplishes its mission.”

The mission of the Mississippi Farm Bureau is to create an environment in which Mississippi farmers, ranchers, and Farm Bureau® members can have a better life and make a better living. 

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