Mississippi State opens season at home vs. UL Monroe
Mississippi State's 2026 season begins at home against UL Monroe, a get-right spot after last season closed with four straight losses.
A fresh start after a rough finish
Mississippi State sits at 0-0, which is simply where every team is before its first snap of 2026 — there is no current form to point to, good or bad. What there is to point to is how last season ended: the Bulldogs dropped four in a row to close 2025, falling to Arkansas... wait, they beat Arkansas 38-35 on the road, then lost to Georgia at home, lost at Missouri, lost at home to Ole Miss and finished the year with a loss to Wake Forest.
That skid, capped by the 43-29 defeat to Wake Forest to end last season, is the backdrop heading into the opener. None of it carries over in the standings or on the field, but it's the most recent evidence anyone has of how this team performs, and it's why a clean start against a lower-tier nonconference opponent matters as much for tone as for the win column.
There's no injury news, no roster notes and nothing from the transactions wire to report today — the story right now is entirely about who's on the schedule and when.
Upcoming
Mississippi State opens on September 5 vs. UL Monroe at Davis Wade Stadium in Starkville. The Bulldogs are favored and the market likes Mississippi State, with the total reading middling — a game shaped more like a tune-up than a track meet. UL Monroe finished last season with a 27-30 loss at Louisiana, and enters with nothing yet on the board for 2026.
A week later, Mississippi State is on the road at Minnesota, a game not yet priced by the market. Minnesota's most recent result, a 20-17 win over New Mexico, also comes from last season, so neither side has any 2026 tape to lean on yet. Two straight nonconference tests before SEC play begins will be the first real look at where this roster stands.