Mississippi State kicks off Year 3 of the Jeff Lebby era at home against a Sun Belt team that lost 9 games a year ago. This is about as friendly a season opener as it gets.
Bush’s Picks
ULMMSST
ULMMSST
OverUnder
Best BetMississippi State
Mississippi State is at home against a team that won 3 games all of last season, and the talent gap here is significant even for a Bulldogs squad with real questions of its own. This is the kind of matchup a rebuilding SEC program schedules specifically to bank an easy win. Backing the home side outright is close to automatic.
UL Monroe
+Nothing to lose, pure upset motivation
+Vincent entering year 3, program continuity
−Went 3-9, 1-7 Sun Belt in 2025
−Ranked 117th of 136 FBS teams
Mississippi State
+Kamario Taylor entrenched as starting QB
+Zach Arnett returns to run the defense
+Portal additions bolster QB depth
−Just 5-8 last year, 1 SEC win in 2 seasons
−Analysts project a modest 4-8 in 2026
Saturday, September 5 marks the start of a make-or-break year in Starkville. Lebby is 5-8 and coming off a Duke's Mayo Bowl loss to Wake Forest, and this program has won exactly 1 SEC game across the last two seasons combined. Before any of that gets tested, though, Mississippi State gets a tune-up against UL Monroe.
The Warhawks went 3-9 last season, 1-7 in Sun Belt play, and finished 117th out of 136 FBS teams. Head coach Bryant Vincent is in year 3 trying to dig this program out of the bottom tier of the conference, and there's no reason to expect a jump against an SEC roster that just went through a 24-player transfer haul. Games like this exist so a rebuilding SEC team can find its footing before conference play starts.
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6:30 PM CT
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ULM UL Monroe
MSST Mississippi State
History backs that up. Mississippi State leads this series 4-1-1, with a 59-0 win on the books from 1996. The one time Monroe pulled it off was back in 1995. Nothing about the current rosters suggests this is the year that trend reverses.
UL Monroe Warhawks
Mississippi State Bulldogs
Recent form.
The name to watch is QB Kamario Taylor. He took over as a freshman last year, throwing for 629 yards and 5 touchdowns while adding 458 rushing yards and 8 more scores, and he's now the unquestioned starter after a scare late in the bowl loss turned out to be a minor issue. Behind him, Lebby brought in portal arms AJ Swann and Jaden Rashada for depth, while DC Zach Arnett — a former Mississippi State head coach — is back running the defense.
UL Monroe Warhawks
(0)
Fully healthy — no injuries on ESPN's report
Mississippi State Bulldogs
(0)
Fully healthy — no injuries on ESPN's report
Injury report — info via ESPN.
None of that changes what this game actually is: a chance for Taylor and a retooled coaching staff to find rhythm before the SEC gauntlet hits. Analysts already have Mississippi State projected for a modest 4-8 season, so a clean, low-drama win here matters more for building confidence than anything else.
