How Much of A Threat Is Mississippi State to LSU in 2026?

LSU football will see Mississippi State in Week 7 of the 2026 college football season, bringing back to life a familiar rivalry that has lost its place with changes to conference scheduling rules.

The Bulldogs have faced LSU 117 times, making it the Tigers' most-played rivalry.

The history is there, but as the teams end a two-season hiatus to play each other, will Mississippi State break their three-game losing streak against LSU? Or will this matchup follow more of the broader trend since the turn of the century?

LSU's Recent Run of Dominance

Josh Williams runs the ball and scores as the LSU Tigers take on the Mississippi State Bulldogs at Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA. Saturday, Sept. 17, 2022. | SCOTT CLAUSE/USA TODAY Network / USA TODAY NETWORK

Due to SEC expansion, LSU didn't play Mississippi State in 2024 and 2025, the first break in the series since 1943, when the Bulldogs didn't field a team during World War II. The 2024 season marked the first time since 1925 that the schools didn't meet in a season in which both programs fielded a team.

With an all-time record of 75–36–3, LSU has dominated the rivalry with Mississippi State. But in the last 23 matchups dating back to 2000, LSU has held the Bulldogs to just three wins.

LSU hasn't faced the Mississippi State Bulldogs under head coach Jeff Lebby, who ushered in a new era of Bulldog football. He was hired in November 2023, and in his first season in 2024, he led the Bulldogs to a 2-10 record.

Then, in 2025, Mississippi State started 4-0 with a win against No. 12 Arizona State but then went 1-7 to finish 5-7 in the regular season.

That's the period of Mississippi State football that LSU has missed.

But there's a belief in Starkville, Mississippi, that progress has been made ahead of the 2026 season.

Are the Improvements Enough?

Oct 4, 2025; College Station, Texas, USA; Mississippi State Bulldogs head coach Jeff Lebby greets quarterback Blake Shapen (2) warms up prior to the game against the Texas A&M Aggies at Kyle Field. Mandatory Credit: Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images | Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images

Lebby is going into his third season with the Bulldogs, the longest tenure since legendary coach Mike Leach's tenure from 2020-2022.

The pressure is building to win games in 2026, or Lebby may be out of a job by this time next year. But he has a belief after spring practices that this team can make that happen.

He says he's seen the most physical spring he's had at Mississippi State this year, especially on the offensive line.

This is a position group that the Bulldogs needed to overhaul after last season, where their quarterbacks were sacked 45 times, the third-most in the entire nation.

It didn't just affect quarterback play but the players themselves, with starter Blake Shapen taking a beating with injuries, and freshman Kamario Taylor’s speed let him avoid some sacks, but he still had to have offseason surgery from an injury he sustained during the season.

The spots on the defense are also in the best shape they've been in since Lebby arrived, with him saying the safeties have a group of "five guys who can play winning football."

But Mississippi State's hope last season came at the quarterback position.

With the Bulldogs losing their starter during the season, they turned to a bright star: Taylor, a four-star and top-10 quarterback in the 2025 recruiting class, according to On3.

The 6-foot-4, 230-pound dual-threat passer got his chance to start at the end of the season, much to the delight of Mississippi State fans.

It didn't go as planned, losing his first start to Ole Miss.

But over his 11 games and two starts, he threw for 629 yards with five touchdowns and one interception on 43-of-77 passing. Taylor finished third on the team in rushing yards with 458 on 82 carries while leading the team in rushing touchdowns with eight.

In the final two games of the season, he rushed for a combined 236 yards and three touchdowns.

Lebby thinks he has developed well over this offseason and is ready to be a weapon in 2026.

But with LSU's experienced and boosted defense, Taylor will have to find some magic to guide his Bulldogs to a win over the Tigers in 2026.

LSU will overpower the Bulldogs in Tiger Stadium, so the Week 7 matchup isn't a major threat to the Tigers' College Football Playoff hopes.

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