Updated Bowl Projections For Mississippi State After Egg Bowl Victory
Mississippi State football's regular season is officially in the books after the Bulldogs improved to 8-4 with a 24-22 victory over the Ole Miss Rebels in the Egg Bowl rivalry game last week.
After facing arguably the toughest schedule in the nation and exceeding expectations for most record-wise, the Bulldogs await the announcement of their bowl game destination.
Here's a look into a few possibilities that could make sense:
Las Vegas Bowl
This has been a popular one that the Bulldogs have been projected to appear in throughout the season and it still looks plenty plausible now. In this instance, the Bulldogs could face the No. 17-ranked UCLA Bruins (9-3), who rounded out the season with a 35-28 win over the California Golden Bears on Nov. 25.
This would be an interesting matchup, set for Dec. 17, in which head coach Mike Leach would face an opponent from his former conference. It would also mark the first meeting between the two teams.
TaxAct Texas Bowl
Last year's Texas Bowl matchup ended with a 42-20 Kansas State victory over LSU that served as the the proper Swan Song for departing quarterback Skylar Thompson. It is possible that MSU appears in this contest that features a Big 12 and an SEC opponent with Oklahoma State a real possibility. The Cowboys recently finished the regular season with a 24-19 loss to the West Virginia Mountaineers to fall to an overall record of 7-5.
The game is set to be played in NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas on Dec. 28.
ReliaQuest Bowl
Formerly called the "Outback Bowl", the ReliaQuest will feature an SEC team and a Big Ten team. MSU could meet Purdue down south in this one as the Boilermakers just wrapped up their regular season with a 30-16 win over the Indiana Hoosiers, improving to the same 8-4 record the Bulldogs hold. It would also mark the first time in history the two teams have faced each other.
The contest will take place in Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida on Jan. 2.
