Dates revealed for Mississippi State's 2021 football schedule

Mississippi State already knew the 'who' and 'where' parts of the 2021 football schedule. Now, the Bulldogs know the 'when'.

On Wednesday, the Southeastern Conference revealed dates for this year's slate of league games in an afternoon broadcast on SEC Network. With that, MSU now has the full picture of its upcoming ledger as State already had its four non-conference contests set.

So what does the 2021 season look like for the Bulldogs? Here's a look at the full schedule:

MISSISSIPPI STATE FOOTBALL 2021 SCHEDULE (home games in ALL CAPS) (* - SEC game)

Sept. 4 - LOUISIANA TECH
Sept. 11 - NORTH CAROLINA STATE
Sept. 18 - at Memphis
Sept. 25 - LSU*
Oct. 2 - at Texas A&M*
Oct. 16 - ALABAMA*
Oct. 23 - at Vanderbilt*
Oct. 30 - KENTUCKY*
Nov. 6 - at Arkansas*
Nov. 13 - at Auburn*
Nov. 20 - TENNESSEE STATE
Nov. 27 - OLE MISS*

The best group text ever 📱 ⤵️

𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟭 𝗦𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗱𝘂𝗹𝗲 𝗥𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗲#HailState🐶 pic.twitter.com/95q3idFu6S
— Mississippi State Football (@HailStateFB) January 27, 2021

In 2021, MSU will of course be playing its second season under the leadership of head coach Mike Leach as the Bulldogs look to build upon the momentum the team garnered in the latter stages of Leach's first year at the helm. Mississippi State went just 4-7 last season, but the Bulldogs won both of their final two games, notching a regular-season-closing victory over Missouri before topping Tulsa in the Armed Forces Bowl.

Many of the faces that led to those late wins return for State next season. Those include the bevy of freshmen that broke out for the Bulldogs such as quarterback Will Rogers, receiver Jaden Walley and cornerback Emmanuel Forbes. Of course MSU will also be faced with trying to replace the production of multiple veterans who have recently put their focus on the NFL Draft, such as linebacker Erroll Thompson and defensive linemen Marquiss Spencer and Kobe Jones.

Here is a bit more on all of MSU's 2021 opponents courtesy of Mississippi State media relations:

Sept. 4 – LOUISIANA TECH

State is 10-3 in the all-time series with a 9-2 mark in Starkville. The teams last met in 2018, which resulted in a 45-3 MSU win. Louisiana Tech is coming off a 5-5 season overall and 4-2 record in Conference USA play.

Sept. 11 – NC STATE

MSU and NC State will meet for the seventh time, and it will be the Wolfpack’s first trip to Starkville since Nov. 7, 1931. The Bulldogs won 51-28 in the most-recent meeting, which was the 2015 Belk Bowl and Dak Prescott's final collegiate game. NC State went 8-4 overall and 7-3 in ACC play in 2020. The Wolfpack also finished ranked No. 23 in the final College Football Playoff ranking.

Sept. 18 – at Memphis

This will be the first meeting between the schools since Sept. 1, 2011, when the Bulldogs won 59-14 in Memphis. State is 17-6 against the Tigers in games played in Memphis and 33-11 in the all-time series. Memphis was 8-3 overall (5-3 AAC) in 2020, including a 6-0 mark at home. The Tigers boast the FBS’ fifth-longest active home winning streak at 15 games with their last home loss coming on Oct. 13, 2018 to then-No. 9 UCF. Memphis won five of its last six games and closed out the season with a 25-10 win over Florida Atlantic in the Montgomery Bowl.

Sept. 25 – LSU

State and LSU will meet for the 115th time in 2021. The Bulldogs have played LSU and Ole Miss more than any SEC opponent dating back to 1896. The Mike Leach era of MSU football was ushered in last season on Sept. 26, 2020 at LSU, as a record-setting offensive performance propelled the Bulldogs over the defending national champions and sixth-ranked Tigers, 44-34. It was MSU’s highest-ranked road win in program history. The Bulldogs have won two of the last four games against the Tigers, including a 37-7 win in Starkville on Sept. 16, 2017.

Oct. 2 – at Texas A&M

MSU has won three of the last five matchups against Texas A&M. Each of the Bulldogs' last two wins over the Aggies (2017, 2018) have been by double-digits. Leach owns a 7-4 record as a head coach against the Aggies, facing them 10 times while the head coach at Texas Tech.

Oct. 16 – ALABAMA

MSU and Alabama will meet for the 106th time. It will mark the earliest meeting between the schools since Oct. 3, 1942.

Oct. 23 – at Vanderbilt

State leads the all-time series 14-7-2. This will be the first meeting in Nashville since Sept. 19, 2009, when the Bulldogs won 15-3. State beat Vanderbilt, 24-17, in Starkville last season. The 2021 meeting will mark the first time since 2008 and 2009 that the schools have played each other in back-to-back seasons.

Oct. 30 – KENTUCKY

Kentucky is MSU’s permanent SEC eastern division opponent. The all-time series is tied at 24 apiece. The game will be the latest meeting between the programs since a 24-17 MSU win on Oct. 30, 2010 in Starkville. MSU is 14-6 against the Wildcats in Starkville. State won the previous matchup in Starkville, 28-13, on Sept. 21, 2019.

Nov. 6 – at Arkansas

MSU has claimed seven out of the last nine meetings, including the last four in the state of Arkansas. The first meeting in the series came in 1916, a 20-7 Bulldog victory. MSU and Arkansas met only twice prior to 1992 when the Razorbacks joined the SEC. This will be the 30th straight year that the teams play each other.

Nov. 13 – at Auburn

State’s last victory in Auburn came in 2015 by a score of 17-9. MSU won 23-9 over No. 8 Auburn in Starkville in 2018, the Bulldogs' largest margin of victory over a top-10 team since beating No. 2 Auburn, 38-23, on Oct. 11, 2014 in a game that catapulted MSU to its first No. 1 ranking; however, the Tigers have won each of the previous two meetings.

Nov. 20 – TENNESSEE STATE

This will be the first meeting between the programs.

Nov. 27 – OLE MISS

State and Ole Miss will meet for the 118th time. The Rebels are the Bulldogs' most common foe, and this series is among the longest in NCAA Division I history. The schools started playing for the "Golden Egg" trophy in 1927. MSU won the last time in Starkville, 21-20, and has taken three of the last five matchups.

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