SEC’s Extra Game Forces Mississippi State Schedule Shake-Up

Mississippi State cancels its Texas Tech series as the SEC’s nine-game schedule begins reshaping non-conference matchups, revenue strategy and TV value.

Country musician Hardy, Mississippi State Bulldogs athletic director Zac Selmon and coach Jeff Lebby talk prior to the game against the Texas Longhorns at Davis Wade Stadium at Scott Field in Starkville, Miss. | Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

This is being a little late to the party, but Mississippi State cancelling a future football game against Texas Tech is a social media post, not a full-blown story.

Exactly why it was done is a little more complex and even drags the Southeastern Conference into the whole picture.

The Bulldogs won't be the only team having to cancel games.

Mississippi State’s football future just got a little less predictable—and a little more revealing about where the SEC is headed.

The Bulldogs have canceled their previously scheduled home-and-home football series with Texas Tech, wiping out games that were set for 2028 in Starkville and 2029 in Lubbock.

The move wasn’t driven by rivalry, performance, or cold feet. It was driven by math—and by the SEC’s decision to expand to a nine-game league schedule.

That ninth game doesn’t just fill a Saturday. It reshapes budgets, television inventory, travel demands, and the very definition of what a “complete” schedule looks like.

Mississippi State’s decision is just one of many ripples spreading across the SEC as athletic directors begin adjusting to the new reality.

For now, those changes are measured in cancellations. Down the road, they’ll be measured in dollars, ratings, and institutional strategy.

Ole Miss Rebels athletic director Keith Carter (left) and Mississippi State Bulldogs athletic director Zac Selmon (right) talk during halftime at Humphrey Coliseum in Starkville, Miss. | Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

Ninth SEC Game Forces Difficult Tradeoffs

Mississippi State athletic director Zac Selmon has already had to make multiple adjustments because of the expanded conference schedule.

The cancellation of the Texas Tech series is simply the latest example of how rapidly those future plans are evolving.

The Red Raiders series had been agreed upon in the spring of 2018, long before the conference’s scheduling shift became reality. At the time, those matchups made perfect sense. They promised competitive football, cross-conference intrigue, and valuable exposure.

Now, they no longer fit.

Mississippi State won’t owe a buyout for canceling the games, thanks to the SEC’s scheduling mandate. That provides some flexibility, but it also underscores how the conference itself has become the dominant scheduling force in college football.

When the league adds a game, everyone adjusts.

State’s future schedules already include a home game against North Alabama and a road matchup at Memphis in 2028. Memphis is scheduled to return to Starkville in 2029 if that series remains intact.

Those games stay for now. Selmon wants those home games because that's more financialy lucrative.

But the broader message is unmistakable: non-conference schedules are becoming more fluid than ever.

SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey walks on the field prior to the game between the Texas A&M Aggies and the Florida Gators at Kyle Field. | Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images

SEC Requirements Still Demand Power Conference Opponents

Even with the additional conference game, Mississippi State can’t simply fill its schedule with regional or lower-tier opponents.

SEC policy still requires each team to play at least one opponent from another Power conference.

That requirement begins in 2026 when State will travel to Minnesota, followed by a return game against the Golden Gophers in Starkville the following season.

Beyond that, there are gaps.

The Bulldogs will be trying to fill those gaps, but there's time to find the right fit.

That search isn’t optional. It’s structural.

Mississippi State also has strategic goals that extend beyond simply filling open dates.

Selmon wants to ensure the program hosts seven home games each season, a number tied directly to ticket revenue, fan engagement, and local economic impact.

The 2029 schedule currently sits at just six home games following the Texas Tech cancellation. To balance that, Selmon is actively seeking a solution that includes a road Power conference opponent in 2028 and a home game in 2029.

That balancing act is becoming increasingly common across the SEC.

Television, Revenue Implications Loom Over Scheduling Shifts

College football scheduling used to be guided primarily by competitive goals and regional rivalries. Today, it’s equally shaped by media value.

Adding a ninth SEC game increases the number of premium conference matchups available for television partners like ESPN.

Those games typically draw higher viewership than non-conference contests, creating more valuable broadcast inventory.

That’s the unspoken driver behind decisions like Mississippi State’s cancellation.

More SEC games mean more television exposure. More exposure means more revenue.

And more revenue strengthens the conference’s dominance.

What remains unknown is how those gains compare against the loss of compelling non-conference matchups like Mississippi State-Texas Tech.

Those games offered variety, geographic diversity, and unique viewing appeal.

The SEC is betting its own matchups will outperform them.

Time — and ratings — will deliver the verdict.

Mississippi State’s decision reflects league-wide transition

Mississippi State’s schedule adjustment isn’t an isolated event. It’s part of a larger transition unfolding throughout the SEC.

Every athletic department faces similar questions:

• How many home games can be protected?
• Which non-conference series are worth keeping?
• Which ones must be sacrificed?

Those answers won’t fully come out for years.

For Mississippi State, the immediate result is a cleaner, more flexible schedule—but also a more uncertain future. The Bulldogs must now find a Power conference opponent to replace Texas Tech while preserving long-term competitive and financial balance.

That process may repeat itself again.

As the conference continues refining its structure, schedules will remain in motion.

The ninth SEC game isn’t just an addition.

It’s a transformation.

And Mississippi State is one of the first programs showing what that transformation looks like in real time.