Cowbell Corner

SEC unveils Mississippi State's conference foes for next four seasons

The Bulldogs already knew who their three annual opponents would be, but also learned Tuesday night who their SEC opponents will be for the rest of the decade.
Taylor Hodges|
Mississippi State Bulldogs tight end Seydou Traore (8) reacts after a touchdown during the first quarter against the Alcorn State Braves at Davis Wade Stadium at Scott Field.
Mississippi State Bulldogs tight end Seydou Traore (8) reacts after a touchdown during the first quarter against the Alcorn State Braves at Davis Wade Stadium at Scott Field. | Wesley Hale-Imagn Images

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Mississippi State Bulldogs

We already knew who Mississippi State’s three annual opponents would be, but now it’s official.

And we know a lot more than that, too.

The SEC announced, officially, each of its 16 members’ annual opponents they’ll face the next four years as part of the conference’s expansion to a nine-game schedule.

As previously reported, the Bulldogs’ three annual opponents will be: Alabama, Ole Miss and Vanderbilt.

We also learned the Bulldogs’ SEC schedule for each of the next four seasons. The exact dates and order of games for each season have yet to be determined, but here are the nine SEC teams Mississippi State will face in the coming seasons, as well as if it’ll be a home or road game:

2026

Alabama
Vanderbilt
at Ole Miss
Auburn
Missouri
Oklahoma
at LSU
at South Carolina
at Texas

2027

at Alabama
at Vanderbilt
Ole Miss
Arkansas
Florida
Texas A&M
at Georgia
at Kentucky
at Tennessee

2028

Alabama
Vanderbilt
at Ole Miss
LSU
South Carolina
Texas
at Auburn
at Missouri
at Oklahoma

2029

at Alabama
at Vanderbilt
Ole Miss
Georgia
Kentucky
Tennessee
at Arkansas
at Florida
at Texas A&M

As a reminder, the new nine-game conference schedule will see each school will play every other SEC school at least once every two years, and every opponent, both home and away, over a four-year period.

And, yes, do expect the Egg Bowl rivalry game to take place in the final week of the regular season.

It’s way too soon to declare any one season as an “easy” schedule compared to others. A lot can change from year-to-year in the SEC (and, really, in college football as a whole).

For instance, would anyone a year ago think Mississippi State would be 4-0 right now? Or that Texas would on the outside-looking-in for the College Football Playoff?

No, none of you would’ve thought that a year ago.

So, let’s not to what college football fans tend to do and overreact. But even as I’m writing this story, I can see some social media posts already doing just that.

Everyone, take a deep breath and relax. By 2027, Kentucky could be a powerhouse team and Alabama reliving the Mike Shula era. OK, that’s a stretch, but what about in 2029? Kentucky could replace Mark Stoops, build up its program and be a dominant force.

And who really knows if Vanderbilt will keep its current swagger when Diego Pavia leaves after this season?

The point is, none of us know if these next four years of SEC opponents is a good thing or a bad things.

For now, it’s just a thing.

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Taylor Hodges
TAYLOR HODGES

Award-winning sports editor, writer, columnist, and photographer with 15 years’ experience offering his opinion and insight about the sports world in Mississippi and Texas, but he was taken to Razorback pep rallies at Billy Bob's Texas in Fort Worth before he could walk. Taylor has covered all levels of sports, from small high schools in the Mississippi Delta to NFL games. Follow Taylor on Twitter and Facebook.

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