Texas vs. Mississippi State Staff Predictions and Final Score Picks

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The Texas Longhorns are back on track after back-to-back losses, as they picked up a much-needed 34-27 win over the then No. 7 Ole Miss Rebels. The Longhorns have improved to a 5-2 overall record, an even 2-2 SEC record, and have risen to the No. 11-ranked team in the country.
The Longhorns will look to sustain any midseason momentum as they stay home for another weekend, hosting the Mississippi State Bulldogs on Saturday. The Bulldogs enter Austin with a 4-3 record and a 2-3 conference record.
Here is how the Texas Longhorns On SI staff predict the Longhorns' matchup against the Bulldogs.
Zion Trammell
Texas regained momentum after it survived the Ole Miss Rebels. This week, the Longhorns face a Mississippi State team without Kamario Taylor.
If Texas can continue to run the ball effectively and force the Bulldogs into obvious passing situations, the Longhorns shouldn’t be worried. I think Texas rolls and picks up its second straight win.
Texas 35, Mississippi State 10

Leo Barnes
While I’m not quite ready to declare that the Longhorns have truly turned a corner yet, Mississippi State isn’t exactly arriving in Austin with much momentum. Only 15 points in the Bulldogs’ last two games, combined with the absence of Kamario Taylor, spells certain trouble.
I expect Texas to control this game from the beginning, though I'm not convinced the offensive inconsistencies will disappear overnight. Still, this is a game the Longhorns should win without much drama.
Texas, 31, Mississippi State 10
JD Andress
Texas got a big win over the Ole Miss Rebels last weekend and now gets a chance to sweep the state of Mississippi against the Bulldogs. Without Kamario Taylor and the struggling offensive line, the Texas defense should dominate this one.
Texas 34, Mississippi State 17
Phoenix Haigis
The Longhorns got a much-needed win against Ole Miss last week, however, with another rough third quarter. Texas enters Saturday with a chance to get its first dominant win in conference play against a Mississippi State team that is in the midst of a three-game losing streak and without its quarterback, Kamario Taylor, for the rest of the season.
If the Longhorns offense can play as it did in the first half last Saturday for a full four quarters against an inconsistent Bulldogs defense, the college football playoff committee may start to view the Longhorns as very much alive in the playoff race. Unfortunately, with even more injury news, including offensive lineman Trevor Goosby being out for the season, Texas will have the ability to win, but not enough star power to make a statement and turn some heads in the college football world.
Texas 27, Miss. St. 17
Ylver Deleon-Rios
The Longhorns got back on track a week ago and kept their College Football Playoff hopes alive, at least for the moment, as they took down the Ole Miss Rebels a week ago. Texas now gets to stay at home once more taking on a Mississippi State team that crawls into Austin coming off three straight losses.
No win is easy in the SEC, as the Longhorns have found out plenty of times, and backup quarterbacks always seem to have a magical performance against Texas, as the Bulldogs will be without starter Kamario Taylor on Saturday. But the Longhorns should have more than enough talent to outmatch the Bulldogs and come away with a comfortable win.
Texas 31, Mississippi State 10
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Ylver Deleon-Rios is an English major and Journalism and Media minor at the University of Texas at Austin. His experience in sports journalism includes writing for The Daily Texan, where he has worked on the soccer and softball beats. A native Houstonian, he roots for the Astros and the Rockets while also rooting for the Dallas Cowboys.
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