2026 Vanderbilt Football Early Opponent Preview, Game 9: Mississippi State

Vanderbilt and Mississippi State are not teams that meet often, nor are they schools that SEC fans would consider rivals.

But for the next four seasons, Vanderbilt and Mississippi State will get very familiar with each other. In the new nine-game SEC schedule format, each team in the conference plays three annual opponents for the next four seasons before receiving new annual opponents beginning in the 2030 season.

For Vanderbilt, the Bulldogs are one of those three teams the Commodores get to see each of the next four seasons, including this fall. Vanderbilt goes to Starkville in 2026 and 2028 and hosts Mississippi State in Nashville for the 2027 and 2029 seasons.

This season, Vanderbilt takes on Mississippi State to begin its November schedule. The final month of the season is always a critical time of the year, so going to Starkville will be a challenge but an opportunity to get a road SEC win.

Here is a breakdown of the Bulldogs’ roster and the game information for Vanderbilt’s game against Mississippi State.

Offense

Mississippi State’s offense was the strength of the team in 2025, but in the grand scheme of college football, it was not anything to write home about. The Bulldogs were 55th in the country in total offense, averaging 30.4 points per game and averaged just under 400 yards per game.

The biggest difference is that Mississippi State will have a new quarterback running the offense, Blake Shapen has moved on and reports from spring ball indicate that Kamario Taylor will likely be the starter in 2026. If that holds, Mississippi State will have a first-year starter running the offense, but Taylor did show promise as a freshman, winning the SEC Freshman of the Week twice.

Mississippi State did keep its starting running back from last season, Fluff Bothwell. Taylor will likely function as the second-best running threat on the team as the Bulldogs did not add a running back in the portal this offseason. In 2025, Taylor ran for 458 yards and eight touchdowns as a dual-threat quarterback.

The other notable loss that Mississippi State suffered was wide receiver Brenan Thompson leaving for the NFL. Thompson was by far the team’s leading wide receiver last season with over 1,000 yards and six touchdowns.

In the portal, though, Mississippi State added Missouri wide receiver Marquis Johnson and Oklahoma receiver Zion Ragins. Without Thompson, Mississippi State is going to look for guys that can catch the ball. Johnson and Ragins will probably be relied upon often throughout the season.

Defense

Mississippi State was one of the worst defenses in the SEC a season ago. The Bulldogs gave up over 400 yards per game and 30.2 points per game. Much like other teams that finished at the bottom of the SEC in 2025, it feels as though the only way is up defensively for Mississippi State.

One of the better additions Mississippi State made on defense was adding former Florida State EDGE rusher Amaree Williams. Williams is an interesting case because he played snaps at both tight end and defensive end. As a defensive end, he had 10 tackles, two tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks on the season.

It seems that Williams will serve more so as an EDGE for the Bulldogs this fall. Mississippi State also added defensive lineman Daelyn Evans, safety Kendel Dolby from Oklahoma and cornerback Jamroc Grimsley through the portal.

The additions Mississippi State made through the portal are guys that are looking to get more play time and earn a starting role this season and hope to make an impact on the defense.

A lot of Mississippi State’s defensive performance this year is going to depend on how defensive coordinator Zach Arnett calls the defense. Being the defensive play caller for the defense that allowed so many points per game is not something he can afford to do again. If Arnett is able to get his defense in line and build chemistry, Mississippi State could be better than experts think.

Schedule

Mississippi State’s schedule starts off with an easy game against Louisiana-Monroe before going to Minnesota. The Bulldogs also start SEC play in week three with a road trip to South Carolina. Mississippi State has a challenging road slate with trips to LSU, Texas and Ole Miss as well.

Mississippi State also has to play Alabama, Vanderbilt, Oklahoma and Auburn at home. Finding six wins and bowl eligibility in the Bulldogs’ schedule is not going to be easy to do, especially with a nine-game SEC slate.

Outlook

There may be more pressure mounting on head coach Jeff Lebby this season. Lebby is 7-18 in his two seasons as head coach over Mississippi State and has not yet reached the six win mark in his tenure. Though his team got to a bowl game in 2025, it was due to other teams ahead of it rejecting bowl invitations.

Lebby is going to need to get his program to legitimately qualify for a bowl game this fall, or his seat could definitely get hot. The Bulldogs are not projected to be a team that is a shoe-in for a bowl game. They will have to surpass their preseason expectations a little bit in order to get at least six wins.

Mississippi State is never an easy environment to play in, but this should be one of Vanderbilt’s easier SEC games on the nine it will play. If the Commodores want to try to replicate what they did in 2025, this is a game it would need to win.

The Game

Date: Nov. 7

Time: FLEX (Midday or night slate game)

TV: TBD

Location: Davis Wade Stadium, Starkville, Mississippi

Series history: Mississippi State leads 15-7-2

Last meeting: Mississippi State beat Vanderbilt 45-6 in 2021

The Team

Coach: Jeff Lebby, third season, 7-18

Offensive coordinator: Philip Montgomery

Defensive coordinator: Zach Arnett

2025 record: 5-8 (1-7 SEC)

2025 rankings: 55th in total offense, 105th in total defense

Top Newcomer: Amaree Williams, EDGE rusher from Florida State

Biggest Question: Can Jeff Lebby get his team to bowl eligibility (6+ wins) and show that he is the guy to lead the program into the future?

The School

Location: Starkville, Mississippi

Founded: 1878

Enrollment: 23,150 total students

Nickname: Bulldogs

Colors: Maroon and white

Mascot: Bully the Bulldog

The Program

Last win in series: Mississippi State beat Vanderbilt 45-6 in 2021.

FBS championships: None

FBS Playoff Appearances: None

The Schedule

September 5: vs. Louisiana-Monroe

September 12: at Minnesota

September 19: at South Carolina

September 26: vs. Missouri

October 3: vs. Alabama

October 17: at LSU

October 24: vs. Oklahoma

October 31: at Texas

November 7: vs. Vanderbilt

November 14: vs. Auburn

November 21: vs. Tennessee Tech

November 28: at Ole Miss

This is the ninth story in Vanderbilt on SI's early preview series of all 12 regular-season opponents for Vanderbilt football in 2026

Follow us on Twitter/X, Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, Threads and Blue Sky for the latest news.

Add us as a preferred source on Google