Is a nine-game SEC schedule a good or bad thing for Mississippi State?

Ever since the SEC made its announcement about adding a ninth conference game in 2026, most of the attention has been paid to who will each team’s three permanent opponents.

We already gave our opinion and shared who former Mississippi State coach Jackie Sherrill thinks will be the Bulldogs’ three annual opponents.

But let’s take a step back and look at the big picture.

Is this a good or bad thing for Mississippi State?

Without a doubt, this is a bad thing for the Bulldogs. They’re coming off their first 0-8 season in conference play since 2002 and it’s far from a certainty that won’t repeat in 2025.

Adding another SEC game makes the rebuilding effort second-year coach Jeff Lebby is undertaking a lot harder. Lebby’s success in that effort will be based on wins and losses.

Does anyone think adding Auburn to the Bulldogs’ schedule – or South Carolina, Kentucky, Oklahoma, or Alabama going to make their schedule any easier? Even if Kentucky was added, the Bulldogs’ strength of schedule would go up.

So, no, this isn’t a good thing for Mississippi State.

It’s unlikely we’ll hear from Lebby about the SEC’s announcement until his first game week press conference early next week. But he was asked about it at SEC Media Days last month.

“I think for us from a scheduling standpoint, at the end of the day, it's going to be what's best for the league,” Lebby said. “I think all of us as coaches have our own opinions, but the conference at the end of the day is going to do exactly what we need to do to continue strengthening our position.”

Lebby is correct in that the SEC coach all have opinions about adding another conference game. They made that obvious at SEC Meetings in Destin, Fla. when they poured a large bucket of water on the growing fire that was a ninth SEC game.

The Bulldogs’ leading man will get asked about all of this at some point, but I expect an answer along the lines of either “it is what it is” or “we’re focused on Southern Miss.”

But I do believe what Sherrill told me yesterday is true and that was none of the SEC head coaches wanted this. As previously mentioned, it only makes their job harder and that’s all 16 head coaches, including the ones in contention for a national championship.

Additionally, I don’t think you, a college football fan, are a winner in all of this. I don’t expect the SEC to keep the requirement that each team must have at least one non-conference game against a Power 4 team.

“Those three non-conference games, they’re not going to be coin flip games, they’re going to be games you know you’ll win by showing up,” Sherrill said. “That’s what makes sense playing nine games in the SEC.”

Why would Texas risk losing to Ohio State? What good would come from Mississippi State playing Arizona State? Or Oklahoma playing Michigan?

The risk outweighs the reward.

So, no, this is not a good thing for Mississippi State. The ongoing rebuild just got a lot harder and having a successful 2025 season (however you want to define success) became a whole lot more important.