Preview: Mississippi State at Florida

Mississippi State has already reached one of its biggest goals for the season, going undefeated in non-conference games.

While the first two SEC games didn’t help the Bulldogs towards their next goal, there’s still plenty of time for them to reach bowl eligibility.

“We're trying to get postseason eligible as fast as we possibly can,” second-year Mississippi State coach Jeff Lebby said. “That's the next step. So, that means finding a way to go 1-0 on Saturday to give us the ability to take that next step. Our guys understand that we want to do it is as soon as possible. That for us is huge.”

This week’s game is the first of only two remaining games against non-ranked opponents, which means it’s one of the Bulldogs’ best opportunities for a win the rest of this season.

“I think our best football is still ahead of us,” Lebby said. “I'm not surprised at all by the way we were able to start, frustrated, obviously about the last two and how they went.

“But I do think our guys are serious about being great and they're serious about being able to go take advantage of a huge opportunity Saturday at 3:15. We need to go win on the road in this league, and that's something that we've got out ahead of us.”

But a Mississippi State win over the Gators would be considered an upset.

FanDuel Sportsbook has the Gators as 9.5-point favorites. ESPN’s matchup predictor only gives the Bulldogs a 32.3 percent chance of winning.

SP+ Projections favor Florida, too, but only with a 57 percent win probability and 2.6-point projected margin of victory.

One thing Mississippi State has on the Gators is in the AP Top 25 Rankings. The Bulldogs received eight votes in the latest poll while Florida received none.

Here’s how Mississippi State fans can watch the Bulldogs take on the Gators this Saturday:

How to Watch: Mississippi State at Florida

Who: Mississippi State Bulldogs (4-2, 0-2 SEC) at Florida Gators (1-2, 2-4 SEC)

When: 3:15 p.m., Saturday

Where: Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, Gainesville, Fla.

TV: SEC Network

Radio: Live Radio

Stats: Live Stats

Series History: Florida leads the all-time series 25-19-2

Last Meeting: Florida 45, Mississippi State 28 (September 21, 2024)

Last time out, Bulldogs: lost to No. 6 Texas A&M 31-9 (Oct. 4)

Last time out, Gators: lost to No. 5 Texas A&M, 34-17