New Scheedule

[BorneDawg]

Shocked this morning to not see a post on here about the schedule for the next 4 years.... What are your thoughts? I didn't get to see everyones (had to work late) but just glancing at ours looks like a very challenging slate of game.

[DownwardDawg]

There's a 2 page thread we discussed yesterday. It seems everyone is pretty happy about it. I'm surprised we got Vandy over Kentucky but I'll take it.

[BorneDawg]

There's a 2 page thread we discussed yesterday. It seems everyone is pretty happy about it. I'm surprised we got Vandy over Kentucky but I'll take it.

i saw the one on the 3 perm opponents thought the schedule didnt come out till 6 last night

2026 SEC Opponents
Alabama
Vanderbilt
at Ole Miss
Auburn
Missouri
Oklahoma
at LSU
at South Carolina
at Texas

with out of conference
ULM
Minnesota
Troy

[Coursesuper]

This is a tough thing for us. This entire 9 game schedule is set up for the upper tier of our conference to get as many teams in the playoffs as possible. This is all about $$$$.

[smootness]

Shocked this morning to not see a post on here about the schedule for the next 4 years.... What are your thoughts? I didn't get to see everyones (had to work late) but just glancing at ours looks like a very challenging slate of game.

The schedules are very tough, as any 9-game SEC schedule will be (even Tennessee this year with their relatively nothing schedule is still overall playing a tough one). But I think they are all easier than ours this year.

[CaptainObvious]

i saw the one on the 3 perm opponents thought the schedule didnt come out till 6 last night

2026 SEC Opponents
Alabama
Vanderbilt
at Ole Miss
Auburn
Missouri
Oklahoma
at LSU
at South Carolina
at Texas

I haven't looked at everybody else's schedule but ours looks remarkably how an 8 team West Division would look in a 16 team league.

7 of our 9 opponents would be in the west with us. Interesting!

[smootness]

I haven't looked at everybody else's schedule but ours looks remarkably how an 8 team West Division would look in a 16 team league.

7 of our 9 opponents would be in the west with us. Interesting!

Are you saying Texas A&M and Arkansas would be in the East?

[BorneDawg]

2027 SEC Opponents
at Alabama
at Vanderbilt
Ole Miss
Arkansas
Florida
Texas A&M
at Georgia
at Kentucky
at Tennessee

with out of conference
Minnesota
Troy

[BorneDawg]

2028 SEC Opponents
Alabama
Vanderbilt
at Ole Miss
LSU
South Carolina
Texas
at Auburn
at Missouri
at Oklahoma

With Memphis out of conference

2029 SEC Opponents
at Alabama
at Vanderbilt
Ole Miss
Georgia
Kentucky
Tennessee
at Arkansas
at Florida
at Texas A&M

Memphsis out of conference

[CaptainObvious]

Are you saying Texas A&M and Arkansas would be in the East?

No. In 2026, Vandy and Carolina would be in the East. Everyone else would be in the West. I'm not talking about 27-29 seasons.

[CaptainObvious]

2027 SEC Opponents
at Alabama
at Vanderbilt
Ole Miss
Arkansas
Florida
Texas A&M
at Georgia
at Kentucky
at Tennessee

with out of conference
Minnesota
Troy

Troy will need to be bought out. No way we can play an away game at Troy. Especially if we have 5 SEC road games in 2027. Playing at Troy would mean we only get 6 home games. That cannot happen.

[Todd4State]

The schedules are very tough, as any 9-game SEC schedule will be (even Tennessee this year with their relatively nothing schedule is still overall playing a tough one). But I think they are all easier than ours this year.

I had the same thought when I saw our schedules released. I was like, yeah it's tough, but we're in the SEC and it's not as bad as this year.

[Todd4State]

Troy will need to be bought out. No way we can play an away game at Troy. Especially if we have 5 SEC road games in 2027. Playing at Troy would mean we only get 6 home games. That cannot happen.

I think that's inevitable. We have 1 too many OOC opponents for 2026 when we play Troy at home, and then we don't have enough home games for 2027 with Troy on the road. And I think I saw where the SEC will help us buy out series to make the schedule work if I'm not mistaken and if that is true then we won't get burned by buying out Troy.

We'll have to find another OOC opponent to play for 2027 and I could see us talking someone like USM into doing a one off in Starkville.

[Todd4State]

Shocked this morning to not see a post on here about the schedule for the next 4 years.... What are your thoughts? I didn't get to see everyones (had to work late) but just glancing at ours looks like a very challenging slate of game.

The biggest surprise to me was that they are doing schedules in four year cycles instead of two now. I kind of liked having some predictability as to who we are playing every year and when but it does make it more interesting and I like that they have more of an emphasis on parity. I was also surprised that they took geography into account as much as they did. I may be mistaken but our "permanent" opponents are the three SEC schools closest to us geographically. Auburn might be slightly closer than Vandy but I don't think so. You can hit the Trace in Mayhew and end up in Nashville in a few hours.

[CaptainObvious]

Yes. I think Nashville is slightly closer to Starkville than Auburn and LSU would be the next closest and we know they wanted the Battle For the Boot and the Magnolia Bowl so they weren't going to stick us with LSU over those 2 games.

[DownwardDawg]

i saw the one on the 3 perm opponents thought the schedule didnt come out till 6 last night

2026 SEC Opponents
Alabama
Vanderbilt
at Ole Miss
Auburn
Missouri
Oklahoma
at LSU
at South Carolina
at Texas

with out of conference
ULM
Minnesota
Troy

Things are just getting tougher for us going forward. I hate the 9 game SEC schedule for us.

[BorneDawg]

On super talk Hadad said over the next couple weeks... months there would be a lot of out of conference changes and jockeying for those home only contest during your 4 home game (SEC) years

[BorneDawg]

Said we'd prob drop Troy

[CaptainObvious]

Yeah it is going to cost us but we need to always have 7 home games. So the years State only plays 4 SEC home games all 3 non-conf will have to be at home. That will be a bear to schedule and will probably mean buying out if future road games.

[CaptainObvious]

With Washington State now a G5 program, would both schools agree to cancel that series? We can't afford to play Memphis, USM or WSU on the Road any more. 7 home games will be more important than ever with a 9 game conference schedule. So Selmon needs to be working the phones to get but in for buy outs! Either State is a P5 program playing and competing with the big boys are State is just a glorified G5 with SEC by their name if they continue to play on the road against G5 opponents. Time to get indoor plumbing Zac!

[Todd4State]

With Washington State now a G5 program, would both schools agree to cancel that series? We can't afford to play Memphis, USM or WSU on the Road any more. 7 home games will be more important than ever with a 9 game conference schedule. So Selmon needs to be working the phones to get but in for buy outs! Either State is a P5 program playing and competing with the big boys are State is just a glorified G5 with SEC by their name if they continue to play on the road against G5 opponents. Time to get indoor plumbing Zac!

I asked Rosebowl the other day about Washington State and he said that since they were P5 when we scheduled them they would be grandfathered in and count as our p5 game. Same as Ole Miss playing them this year.

I think we'll still play USM in Hattiesburg every once in awhile. It's a cheap trip for us and with the portal it's basically a scouting combine. I suspect we will mostly play them in Starkville. Same with Memphis, Tulane, and UAB. Those are short trips for the team and our fans. Might add South Alabama too.

[PGHBulldogBG]

I have no issues playing USM on the road one in every three or four years but we should not be playing other G5 teams on the road. Wazzu I understand the except on that one too being it was G5 when we schedule them. The rest though we should never do that with Memphis, Troy or anyone not P4. The only reason for USM is to help recruiting and give our fans in the southern part of the state an easier and less expensive game to check out. Now that all conferences are going to 9 game non conference it should be easier to get teams to come here without wanting a home game in return because the scheduling for non conference will become tighter for them

[BulldogBear]

I would imagine that the SEC will probably give schools a waiver for cases like MSU vs WSU and Ole Miss vs Oregon State since they were scheduled in good faith. It seems like I remember them grandfathering in a few matchups before like an exception for BYU and Army. Would we cancel series with Memphis? I know from conversations with past ADs they love playing Memphis. They kind of do it for the fans. As for Troy I imagine we'll buy out though it might be easier to just change it. Pay them to come to Starkville again. Neither school would have to fool with finding another opponent.

[CaptainObvious]

We don't have to find another opponent to replace Troy. The SEC has already done it.

[BulldogBear]

We don't have to find another opponent to replace Troy. The SEC has already done it.

But for 2027 we would only have 2 ooc games. We are supposed to go to Troy. We shoukd just pay them to come to Starkville in 2027 instead.

[Todd4State]

I would imagine that the SEC will probably give schools a waiver for cases like MSU vs WSU and Ole Miss vs Oregon State since they were scheduled in good faith. It seems like I remember them grandfathering in a few matchups before like an exception for BYU and Army. Would we cancel series with Memphis? I know from conversations with past ADs they love playing Memphis. They kind of do it for the fans. As for Troy I imagine we'll buy out though it might be easier to just change it. Pay them to come to Starkville again. Neither school would have to fool with finding another opponent.

I suspect we will play that series with Memphis if I had to guess. The Troy series looks like the only one that is out of place.