Early 2015 schedule outlook: Mississippi State

Mississippi State caught the SEC West off guard in 2014 when it won 10 games for the first time since the 1998 season. It’ll be even more challenging to repeat that feat in 2015, as the Bulldogs face yet another grueling schedule in the SEC West featuring eight difficult conference games and a tough in-state road date with up-and-coming Southern Miss.

How does the 2015 schedule look?

Schedule breakdown

Home games (7): LSU (9/12), Northwestern State (9/19), Troy (10/10), Louisiana Tech (10/17), Kentucky (10/24), Alabama (11/14), Ole Miss (11/28)

Road games (5): Southern Miss (9/5), Auburn (9/26), Texas A&M (10/3), Missouri (11/7), Arkansas (11/21)

Open date: 10/31

Longest home stretch: 3 games (Troy, Louisiana Tech, Kentucky)

Longest road stretch: 2 games (at Auburn, at Texas A&M)

Opponent breakdown

2014 ranked teams (final regular season): No. 1 Alabama, No. 9 Ole Miss, No. 16 Missouri, No. 19 Auburn, No. 23 LSU

2015 ranked teams (early projections): No. 2 Alabama, No. 10 Missouri, No. 12 Auburn, No. 17 LSU, No. 19 Ole Miss, No. 22 Arkansas, No. 24 Texas A&M

Potential trap games: Louisiana Tech, Kentucky

Toughest SEC games: at Auburn, at Texas A&M, at Missouri, Alabama

Full schedule