SEC team to receive bowl bid despite going 5-7 in regular season
By Sydney Hunte
Published:
An SEC team will play in a bowl game despite finishing its regular season with a 5-7 mark.
Mississippi State will play in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte on Jan. 2, the program announced on Sunday. The Bulldogs will face an ACC team to be determined.
The Bulldogs’ participation in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl comes as a pair of other teams opted out of the postseason amid coaching transitions. Kansas State saw Chris Klieman retire, but won’t have Klieman’s replacement, Texas A&M offensive coordinator Collin Klein, in place until after the College Football Playoff. Iowa State saw Matt Campbell announced as Penn State’s head coach on Saturday, with Washington State head coach Jimmy Rogers hired in his place.
That opened the door for Mississippi State, which is in a bowl game for the first time under Jeff Lebby. Its last time in the postseason was in 2022 as it won the ReliaQuest Bowl.
The Bulldogs opened the season with a 4-0 mark before losing their next four. Three of those losses were by one score and two went to overtime. After snapping their skid with a win over Arkansas, Mississippi State lost its next three.
Sydney is an Atlanta-based journalist who has covered everything from SEC and ACC football to MLS, the U.S. men's national soccer team and professional tennis. His work has appeared on such platforms as SB Nation, Cox Media Group and FanSided.
