Ranking the Top 131 College Football Programs of the Last 40 Years: 56. Mississippi State
MORE COWBELL
Mississippi State comes in as the 12th ranked SEC team on the list ahead of Kentucky (70) and Vanderbilt (106). I have to admit, I’m surprised they’re this high. Mississippi State’s had some solid stretches under Jackie Sherrill, Dan Mullen, and Mike Leach in the last 40 years, appearing in the top 25 at some point in 20 of those seasons. In fact, this seems to be golden era of Miss State football, as they’ve won just 1 conference title in their history, in 1941. We’ll see if they can get the conference title monkey off their back in the coming seasons, but if not, they’re still doing very good.
Best Seasons and Highlights
+------+-------------------+------+--------------+--------+
| rank | team | year | resume score | record |
+------+-------------------+------+--------------+--------+
| 18 | Mississippi State | 2014 | 24.492 | 10-3 |
| 12 | Mississippi State | 1999 | 23.943 | 10-2 |
| 27 | Mississippi State | 2015 | 18.506 | 9-4 |
| 23 | Mississippi State | 2017 | 17.083 | 9-4 |
| 21 | Mississippi State | 2022 | 16.017 | 9-4 |
| 26 | Mississippi State | 2018 | 15.764 | 8-5 |
| 27 | Mississippi State | 2010 | 14.152 | 9-4 |
| 24 | Mississippi State | 2000 | 13.466 | 8-4 |
| 32 | Mississippi State | 1994 | 7.614 | 8-4 |
| 29 | Mississippi State | 1997 | 7.079 | 7-4 |
| 40 | Mississippi State | 2007 | 5.036 | 8-5 |
| 31 | Mississippi State | 1992 | 3.803 | 7-5 |
| 49 | Mississippi State | 2013 | 2.84 | 7-6 |
| 46 | Mississippi State | 2021 | 2.586 | 7-6 |
| 35 | Mississippi State | 1998 | 1.68 | 8-5 |
| 53 | Mississippi State | 2012 | 1.28 | 8-5 |
| 38 | Mississippi State | 1991 | 0.906 | 7-5 |
| 48 | Mississippi State | 2011 | -1.446 | 7-6 |
| 60 | Mississippi State | 2009 | -5.469 | 5-7 |
| 49 | Mississippi State | 1986 | -7.266 | 6-5 |
| 51 | Mississippi State | 1996 | -8.5 | 5-6 |
| 62 | Mississippi State | 2019 | -9.607 | 6-7 |
| 57 | Mississippi State | 1990 | -10.713 | 5-6 |
| 67 | Mississippi State | 2016 | -11.724 | 6-7 |
| 52 | Mississippi State | 1985 | -12.435 | 5-6 |
| 56 | Mississippi State | 1993 | -13.754 | 3-6-2 |
| 83 | Mississippi State | 2020 | -14.925 | 4-7 |
| 71 | Mississippi State | 1989 | -19.97 | 5-6 |
| 75 | Mississippi State | 1984 | -21.6 | 4-7 |
| 81 | Mississippi State | 2001 | -23.486 | 3-8 |
| 78 | Mississippi State | 1987 | -24.822 | 4-7 |
| 90 | Mississippi State | 2008 | -25.912 | 4-8 |
| 75 | Mississippi State | 1995 | -27.948 | 3-8 |
| 81 | Mississippi State | 1983 | -29.953 | 3-8 |
| 95 | Mississippi State | 2006 | -32.39 | 3-9 |
| 94 | Mississippi State | 2004 | -34.734 | 3-8 |
| 101 | Mississippi State | 2005 | -34.818 | 3-8 |
| 97 | Mississippi State | 2002 | -40.028 | 3-9 |
| 104 | Mississippi State | 2003 | -47.435 | 2-10 |
| 96 | Mississippi State | 1988 | -52.926 | 1-10 |
+------+-------------------+------+--------------+--------+
Overall Score: 18541 (56th)232-244-2 record
0 conference titles
11-9 bowl record
2 consensus All-Americans
98 NFL players drafted
19 winning seasons: 7 under Jackie Sherrill (1991-2003), 7 under Dan Mullen (2009-17), and 2 under Mike Leach (2020-22), with the remaining 3 occurring under 3 separate coaches. 2 consensus All-Americans is surprisingly low for a Power 5 team this high, but they’ve had great players. CB and Redditor Fred Smoot (2000) was the first, picking off 5 passes, and CB Emmanuel Forbes (2022) was the second just last year, intercepting 6 passes for 3 TDs. Forbes is actually the NCAA’s all time leader in interception return touchdowns with 6 (on 14 interceptions). Their top NFL players have been QB Dak Prescott, DT Fletcher Cox, DT Chris Jones, CB Darius Slay, C Kent Hull, WR Eric Moulds, LB KJ Wright, and recent 1st round picks DT Jeffrey Simmons, DE Montez Sweat, OT Charles Cross, and CB Emmanuel Forbes.
Top 5 Seasons
Worst Season: 1988 (1-10 overall, 0-7 SEC)
Mississippi State was 6-1 and #13 in 1986, on the rise under first year head coach Rockey Felker. They’d be outscored 12-144 in their final 4 games that year, go 4-7 in 1987, then finally collapse to 1-10 in 1988. The 1988 season became known as “Tech and Ten”, having beaten Louisiana Tech in the opener before losing 10 straight. Mississippi State showed signs of life early on, only losing 20-24 at Vanderbilt and 35-42 to #7 Georgia, but fell off by the end of the year, losing 0-33 to Auburn, 22-27 to Tulane, and 6-33 to Ole Miss in the Egg Bowl. I had them as the 10th worst team that year, scoring just 15.6 PPG while giving up 30.2 PPG. QB Tony Shell led the SEC in both passing touchdowns and interceptions, throwing for 1884 yards on just 45.7% completions for 13 TD 18 INT.
5. 2022 (9-4 overall, 4-4 SEC)
Customary being in such a tough division of Alabama, LSU, Texas A&M, and more, Mississippi State was picked 6th in the SEC West to start the year. But Mike Leach would have these guys ready to play against a tough opening schedule, blowing out Memphis, beating an up and coming Arizona team on the road 39-17, taking down #17 Texas A&M 42-24, then finally wrapping up with Arkansas 40-17. The only loss in their first 6 games was at LSU, who would win the East. QB Will Rogers continued performing as one of the top passers in the SEC, throwing for 10 TD to just 1 INT against Arizona, Texas A&M, and Arkansas. The Bulldogs fell from #16 to unranked after 2 straight losses to top 25 teams, but a last second FG to tie Auburn and an overtime TD to win 39-33 earned them bowl eligibility and improved the record to 6-3. After a loss to #1 Georgia and win over an FCS team, State had their win of the season, 24-22 over #20 Ole Miss to head to a bowl at 8-4. Unfortunately, on December 12 2022, coach Mike Leach passed away at the age of 61, an icon in the sport. Interim Zach Arnett took over for the bowl game, outscoring Illinois 16-0 in the 4th quarter of a 19-10 win. Mississippi State finished #20 and 3rd in the SEC East. CB Emmanuel Forbes was a consensus All-American, intercepting 6 passes for 3 touchdowns, and KR Lideatrick Griffin was also an All-American, averaging 32.3 yards per return with a touchdown.
4. 2017 (9-4 overall, 4-4 SEC)
This team had a sneaky amount of talent. DT Jeffrey Simmons, DE Montez Sweat, S Johnathan Abram were all 1st round NFL draft picks, while C Elgton Jenkins and LB Willie Gay were 2nd round picks. Mississippi State was dominant to start the year, blowing out an FCS team and Louisiana Tech before beating #12 LSU 37-7. They lost 2 straight against top 15 teams before winning 6 of the last 8, with the most notable wins being 35-10 over BYU, 45-7 over 7-6 Kentucky, 35-14 over 7-6 Texas A&M, and 31-27 over Louisville in the bowl, intercepting Lamar Jackson 4 times. They got as high as #14 before finishing #19, ending at 4th in a loaded SEC West. One of their most admirable performances came in a loss, going up 24-17 on #2 Alabama in the 4th quarter before losing on a touchdown in the final 30 seconds. The 6’5 QB Nick Fitzgerald, a much better runner than passer, threw for 1782 yards 15 TD 11 INT with 984 rushing yards and 14 TD on 6.1 YPC. Fitzgerald, who was the starter from 2016-18, would finish his career as 4th in SEC history in rushing TDs (46) and 1st among QBs in rushing yards (3607). Sweat and Simmons were both 1st Team All-SEC, combining for 15.5 sacks and 12 TFL.
3. 2015 (9-4 overall, 4-4 SEC)
Despite coming off their best season in over 70 years and returning starting QB Dak Prescott, Miss State was picked last in their division in the SEC media days. They only finished 6th instead of the predicted 7th in their division—but the SEC West was loaded that year, with all 7 teams making an appearance in the top 25 and all finishing with a winning record. They beat who they should’ve beaten, and lost to teams ranked higher than them, going 9-0 against unranked opponents and 0-4 against ranked opponents. The year was capped off with a 400 yard 4 TD performance by Dak in the bowl against NC State, winning 51-28. He evolved as a passer from 2014, going from 62% completions to 66% for 3800 yards and 29 TD to just 5 INT. He also ran for 10 TD, and finished 1st Team All-SEC for the second straight year. WR Fred Ross joined him as the other Mississippi State 1st Teamer, catching 88 passes for over 1000 yards and 5 TD. The late 6’5 WR De’Runnya Wilson added 905 yards and 10 TD.
2. 1999 (10-2 overall, 6-2 SEC)
Vibes were immaculate in Starkville. Mississippi State was coming off their first SEC championship game appearance ever, having not won a title since 1941. They picked up where they left off, starting 3-0 with a win over Oklahoma State, entering the top 25. They had arguably the best defense in the country, beating South Carolina 17-0, Vanderbilt 42-14, Auburn 18-16…State started 8-0 with 4 wins by 3 points or less. That set up #8 Mississippi State at #11 Alabama for the SEC West lead. In one of the loudest crowds in Bryant-Denny Stadium history, Alabama won the slugfest 19-7, handing Miss State their first loss of the year. With a follow up loss to #22 Arkansas, Mississippi State was eliminated from SEC title contention and fell to 8-2. Then came the Egg Bowl, #18 Mississippi State vs #23 Ole Miss. Down 6-20 in the 4th quarter, it looked like the Bulldogs were headed for their 3rd straight loss in what looked originally like a promising season. QB Wayne Madkin led two long touchdown drives though, tying the game at 20 with less than 30 seconds to go. Instead of playing for overtime, Ole Miss aggressively tried to get into field goal range—big mistake. In what became known as the “Kick and the Pick”, Mississippi State tipped Ole Miss’s pass, accidentally kicked it into the air, and intercepted it, returning the ball to field goal range where kicker Scott Westerfield would nail a 44 yard field goal for the win. Playing Clemson in the Peach Bowl, Miss State won 17-7, their first bowl win in nearly 20 years. They finished 10-2 with a #13 final ranking.
The defense gave up just 13.0 PPG, holding opponents to 16 points or less 9 times. 4 defensive players made 1st Team All-SEC, most in the conference. Among them was CB Fred Smoot, who would become a 2000 consensus All-American and massive boat fan in the NFL.
1. 2014 (10-3 overall, 6-2 SEC)
Here’s a fun trivia fact: Who was the first ever #1 team in the College Football Playoff Rankings? 7-0 Mississippi State in 2014. This was the year of the state of Mississippi, with both Mississippi State and Ole Miss starting 7-0 and entering the top 3. Mississippi State’s rise was particularly unexpected, even after starting 3-0 they had only beaten Group of 5 teams, and no one was paying attention to them. That all changed with a huge 34-29 win over #8 LSU in Baton Rouge. QB Dak Prescott rumbled for a 56 yard rushing TD and LSU’s offense struggled to get anything going, as State took a 34-10 lead in the 4th quarter before LSU scored a few garbage time touchdowns to make the game look closer than it was. 5’8 217 lb bowling ball RB Josh Robinson also ran for 197 yards and a TD. Bullish on the Bulldogs, the voters moved MSU up to #12 for their home matchup with #6 Texas A&M. The Aggies were 5-0 and a surprise themselves, led by QB Kenny “Trill” Hill. Dak outperformed him on his way to another dominant 48-31 victory, Mississippi State’s second win over a top 10 team in as many games.
The public could no longer ignore the Bulldogs. The AP voters moved them all the way up to #3 in what was turning out to be a wacky season of upsets. College GameDay attended #2 Auburn at #3 Mississippi State, and once again MSU was clearly the better team, winning 38-23 to become the #1 team in the country. Following a win over Kentucky, the first ever College Football Playoff rankings were released with the Bulldogs at #1, followed by Florida State, Auburn, and Ole Miss. Following a few more wins, 9-0 #1 MSU headed to #4 Alabama for first place in the SEC West. They still couldn’t get over the Bama hump though, and lost their first game of the season 20-25. Still not out of the playoff picture, #4 Mississippi State just needed to beat Vanderbilt (which they did) and Ole Miss in the Egg Bowl. #19 Ole Miss had gotten as high as #3 in the rankings, but entered the game with a 3 game SEC losing streak, most recently 0-30 to Arkansas. The lesson here is that anything can happen in the Egg Bowl, as Ole Miss rode to a 31-17 upset victory on the back of explosive plays, and Mississippi State fell out of the top 4. They still had a chance to win a New Years Six bowl, but lost to #12 Georgia Tech to finish 10-3 and #11.
Dak Prescott was the Heisman frontrunner for most of the year until the Bulldogs fell off and other candidates took over, eventually finishing 8th. He was 1st Team All-SEC, throwing for 3400 yards 27 TD 11 INT with almost 1000 rushing yards and 14 TD. RB Josh Robinson made the 2nd Team, with 1200+ rushing yards and 350+ receiving yards, going in the 6th round of the 2015 NFL Draft. Players stepped up on defense, namely LB Benardrick McKinney who was voted a 1st Team All-American. Dan Mullen won the SEC Coach of the Year and Maxwell Coach of the Year.
5th Quarter
Do you remember that wild 2014 season with the state of Mississippi dominating? If Miss State had beaten Ole Miss, would they have made the playoff over Ohio State still? If they made the playoff, would they have beaten Alabama/Oregon/FSU? Do you agree with Mississippi State’s ranking in this list? Is 12th in the SEC rankings fair?
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