The Magnolia State Roundup is a weekly guide to who’s playing where in the upcoming weekend of college football around Mississippi.

 

Mississippi State vs. Florida, Starkville

ESPN, 11 a.m.

Mississippi State fans came into the 2024 season with a realistic idea that their team would be behind the 8-ball in several positions from a talent standpoint but knowing that it’ll take some time to build the program back up under first year head coach Jeff Lebby.

However, they were not expecting to get boat raced at home last week by the Toledo Rockets by a 41-17 final score.

Maybe the only team that’s more desperate for a win in the entire country is the one coming to Starkville this weekend. There were reports that Florida boosters had assembled the cash to toss out current head coach Billy Napier with a 20-something million-dollar golden parachute earlier this week.

If State can get it together and beat the Gators in the SEC opener for the Bulldogs, Napier might get his pink slip on the tarmac before Florida returns to Gainesville.

 

Ole Miss vs. Georgia Southern, Oxford

SEC Network, 6:45 p.m.

So far Ole Miss has lived up to its lofty preseason billing by easily dispatching foes of lesser strength to begin the season. The Rebels beat Wake Forest 40-6 last week on the road and then had the athletic department in Winston-Salem tell them that Wake would rather pay a hefty buyout than return the game next season in Oxford.

This one is a matchup of former fired USC head coaches in Kiffin and Clay Helton of Georgia Southern. The Eagles are a solid Sun Belt Conference team, but they’ll be highly outmatched against an Ole Miss roster that has game breakers in nearly every spot.

Through three games, Ole Miss senior quarterback Jaxson Dart has thrown for 1,172 yards, eight touchdowns, and one interception. Look for those totals to get further padded on Saturday in Oxford before Kentucky comes to town next week to open SEC play.

 

Southern Miss at Jacksonville State, Jacksonville, Ala.

ESPN+, 2 p.m.

Frankly put, this is a huge game for Southern Miss head coach Will Hall and the health of his program. USM has not won a road game outside of their conference since the 2022 season, when the Golden Eagles won at Tulane. That’s the only such victory in Hall’s four-season tenure in Hattiesburg.

Jacksonville State is 0-3 with losses to Coastal Carolina (55-27), Louisville (49-14), and Eastern Michigan (37-34, 2OT).

The oddsmakers have the Golden Eagles as a 6.5-point underdog and if they’re going to compete in the Sun Belt, qualify for a bowl and get their head coach some more job security, this is a game they badly need to win.

Jackson State at Grambling State, Grambling, La.

ESPN+, 6 p.m.

Vibes are high for Jackson State after a 33-15 win at home last week over their rivals from Southern University. Grambling State has not played a SWAC Game yet, but the Tigers are 2-1 in their non-conference schedule. JSU beat Grambling State 66-24 when the schools last played in 2022.

 

Alcorn State at McNeese State, Lake Charles, La.

ESPN+, 7 p.m.

The Braves got on the winning track last week with a 38-7 win over Edward Waters in Lorman. McNeese State got an improbable 28-24 win at home against Stepehen F. Austin last week via a last-minute touchdown drive. The Cowboys also beat Southern University 21-7 earlier this season.

 

Mississippi College vs. North Greenville, Clinton

FloSports Network, 6 p.m.

Mississippi College will open Gulf South Conference play looking for its first win of the season against North Greenville, who’s also looking to win its first game. MC led early 7-3 last week at home against Texas A&M-Kingsville, but saw the Javelin pull away for a 27-7 win.

 

Delta State vs. Fort Valley State University, Cleveland

FloSports Network, 6 p.m.

Last week ended with the first loss of the season for Delta State, a 21-7 setback on the road at Wingate University, which is an irregular thing in the regular season for the Statesmen, especially in the non-conference portion of the schedule. DSU will get back on the winning track this weekend against Forty Valley State out of Georgia.

 

Belhaven University at Brevard College, Brevard, North Carolina

Brevard YouTube, 12 p.m.

The Blazers lost a close one to open the season to Millsaps (23-21). Last week, they faced a tougher foe in Trinity University (55-10). BU beat BC 46-19 last season in Jackson.

 

Millsaps vs. Bridgewater College, Jackson

12 p.m.

After beating their rivals from Belhaven in the season opener, Millsaps beat John Melvin University, a school that you didn’t know existed in Crowley, Louisiana, 46-0 last week. This week, the Majors play a fellow Division III member in Bridgewater College, a school that you didn’t know existed from Bridgewater, Virginia.

Mississippi Valley State at Nicholls State, Thibodaux, La. Valley State Sports Network, 3 p.m.

The Delta Devils lost 59-8 last week at Murray State and they’ll face a similarly strong crew in Nicholls State, despite them being 0-3. The Colonels had a close loss at Louisiana Tech, a 44-21 setback at LSU and a road loss last week at a nationally ranked FCS Sacramento State.