Texas vs Mississippi State Prediction, Game Preview, and Betting Lines

The Texas Longhorns should get a nice and easy welcome into the SEC.

Mississippi State is having problems.

Starting quarterback Blake Shapen is hurt and out for the year, the lines are struggling, the defense isn’t able to tackle, and when you lose at home by 24 to Toledo and by 17 to Florida - who loses to Florida right now? - something is going wrong.

But this is what a rebuild looks like, and new head coach Jeff Lebby is just getting going.

Meanwhile, the world has fallen deeply, madly in love with a Texas team that whacked around UTSA and ULM as if they were the Kansas City Chiefs and New York Yankees, respectively.

(Okay, so beating Michigan in Ann Arbor was sort of a big deal, and that Arch Manning game might be pretty good.)

After this SEC appetizer the Longhorns get a week off, and then … Oklahoma, Georgia.

Texas vs Mississippi State Preview

Texas vs Mississippi State How to Watch
Date: Saturday, September 28, 2024
Game Time: 4:15 pm ET
Venue: DKR-Texas Memorial Stadium, Austin, TX
How to Watch: SEC Network
Texas (4-0), Mississippi State (1-3)
- Week 5 Schedule, Predictions
- Heisman Trophy Race
- CFN Rankings | Bowl Projections
- Every Team's Schedule, Results
Predicting the Rest of the Season
ACC | Big Ten | Big 12 | SEC

Why Mississippi State Will Win

So what’s going right?

It hasn’t been been pretty or consistent, but there are moments here and there when the Lebby offensive style showed what it has the potential to do.

There were signs in the second half of the loss to Arizona State, and there was a perfect 240/240 yard balance on the ground and through the air against Florida.

Here’s the lone silver lining - now the program gets to develop Michael Van Buren Jr.

Again, the Bulldogs are playing now for 2025 - really, the killer schedule isn’t going to be pretty for the rest of 2024 - and now there’s absolutely no pressure.

Turn it loose. Let Van Buren do whatever he has to, get him on the move, and just take on the attitude of being the ultimate underdog because …

Why Texas Will Win

The Texas speed will be way too much for the Bulldogs, but ...

Here comes the hammer.

All of the running back injuries from this offseason have yet to be that much of a problem.

Arch Manning - if he really is starting, and he should with a week off after this to give Quinn Ewers more time to heal up - can take off, too, and in this there shouldn’t be any problems grinding away.

Arizona State was able to plow over the Bulldogs for 346 yards, Florida averaged well over six yards per carry, and those two along with Toledo ran for seven touchdowns over the last three weeks.

Texas vs Mississippi State: Who Will Win

Get in, enjoy the SEC celebration, get the win, get out and rest up for Oklahoma and Georgia.

It might take a little bit, and Mississippi State is an SEC team, after all, and will be more than just a speed bump, but two drives in and it’ll be mostly an exhibition.

Texas vs Mississippi State Prediction, Betting Lines

Texas 48, Mississippi State 6
Line: Texas -38.5, o/u: 62.5
ATS Confidence out of 5: 3
Texas vs Mississippi State Must See Rating: 2

Week 5 CFN Expert Picks
Georgia at Alabama
Army at Temple | Virginia Tech at Miami
Wash at Rutgers | Kentucky at Ole Miss
Minn at Michigan | Okla St at Kansas St
Nebraska at Purdue | Wisconsin at USC
Louisville at Notre Dame | Ark at Texas A&M
Colorado at UCF | Ohio St at Michigan St
Illinois at Penn St | Wash St at Boise St
Arizona at Utah | Oregon at UCLA