College football has seen a decade's worth of change in a few years. One of the most significant parts of the shift is conference realignment, while Mississippi State has not moved a team on its schedule will.
The Bulldogs have taken on NC State and Arizona since the Power Five nonconference game went into effect. Now, MSU will travel once again to the state of Arizona, but this time to Tempe.
Both teams have a fair amount of change as the Bulldogs enter their first year under Jeff Lebby, while ASU is looking to improve in year two of Kenny Dillingham. Here's an early look at Arizona State as we continue to preview Mississippi State's opponents for the upcoming season.
As mentioned, these programs have many similarities; one is both will rely on a transfer quarterback. ASU brought in a pair of transfers, one with experience and a youngster.
The Sun Devils signed Jeff Sims, who has played a lot of snaps at the power five level at Georgia Tech and Nebraska. However, the favorite to start is redshirt freshman Sam Leavity, who played sparingly last season at Michigan State but was a consensus 4-star recruit out of high school.
Like the Bulldogs, ASU went heavy in the transfer portal looking for offensive linemen and tight ends, signing three tight ends and four offensive linemen. Dillingham runs an up-tempo pro-style attack, and after a 3-9 season a year ago, he has brought in some help through the transfer portal.
The biggest concern for any team taking on an SEC team is the line of scrimmage. ASU was gutted on the defensive line as they lost their top two producers to the transfer portal and the NFL draft. However, they tried to address the need in the transfer portal by signing a slew of big men from fellow Power Five schools (Texas, Arizona, Purdue, and Louisville).
All three of their projected starting linebackers will also be from the transfer portal. However, this team's strength will be in the secondary, as it returns two productive safeties: Xavion Alford, who had three interceptions a year ago, and Shamari Simmons, who had 54 tackles.
The Sun Devils also added 4-star cornerback Martin Cole from Oregon.
Arizona State finished 3-9 last year in the first season of Dillingham. However, the Pac-12 was a tough conference a season ago, and the transfer portal can speed up program rebuilds.
MSU will have only one game to get into a rhythm before heading to the West Coast. Luckily for State, there will be a lot of change for ASU, but it will be an adjustment for Bulldog players to play in the Arizona heat.
This game is critical for Mississippi State to get back into the postseason. It will be an adjustment, but State has more proven players and is a more talented team overall.
However, if MSU sleepwalks in this game, Arizona State will be more than capable of pulling the upset.
When is the game?
Saturday, September 7th
What time is the game?
9:30 p.m. CT
What channel is the game televised on?
ESPN
Where is the game played?
Mountain America Stadium, Tempe, AZ.
What is the series history between MSU and Arizona State?
This will be the first meeting between the two teams.
JACOB BAIN
Jacob Bain first joined Cowbell Corner as an intern, and was promoted to lead day-to-day coverage in Starkville of Mississippi State sports in 2023. His primary beats include football, baseball and basketball. He's originally from Fulton, Miss.
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