Mississippi State Eyes Upset Against No. 7 Alabama, Aims to End Losing Streak

STARKVILLE, Miss. -- It feels like the night before Christmas.

Is that new Xbox going to be under the tree? Or did the Grinch from Tuscaloosa steal all the presents once again?

There's real excitement around the Mississippi State football program as it prepares to play No. 7 Alabama in Davis-Wade Stadium this Saturday. The Bulldogs are undefeated and ranked No. 16 in the country, the program's highest ranking since 2022. It's a sell-out crowd for an 11 a.m. CT kickoff that will get the national game treatment on ABC. The night before country music star Hardy will perform at Humphrey Coliseum, Mississippi State's basketball arena.

"Probably the biggest (game) I can remember just because of all the other stuff we have going into it," says Mississippi State athletic director Zac Selmon.

Football general manager Marc Votteler agrees. "This place is buzzing like it hasn't in a long time," Votteler says.

Votteler, who oversees the Bulldogs' recruiting and personnel operations, has already seen a shift in recruiting interest in the ascendant program. Mississippi State has come a long way from head coach Jeff Lebby's 2-10 debut in 2024 where recruits weren't exactly beating down the doors to come to games in Davis-Wade. This week all the recruit tickets were gone by midweek and top options who once didn't seem interested are now the ones reaching out about the games.

"We're even getting guys who maybe in the summer and spring were like 'No, we're good.' They are now like 'Hey, how you guys doing, can I come to a game this weekend?'" Votteler says. "We kind of laugh about it now like 'Oh, now you want to come visit?' But it's what you build for, man."

There will be another good collection of recruits in town, according to 247Sports, just as there were the previous weekend to watch State's 31-24 win over a ranked Missouri team. The optimism and momentum around the program surged after the win over the Tigers with a huge opportunity against Alabama up next.

Not only would a win over Alabama give the Bulldogs their first 5-0 start since the famous 2014 season with Dak Prescott, but it'd mean finally knocking off an opponent that has tortured them over the years.

Mississippi State hasn't beaten Alabama since November 10, 2007, the first year of the Nick Saban era in Tuscaloosa. Star quarterback Kamario Taylor was all of eight-months-old when that happened. There have been close calls along the way like a 25-20 loss in 2014 when the Bulldogs were the No. 1 team in the country. Or in 2017 when State had Alabama on the ropes before Jalen Hurts threw a game-winning touchdown with 25 seconds left to devastate the home crowd. Mississippi State its on its fifth different coach since Sylvester Croom beat the Crimson Tide, and yet the final result hasn't changed.

Those teams, though, didn't have a transcendent quarterback who could go down as the greatest QB in Mississippi State history. Or what those around Mississippi State believe is the fastest collection of receivers in the country. Or guys like cornerback Kelley Jones , safety Isaac Smith and others who chose to stay and fight through a challenging situation rather than go elsewhere.

From a disappointing 2-10 debut to a 5-7 2025 season that included multiple close losses that could have gone the other way, Mississippi State under Lebby has been building toward this moment. The Bulldogs are on the precipice of a potentially special season.

Entering Saturday's game, Mississippi State has a 22.8 percent chance of making the College Football Playoff, according to CBS Sports' projections. A win over Alabama improves that number to 43.4 percent, which would give the Bulldogs' the 10th best odds in the country to make the playoff. It's the kind of big win needed ahead of an October that also includes No. 1 Texas, No. 11 LSU and Oklahoma. Alabama is a 5.5-point favorite on the road over Mississippi State.

If one wants to rely on history alone, it'd be easy to pick Alabama to win again. But those around the program are choosing to believe maybe this year will be better than the last.

"I would hate to play Mississippi State at home this week," says Harvus Capital chief executive officer and Bulldogs booster Heath Jenkins. "If we pull this one off and then have the off week, we'd really have some momentum."

On Saturday in Starkville, the State faithful will find out if their long December is finally over and the Christmas present they've wanted for nearly 20 years is underneath the tree.

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_Originally reported by [CBS Sports](https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/the-opportunity-awaiting-mississippi-state-against-no-7-alabama/)._