Ranking Mississippi State’s 2026 opponents from easiest to toughest (#7. At Minnesota; arguably the most important game on the State schedule)

[BleedGopher]

Per Bain:

7: at Minnesota, September 12th

State will head out to Minneapolis for its Power Four mandate game and face a Golden Golpher team that finished 8-5 a year ago and returns 68 percent of its production. This is arguably the most important game on the State schedule, and it will be a tough one.

https://247sports.com/college/minnesota/article/sec-football-ranking-schedules-mississippi-state--288174311/

Go Gophers!!

 

[WAGopher]

So the Gopher Gazette has Auburn as a better team than the Gophers this year. Auburn went 1-7 in the SEC last year. While they should be a bit better this year, they won’t be as good as the Gophers.

While I applaud the Gophers Illustrated revamp into Gophers Gazette, I hope they don’t embrace the “No Homers Here” syndrome that has plagued Minnesota sports writers for decades.

 

[IceBoxGopher]

So the Gopher Gazette has Auburn as a better team than the Gophers this year. Auburn went 1-7 in the SEC last year. While they should be a bit better this year, they won’t be as good as the Gophers.

While I applaud the Gophers Illustrated revamp into Gophers Gazette, I hope they don’t embrace the “No Homers Here” syndrome that has plagued Minnesota sports writers for decades.

Looks like it's a Mississippi State writer who penned it. Note at the end the article that it originally appeared in Mississippi State's 247 Sports' page. Gopher Gazette just reshared it.

I still think it largely makes sense, though. The blue bloods are ahead, which is expected. I suppose it's arguable that Minnesota should be ahead of Auburn, but there's always that extra intensity in a conference match-up which gives it a boost.

Funny enough, we haven’t played an SEC team since 2019, and that was Auburn in the Outback bowl. The Gophers haven’t lost to an SEC team since falling to No. 11/14 Missouri in the 2014 Citrus Bowl.

Minnesota is also 3-1 against the SEC since 2000, also defeating Arkansas in the Music City Bowl and Alabama in the 2004 Music City Bowl.

 

[WAGopher]

Looks like it's a Mississippi State writer who penned it. Note at the end the article that it originally appeared in Mississippi State's 247 Sports' page. Gopher Gazette just reshared it.

I still think it largely makes sense, though. The blue bloods are ahead, which is expected. I suppose it's arguable that Minnesota should be ahead of Auburn, but there's always that extra intensity in a conference match-up which gives it a boost.

Funny enough, we haven’t played an SEC team since 2019, and that was Auburn in the Outback bowl. The Gophers haven’t lost to an SEC team since falling to No. 11/14 Missouri in the 2014 Citrus Bowl.

Minnesota is also 3-1 against the SEC since 2000, also defeating Arkansas in the Music City Bowl and Alabama in the 2004 Music City Bowl.

Thank you for noticing it was a shared article from Auburn and not written by the good guys at Gopher Gazette.

 

[Stuff]

Mississippi State received a pretty tough in conference schedule this year.

 

[fmlizard]

So the Gopher Gazette has Auburn as a better team than the Gophers this year. Auburn went 1-7 in the SEC last year. While they should be a bit better this year, they won’t be as good as the Gophers.

While I applaud the Gophers Illustrated revamp into Gophers Gazette, I hope they don’t embrace the “No Homers Here” syndrome that has plagued Minnesota sports writers for decades.

A roadie vs a 5-4 Big Ten team (2025) returning its coach and starting QB on the road >>> A home game vs a 1-7 SEC team with a new coach and new QB

It's also not the most important game on Miss St schedule...non conference games never are

 

[The Deliberate Stranger]

Looks like State is in for a tough year

 

[Arminius]

It's also not the most important game on Miss St schedule...non conference games never are

I think this is the game where we learn if the Gophers are a 9-3 or a 6-6 team.

 

[Some guy]

A roadie vs a 5-4 Big Ten team (2025) returning its coach and starting QB on the road >>> A home game vs a 1-7 SEC team with a new coach and new QB

It's also not the most important game on Miss St schedule...non conference games never are

It is for momentum and perception though