Half of CFP Field Could Be SEC Schools: Mississippi State's Football Reality

Jeff Lebby faces an uphill battle competing in a stacked SEC. However, that has long been the challenge in Starkville.

Sep 14, 2024; Starkville, Mississippi, USA; Mississippi State Bulldogs quarterback Blake Shapen (2) makes a pass against the Toledo Rockets during the fourth quarter at Davis Wade Stadium at Scott Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Bush-Imagn Images / Matt Bush-Imagn Images

The Southeastern Conference is loaded with national championship contenders. The SEC is always stacked in football, even more so now with the additions of Texas and Oklahoma. And that makes life extremely difficult for a school like Mississippi State which has not won an SEC title since 1941.

How big is the challenge facing Jeff Lebby in his first season as the Bulldog head coach? Six of the top seven teams in the AP Top 25 are SEC members. And SportsBetting.ag was recently forced to revise its College Football Playoff conference qualification odds. The SEC's under/over total for playoff teams was raised to 5.5 after sitting at 4.5 throughout the preseason and September.

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And to make matters worse, five of the six SEC programs currently projected to qualify for the 12-team CFP are still left on Mississippi State's regular season schedule.

After this week's visit from Florida, the Bulldogs still have to host Missouri and travel to Texas, Georgia, Tennessee, and Ole Miss. It's a murderous stretch of games that will likely keep MSU out of bowl contention for a second straight year.

Mississippi State can compete in the SEC. Mike Leach proved it and so did Dan Mullen before him. But MSU is not one of the league's blue bloods, and recruiting is tougher in Starkville. While Lebby can get there, patience will be necessary in the current landscape of SEC football that features so many top-tier title .

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