WATCH: Mississippi State's Bowl Hopes Take a Hit with Arizona State Defeat

Staff Writers Taylor Hodges and Jacob Bain talk about the Bulldogs’ chances of winning six games and making a bowl game in their post-game reactions

Arizona State running back Cam Skattebo stiff arms his way past Mississippi State cornerback Brice Pollock at Mountain America Stadium. The Bulldogs hope Skattebo didn't also stiff arm them out of a bowl game. / Joe Rondone/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK

TEMPE, Ariz. – Mississippi State failed to earn a bowl game invitation last season and their path to making one this season just got a lot harder.

Before the season, it wasn’t hard to see a way for the Bulldogs to win six games. It wouldn’t be easy, though.

Eastern Kentucky, Toledo and UMass were seen as locks for wins.

Arkansas was considered a game the Bulldogs should win and Florida was looked at as a game they could win. That’s five wins right there leaving them needing just one more win.

No. 1 Georgia and No. 3 Texas, barring some crazy cowbell magic, are going to be losses for Mississippi State.

No. 9 Missouri and No. 14 Tennessee wouldn’t be as big of an upset (still pretty big, though), but when looking at the schedule before the season, those games couldn’t be counted on as wins.

So, who does that leave on the schedule? Arizona State, Texas A&M and No. 6 Ole Miss.

For various reasons, each of those games can’t be dismissed as losses but only one of those was against an unranked team (to start the season): Arizona State.

Well, that can now be counted as a loss after the Sun Devils won 30-23 Saturday night.

Staff writers Jacob Bain and Taylor Hodges talk about what the loss means for Mississippi State in their post-game reactions.

Bulldog fans won’t ever admit it, but Ole Miss might be about to have one of its best seasons ever. Yet, anything can happen in a rivalry game so the possibility of Mississippi State winning the Egg Bowl can’t be discounted.

Texas A&M is, well, Texas A&M. That October 19 game in Starkville could go either way.

Coach Jeff Lebby will probably never acknowledge this, but beating Arizona State offered the Bulldogs’ their easiest path to a bowl game.

That path has significantly narrowed now.

You can check out our reactions for the entire game in the video below.

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