Mississippi State Football Faces Toughest Schedule in the Nation in 2022

Mississippi State faces a stout slate of opponents in this upcoming season.

It hasn't been easy going for Mississippi State football where adverse circumstances are concerned, but the Bulldogs have managed to overcome and took a huge leap between Year 1 and Year 2 of the Mike Leach era.

This is very much a team that is poised to get between nine and 11 wins in a season, but as has been the story, it won't come easy. Brad Crawford of 247Sports ranks the Bulldogs' upcoming football schedule as the toughest not only in the SEC, but in the nation, with seven potential ranked opponents to play.

Crawford had Maryland, Auburn, Arkansas, Ohio State, Texas A&M, Indiana, Alabama, Michigan State and South Carolina to make up the top-10 most treacherous schedules of 2022.

Rival Ole Miss sat just outside of that at No. 11.

"No team in college football has a more treacherous October, which puts the Bulldogs’ 2022 slate at No. 1 on the outside looking in," Crawford wrote. "After opening the SEC slate in Week 3 at LSU following non-conference contests versus Memphis and Arizona, Mississippi State hosts Bowling Green before a daunting gauntlet — Texas A&M, Arkansas, at Kentucky, at Alabama. The Bulldogs hosts reigning national champion Georgia on Nov. 12 and play Ole Miss on the road on Thanksgiving. That’s incredibly difficult."

The Bulldogs finished out the 2021 season with an overall record of 7-6, with three losses that came down to three points or less. With some fine-tuning and steady improvement, Mississippi State has a chance to make a resounding statement this year going up against a tougher schedule than anyone else in the sport.

The road to doing that starts on Sept. 3 with a matchup against the Memphis Tigers in Starkville.