ESPN Releases FPI Projections For Mississippi State, Others Ahead of 2023 College Football Season

After Mississippi State's spring game, ESPN released its FPI projections for the first season with Zach Arnett as the head coach.

According to ESPN's College Football Power Index, Mississippi State football will not repeat its last year's nine-win season. The network has the Bulldogs set for a much lower number of victories as the team transitions with an almost entirely new coaching staff.

ESPN has the Bulldogs slated to win 6.3 games and has them sitting at No. 32 in the rankings. With in-state rival Ole Miss included, ESPN has nine SEC teams ranking ahead of State.

ESPN's projections for the 2023 season are based on a simulation. For coach Arnett, making a bowl game appearance following the regular season may or may not happen, which is obviously based on a number of factors and hypotheticals at this point.

The FPI FPI gives State a 71.4% chance for six wins and a 0.4% chance at the SEC West title. As recent history has shown, MSU's odds of making it to the College Football Playoff or winning a conference title are slim and hard to come by.

State has one of the most difficult season schedules after how well it did last season. The Bulldogs have eight home games this season and their SEC crossover games are at home against Kentucky and South Carolina.

Here is how Mississippi State's opponents for the upcoming season project in the rankings under the FPI:

- vs. Southeastern Louisiana: N/A (FPI doesn't include rankings for FCS teams)

- vs. Arizona: No. 59

- vs. LSU: No. 4

- at South Carolina: No. 42

- vs. Alabama: No. 2

- vs. Western Michigan: No. 120

- at Arkansas: No. 30

- at Auburn: No. 39

- vs. Kentucky: No. 28

- at Texas A&M: No. 19

- vs. Southern Miss: No. 93

- vs. Ole Miss: No. 16

It will be interesting to see how true this holds when things get rolling during the fall.