SEC-Big Ten Scheduling Partnership: What It Means for Mississippi State Football

A new SEC-Big Ten scheduling partnership could increase Mississippi State’s chances of making the College Football Playoff.

Mississippi State Bulldogs cornerback Kelley Jones (1) reacts with fans after the game against the Eastern Kentucky Colonels at Davis Wade Stadium at Scott Field. / Matt Bush-Imagn Images

Mississippi State football fans may be seeing a Big Ten school on its schedule in future years.

According to an ESPN report, the athletic directors for the SEC and Big Ten are meeting next week to discuss a potential scheduling partnership. The in-person meeting will take place in Nashville, Tenn. as part of the Big Ten and SEC’s joint advisory group that was established in February.

The report goes on to say the decision to form the scheduling partnership may hinge on whether or not the SEC moves from eight to nine conference games. That’s how many conference games Big Ten schools play and some Big Ten athletic directors would want the SEC to be on equal footing.

It’s not likely anything official will be decided next week, but it’s an interesting situation.

What a SEC-Big Ten Scheduling Partnership Mean for Mississippi State?

Right now? Nothing.

In the future, though, it does two things:

First, and most obvious, a Big Ten school would always be on the Bulldogs’ schedule. In fact, the Bulldogs are already scheduled for a home-and-away series against Minnesota in 2026 and 2027.

So, that’s either a good or bad thing that will rely on how they decide which schools play one another. Do the last-place teams in each conference play each other? Or is it random and Mississippi State could find itself at Ohio State?

Second, it improves Mississippi State’s chances of getting into the College Football Playoff.

The Bulldogs have a lot of work to do before they can truly start looking at the playoff, but hope is eternal and the future is always brighter than the present.

In 54 snaps played Saturday, Mississippi State LB @Stoneblanton7 totaled a game-high 9 tackles.

He also logged 1 TFL, 1/2 sack, 1 FF and 3 QB pressures.

Blanton has the second-most tackles in the SEC this season (42), behind teammate @isaacdsmith (51). pic.twitter.com/t5L4jBnJVy

— Brandon Langlois (@LangloisMSU) September 29, 2024

Part of the joint advisory group’s role is to help shape the next iteration of the CFP. The next contract (a whopping $7.8 billion contract with ESPN) begins in 2026 and is built for a 12- or 14-team playoff field.

The ESPN report said Big Ten and SEC leaders want four automatic bids each for the next playoff. A scheduling partnership helps justify giving more than half the playoff field to two conferences and that improves the Bulldogs’ chances of making the playoff.

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