Where the Media Predicts Mississippi State Football to Finish in SEC

After the 2024 SEC Media Days concluded on Thursday evening, the media released a poll predicting where each team will finish in the conference on Friday morning.

Jul 17, 2024; Dallas, TX, USA; Mississippi State head coach Jeff Lebby speaking at Omni Dallas Hotel. Mandatory Credit: Brett Patzke-USA TODAY Sports / Brett Patzke-USA TODAY Sports

After the 2024 SEC Media Days concluded on Thursday evening, the media released a poll predicting where each team will finish in the conference on Friday morning.

1. Georgia, 3,300 points
2. Texas, 3,041 points
3. Alabama, 2,891 points
4. Ole Miss, 2,783 points
5. LSU, 2,322 points
6. Missouri, 2,240 points
7. Tennessee, 2,168 points
8. Oklahoma, 2,022 points
9. Texas A&M, 1,684 points
10. Auburn, 1,382 points
11. Kentucky, 1,371 points
12. Florida, 1,146 points
13. South Carolina, 923 points
14. Arkansas, 749 points
15. Mississippi State, 623 points
16. Vanderbilt, 293 points

Based on this prediction, the media doesn't believe the Bulldogs could climb on the SEC ladder in head coach Jeff Lebby's inaugural season at Mississippi State.

Mississippi State hired the former Oklahoma offensive coordinator as its new head coach on Nov. 24, hoping to revive the Bulldogs' presence in the Southeastern Conference and the college football world.

Year 1 is typically a difficult season for coaches, but at the 2024 SEC Media Days on Wednesday, Lebby outlined a few Bulldogs who can help lead the team on the correct path early: Baylor transfer quarterback Blake Shapen, linebackers John Lewis and Stone Blanton, head strength and conditioning coach Shaud Williams and fellow first-year Bulldog, defensive coordinator Coleman Hutzler.

Lebby also expressed at the annual event that Mississippi State is embracing the underdog mentality for the upcoming season.

"We're going to have every opportunity in the world to show everyone actually who we are as a program and as a football team, and I look at that as an opportunity for our guys," Lebby said.

The aforementioned Shapen and Lewis each spoke at SEC Media Days about how Mississippi State is being portrayed in the conference and they're ready to invalidate those predictions.

"I think we all use that as fuel. There is not a lot of expectations at the end of the day for us," Shapen said. "So I feel like that fuels us in a way that makes us want to go out there and prove a lot of people wrong, and I'm excited. We're going to use that as fuel for sure."

"We love it," Lewis said. "We can't wait to prove everyone wrong and shock everybody."

In addition to the poll, the SEC media also released its Preseason All-SEC Teams. That said there wasn't a single Bulldog on any of the three rosters. Here are the teams:

First Team Offense

QB – Carson Beck, Georgia
RB – Trevor Etienne, Georgia
RB – Jarquez Hunter, Auburn
WR – Luther Burden III, Missouri
WR – Tre Harris, Ole Miss
TE – Caden Prieskorn, Ole Miss
OL – Tyler Booker, Alabama
OL – Will Campbell, LSU
OL – Kelvin Banks Jr., Texas
OL – Tate Ratledge, Georgia
C – Cooper Mays, Tennessee

Second Team Offense

QB – Quinn Ewers, Texas
RB – Raheim Sanders, Arkansas
*RB – CJ Baxter, Texas
*RB – Montrell Johnson Jr., Florida
WR – Isaiah Bond, Texas
WR – Kyren Lacy, LSU
TE – Mason Taylor, LSU
OL – Emery Jones, LSU
OL – Kadyn Proctor, Alabama
OL – Xavier Truss, Georgia
OL – Dylan Fairchild, Georgia
C – Parker Brailsford, Alabama

Third Team Offense

QB – Jalen Milroe, Alabama
RB – Justice Haynes, Alabama
RB – Ulysses Bentley, Ole Miss
WR – Deion Burks, Oklahoma
WR – Dominic Lovett, Georgia
TE – Oscar Delp, Georgia
OL – Earnest Greene III, Georgia
OL – Marques Cox, Kentucky
OL – Trey Zuhn III, Texas A&M
OL – Jaeden Roberts, Alabama
C – Jake Majors, Texas

First Team Defense

DL – James Pearce Jr., Tennessee
DL – Walter Nolen, Ole Miss
DL – Deone Walker, Kentucky
DL – Nazir Stackhouse, Georgia
LB – Harold Perkins, LSU
LB – Danny Stutsman, Oklahoma
*LB – Deontae Lawson, Alabama
*LB – Mykel Williams, Georgia
DB – Malaki Starks, Georgia
DB – Malachi Moore, Alabama
DB – Billy Bowman, Oklahoma
DB – Maxwell Hairston, Kentucky

Second Team Defense

DL – Shemar Turner, Texas A&M
DL – Landon Jackson, Arkansas
DL – Nic Scourton, Texas A&M
*DL – Tim Smith, Alabama
*DL – Jared Ivey, Ole Miss
LB – Debo Williams, South Carolina
LB – Anthony Hill Jr., Texas
LB – Smael Mondon Jr., Georgia
DB – Jahdae Barron, Texas
DB – Major Burns, LSU
DB – Andrew Mukuba, Texas
DB – Malik Muhammad, Texas

Third Team Defense

DL – Tim Keenan III, Alabama
DL – Princely Umanmielen, Ole Miss
DL – Trey Moore, Texas
DL – Tonka Hemingway, South Carolina
LB – Jamon “Pop” Dumas-Johnson, Kentucky
LB – Jihaad Campbell, Alabama
LB – Eugene Asante, Auburn
DB – Domani Jackson, Alabama
DB – Daylen Everette, Georgia
DB – Jason Marshall Jr., Florida
*DB – Keon Sabb, Alabama
*DB – Nick Emmanwori, South Carolina

First Team Specialists

P – James Burnip, Alabama
PK – Bert Auburn, Texas
LS – Kneeland Hibbett, Alabama
KS – Alex McPherson, Auburn
RS – Barion Brown, Kentucky
AP – Zavion Thomas, LSU

Second Team Specialists

P – Brett Thorson, Georgia
PK – Graham Nicholson, Alabama
LS – Hunter Rogers, South Carolina
KS – Will Stone, Texas
RS – Zavion Thomas, LSU
AP – Dillion Bell, Georgia

Third Team Specialists

P – Jeremy Crawshaw, Florida
PK – Alex McPherson, Auburn
LS – Slade Roy, LSU
KS – Trey Smack, Florida
RS – Keionte Scott, Auburn
*AP – Barion Brown, Kentucky
*AP – Jaydon Blue, Texas

* – Indicates a tie