STARKVILLE — Mississippi State football will play in a bowl game after all.
The Bulldogs, despite going 5-7, accepted an invitation to the Duke’s Mayo Bowl. They’ll play against an ACC opponent on Jan. 2 in Charlotte, North Carolina at Bank of America Stadium.
MSU was able to get in a bowl because of teams opting out and APR tiebreakers. Kansas State and Iowa State, who both are undergoing coaching changes, opted out of bowl games. MSU’s APR is 979.
It’s the first bowl game for Mississippi State and second-year coach Jeff Lebby since the 2022 season.
The Duke’s Mayo Bowl has existed since 2020 and has grown in popularity because of the mayo. The winning coach gets a tub mayo dumped on them. Last season, Minnesota’s PJ Fleck had the honor of receiving the mayo dump.
The bowl was previously called the Belk Bowl, which Mississippi State played in 2015. It beat NC State 51-28.
This story will be updated.
Sam Sklar is the Mississippi State beat reporter for The Clarion Ledger. Email him at [email protected] and follow him on X @sklarsam_.
