Mississippi State at Southern Miss

Mississippi State struggled badly in the SEC in 2024. But they rolled when stepping down in competition, flattening UMass (45-20) and Eastern Kentucky (56-7). Some good news is QB Blake Shapen (8 TDs, one pick) returns healthy, along with top running back Davon Booth (759 yards, 5.0 ypc). Second-year coach Jeff Lebby would like nothing more than a blowout win in the opener against a Sun Belt opponent. Mississippi State is on a 6-2 ATS run. Southern Miss went 1-11 last season and has new looks everywhere on defense. They lost 31-0 against Kentucky of the SEC in the 2024 opener. Their QBs combined for 7 TDs and a whopping 17 interceptions, along with 45 sacks, while the ground game averaged just 3.2 yards per carry. The Golden Eagles are on a 7-16 ATS run. Play Mississippi State.