| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T | |
| UL Monroe | 0 | 3 | 10 | 0 | 13 |
| Mississippi State | 21 | 20 | 7 | 14 | 62 |
Final. Saturday, September 5, 2026. Kicked off 7:30 p.m. ET on ESPNU.
Mississippi State opens at Davis Wade Stadium against UL Monroe, a Sun Belt program from northeast Louisiana about 200 miles away. It is the gentlest game on a schedule that turns severe very quickly.
| Kickoff | 7:30 p.m. ET · 6:30 CT · 5:30 MT · 4:30 PT |
| TV | ESPNU |
| Streaming | ESPN App, Fubo, YouTube TV, Hulu + Live TV, Sling Orange |
| Venue | Davis Wade Stadium, Starkville, Mississippi |
The Calm Before a Brutal Month
This is the easiest game on Mississippi State’s schedule, and it is worth understanding what follows. Within five weeks the Bulldogs face Alabama at home, then LSU on the road, then Oklahoma at home, then Texas on the road.
Before that they travel to Minnesota in week two — the Power Four non-conference game the SEC now requires of every member. Our Mississippi State schedule has the full year.
Cowbells
Mississippi State is the only program in the SEC permitted to bring artificial noisemakers into the stadium, a tradition grandfathered in under conference rules. Cowbells at Davis Wade are loud enough that opposing coaches have complained about them for decades.
For a Sun Belt visitor, it is an unfamiliar kind of hostile.
How to Watch
ESPNU is cable-only, with no antenna option. Fubo, YouTube TV, Hulu + Live TV, DirecTV Stream and Sling Orange all carry it, and the ESPN App streams it for authenticated subscribers.
It shares the 7:30 window with Clemson at LSU, Western Michigan at Michigan and VMI at Virginia Tech.
Prediction and Odds
Line: Mississippi State favored by roughly three touchdowns; check your book.
Mississippi State opens at home against UL Monroe, which has been at the bottom of the Sun Belt for years. The Bulldogs went 5-8 in 2025 and need an easy one before the trip to Minnesota next week. Talent and Davis Wade Stadium make this a comfortable evening.
Our pick: Mississippi State 34, UL Monroe 14. See all of our Week 1 predictions.
The Bottom Line
UL Monroe at Mississippi State kicks off 7:30 p.m. ET Saturday, September 5 on ESPNU from Davis Wade Stadium. It is the softest game on a Bulldogs schedule that includes Alabama, LSU, Oklahoma and Texas inside five weeks of October.