Following a win over No. 12 Arizona State in Starkville, Mississippi State fans stormed the field to celebrate the upset. This comes just one season after the Bulldogs went 2-10 overall and 0-8 in SEC play. Now, they’re 2-0 to start year two under Jeff Lebby.
However, due to the violation of the access to competition area policy, MSU has been fined $500,000 by the SEC. With the game against an out-of-conference opponent, the fine is paid to the SEC’s Post-graduate Scholarship Fund. When fined after SEC contests, it is paid to the opposing university.
The policy that Mississippi State broke is written as follows: “Institutions shall limit access to competition areas to participating student-athletes, coaches, officials, support personnel and properly credentialed or authorized individuals at all times. For the safety of participants and spectators alike, at no time before, during or after a contest may spectators enter the competition area.”
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Next, Mississippi State will face a pair of weaker opponents before opening SEC play. This weekend, the Bulldogs host Alcorn State before welcoming in Northern Illinois the weekend after.
On Sept. 27, Tennessee comes to town. If Mississippi State were to storm the field again and incur another fine in 2025, this may be the time it happens. The Vols currently rank as the No. 15 team in the country and could get pushed even higher if they upset No. 6 Georgia at home this weekend.
If Mississippi State takes care of business and enters the contest 4-0, the atmosphere in Starkville, aided by artificial noise from cowbells, could be a tough environment for Tennessee to play in. Under Josh Heupel, UT has already shown its susceptible to road losses in winnable games, including South Carolina in 2022, Missouri in 2023 and Arkansas in 2024. Fans stormed the field following the Gamecocks and Razorbacks’ victories.
This year’s meeting between Tennessee and Mississippi State is in the flex window, meaning it will kick off sometime between 3:30 and 8 p.m. ET. The official time will be announced next Monday, along with a TV designation.
