Mississippi State vs. Louisiana fearless prediction and game preview.

Mississippi State vs. Louisiana Broadcast

Date: Saturday, August 31
Game Time: 12:00 ET
Venue: Mercedes-Benz Stadium, New Orleans, LA
Network: ESPNU

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Mississippi State (0-0) vs. Louisiana (0-0) Game Preview

The two played last season in a 56-10 Mississippi State win, and this time around they get to play in New Orleans to kick things off.

The Bulldogs get three straight home games to follow, but two of them are against Kansas State and Kentucky. It gets a whole lot tougher after that – they have to be able to take down the Ragin’ Cajuns without a problem.

Louisiana doesn’t have to face another Power Five team the rest of the way. It’s not an easy slate – relatively speaking – but this is the one shot for a team good enough to battle for the Sun Belt title to make a massive national statement.

Why Mississippi State Will Win

The Mississippi State defense will still be a bear despite the loss of some major players to the NFL, but it’ll be a game for the offense and the ground attack to get going.

Kylin Hill and the running game should be able to hammer away on a suspect Louisiana defensive front that will get blasted on by the decent Bulldog offensive front.

The Ragin’ Cajuns finished last season 112th in the nation against the run, but they get back three starters up front. They’re not strong enough to hold up over a full four quarters if the Bulldogs can get into an early groove.

And then there’s the other side of the ball. MSU might lose a ton of defensive talent, but not at linebacker – the run defense should once again be a rock. However …

Why Louisiana Will Win

The Ragin’ Cajuns have a fantastic group of playmakers in the backfield to provide a little bit of a push.

The 1-2 rushing punch of Trey Ragas and Elijah Mitchell combined for over 2,000 yards last season, and QB Levi Lewis is a good enough veteran to not melt down under the pressure of the Bulldog D.

On the other side, Mississippi State has two good quarterback options in Keytaon Thompson and Penn State transfer Tommy Stevens to replace Nick Fitzgerald, but the offense still has to prove it can get something moving through the air.

Louisiana has to come up with more picks, but MSU is coming off a season when it was dead last in in the SEC in completion percentage. If the Ragin’ Cajuns can stop load up and stop the run, they have a shot to keep this close …

What’s Going To Happen

But they won’t.

The Mississippi State defense won’t skip much of a beat, the offense will come up with a few scoring drives early on, and it’ll be a second straight blowout game between the two. It won’t be 56-10 again, but it’ll be what the Bulldog fans will be looking for in a game to reload.

Mississippi State vs. Louisville Prediction, Line

Mississippi State 40, Louisiana 13
Line: Mississippi State -22.5, o/u: 56
ATS Confidence out of 5: 3
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