Both Magnolia State rivals in the Southeastern Conference made an appearance in Monday’s USA TODAY coaches poll, the first of the 2022 season.
Ole Miss was ranked No. 24, while Mississippi State received 19 voting points. The Bulldogs got the 11th-most votes of teams outside the top 25.
The Rebels were one of six SEC teams ranked Monday. No. 1 Alabama, No. 3 Georgia, No. 7 Texas A&M, No. 21 Kentucky and No. 23 Arkansas were all ahead of Ole Miss.
Ole Miss finished 2021 at 10-3 after an appearance in the Sugar Bowl, where it lost to Baylor.
Mississippi State cracked the top 25 briefly last season but will not start the 2022 campaign in the rankings. The Bulldogs finished 2021 with a 7-6 record, losing to Texas Tech in the Liberty Bowl.
Ole Miss’ 2022 season begins at 3 p.m. Sept. 3 against Troy in Oxford. Mississippi State opens with Memphis at 6:30 p.m. Sept. 3 in Starkville.
Theo DeRosa reports on Mississippi State sports for The Dispatch. Follow him on Twitter at @Theo_DeRosa.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 43 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.