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It’s a new era of college football at Mississippi State as the program lost head coach Mike Leach to a shocking death before the team’s bowl game following last season. What to expect from the 2023 Bulldogs under new coach Zach Arnett? Here’s the preview for your college football betting odds to win the NCAA National Championship.

Mississippi State Bulldogs 2023 College Football Season Betting Guide | MyBookie College Betting Preview

Mississippi State Bulldogs | Southeastern Conference during the 2023 NCAA Division I FBS football season
School: Mississippi State University
Head coach: Zach Arnett | 1st season
Home field: Davis Wade Stadium | 60,311

Mississippi State Odds to Win Championship:: +20000
Odds to win SEC: +12000
Odds to win SEC West: +5500
Regular-season wins: 6.5

Coach Mike Leach died on Monday, Dec. 12, after complications related to a heart condition at age 61. Leach suffered what the university initially described in a news release as a “personal health issue” at his home in Starkville. Leach, in his third season as Mississippi State’s coach, had told ESPN after the regular season concluded that he struggled with pneumonia during the season but was feeling better.

The players wanted to play in the Jan. 2 ReliaQuest Bowl against Illinois in Leach’s honor. Defensive coordinator Zach Arnett was placed in charge of the program after Leach was taken to the hospital Sunday and Arnett eventually was given the full-time job, the 35th head coach in school history. Arnett, considered a rising star in the coaching profession and regarded as one of the top defensive minds in college football, had served as MSU’s defensive coordinator for the last three seasons.

MSU beat Illinois 19-10 in the bowl game with Arnett in charge. Massimo Biscardi made a 27-yard tiebreaking field goal with four seconds left, and Marcus Banks returned a fumble 60 yards for a touchdown on the game’s last play. Banks’ score came on Illinois’ fifth lateral following a completed pass after the Fighting Illini got the ball at their own 29.

While in Starkville, Arnett has run a signature 3-3-5 scheme and has boasted a reputation for aggressive play, heavy blitzing and a commitment to physicality. Arnett’s 2022 defense ranked fifth in the SEC in total defense (350.3), fifth in rushing defense (143.6), fifth in pass defense (206.8) and second in turnovers gained (22). That group held Illinois to just 288 total yards.

The Bulldogs’ 2023 recruiting class stayed together for the most part despite the death of Leach, losing only one commitment in December. Arnett signed two ESPN 300 prospects, including quarterback Chris Parson, the No. 192 recruit overall. Arnett and his coaches have added some good players through the portal, including Indiana cornerback Christopher Keys, Miami corner Khamauri Rogers (former top-50 recruit) and Raydarious Jones, a 6-foot-2 LSU corner.

The Bulldogs also boast the return of the two leading tacklers in the SEC last season — linebackers Jett Johnson and Nathaniel Watson (228 combined). The secondary did lose All-American cornerback Emmanuel Forbes Jr., who finished his MSU career as the FBS and SEC record holder with six pick-6s.

New offensive coordinator Kevin Barbay ushers in a different, more balanced style for the Bulldogs after three seasons in which MSU ran the pass-heavy Air Raid under the late Leach. Senior quarterback Will Rogers is back. He has started 32 consecutive games and is the SEC’s single-season completions leader (505 in 2021) and career completions leader with 1,159.

Rogers is the only quarterback in SEC history with over 1,000 career completions, next closest has just 921 (Aaron Murray, 2010-13), and holds MSU career records with 10,689 career passing yards and 82 career passing touchdowns. Rogers enters 2023 ranked ninth on the SEC career passing touchdowns list with 82, five shy of tying Tua Tagovailoa (88) for seventh and just six shy of tying Time Tebow & Chris Leake of Florida for fifth all-time.

Finally, Rogers is on pace to become just the third SEC quarterback ever with 100 career touchdown passes. He is ranked 8th on the all-time SEC career passing yards (10,689) and 513 yards shy of jumping into the top 5 and passing Peyton Manning (11,201).

Out of conference, MSU should go 4-0 as it hosts SE Louisiana on Sept. 2, Arizona on Sept. 9, Western Michigan on Oct. 7 and Southern Miss on Nov. 18. Those are all cupcakes. Per usual, the Bulldogs play the entire SEC West gauntlet. The Egg Bowl vs. Ole Miss is on Thanksgiving night, Nov. 23, in Starkville. It marks the second-straight year and fifth time in the last six meetings that the Bulldogs and Rebels have met on Thanksgiving. State has won three of the last four Thanksgiving Egg Bowls. MSU held on for a 24-22 win in Oxford last November as the Rebels’ two-point attempt to tie the game was denied.

The Bulldogs do avoid Florida, Tennessee and Georgia from the SEC East Division so that’s a benefit – this is the last year there will be divisions in the SEC once Oklahoma and Texas join in 2024 it will be division-free.

Mississippi State 2023 Season Prediction

Bulldogs finish 6-6, under 6.5 wins

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