STARKVILLE, Miss. -- It feels like the night before Christmas. Is that new Xbox going to be under the tree? Or did the Grinch from Tuscaloosa steal all the presents once again?
There's real excitement around the Mississippi State football program as it prepares to play No. 7 Alabama in Davis-Wade Stadium this Saturday. The Bulldogs are undefeated and ranked No. 16 in the country, the program's highest ranking since 2022. It's a sell-out crowd for an 11 a.m.
CT kickoff that will get the national game treatment on ABC. The night before country music star Hardy will perform at Humphrey Coliseum, Mississippi State's basketball arena. "Probably the biggest (game) I can remember just because of all the other stuff we have going into it," says Mississippi State athletic director Zac Selmon.
Football general manager Marc Votteler agrees. "This place is buzzing like it hasn't in a long time," Votteler says. Votteler, who oversees the Bulldogs' recruiting and personnel operations, has already seen a shift in recruiting interest in the ascendant program.
Mississippi State has come a long way from head coach Jeff Lebby's 2-10 debut in 2024 where recruits weren't exactly beating down the doors to come to games in Davis-Wade. This week all the recruit tickets were gone by midweek and top options who once didn't seem interested are now the ones reaching out about the games. "We're even getting guys who maybe in the summer and spring were like 'No, we're good.' They are now like 'Hey, how you guys doing, can I come to a game this weekend?'" Votteler says.
"We kind of laugh about it now like 'Oh, now you want to come visit?' But it's what you build for, man." There will be another good collection of recruits in town, according to 247Sports, just as there were the previous weekend to watch State's 31-24 win over a ranked Missouri team. The optimism and momentum around the program surged after the win over the Tigers with a huge opportunity against Alabama up next. Not only would a win over Alabama give the Bulldogs their first 5-0 start since the famous 2014 season with Dak Prescott, but it'd mean finally knocking off an opponent that has tortured them over the years.
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