Mississippi State’s No. 16 Ranking Is Still Too Low

Mississippi State jumped eight spots to No. 16. It still feels like the AP poll is catching up too slowly.

The Bulldogs are 4–0 and 2–0 in the SEC. They won by 25 at Minnesota, erased a 16-point deficit at South Carolina and just beat ranked Missouri 31–24. Ole Miss and LSU—both 3–1—remain ahead of them at No. 9 and No. 11.

Brand and preseason expectations are doing work that the current résumés are not.

Mississippi State did not survive Missouri on a fluke. The official game center shows a 499–414 yard advantage, 27 first downs and 360 passing yards from Kamario Taylor. Fluff Bothwell ran for 122 yards. Trailing 24–17 entering the fourth quarter, State scored twice and stopped all four Missouri possessions.

That last part matters. Taylor’s three touchdown passes will pull the attention, but the Bulldogs won the deciding quarter on both sides of the ball. Missouri reached the State 11 on one late drive and the 38 on another. The defense finished both possessions without allowing a point.

When State needed the lead back, Taylor moved the offense 85 yards in only 1:44 and finished the drive with a 24-yard touchdown to Sanfrisco Magee. That was not a cautious response from a team protecting an unbeaten record. It was the best player on the field taking ownership of the moment.

The counterargument is that rankings are not résumé spreadsheets. Ole Miss owns a win over LSU, LSU destroyed Clemson, and both rosters entered the year with more national trust. Mississippi State’s defense has also allowed 34 points to South Carolina and 414 yards to Missouri. There are real reasons to question how long the climb lasts.

Fine. But through four games, State has answered more difficult situations than several teams above it: road control, a major comeback and a fourth-quarter response against a ranked opponent.

My verdict: No. 16 rewards the surprise without fully respecting the evidence. Mississippi State does not need to be treated like a preseason favorite. It should be ranked like the undefeated SEC team it has actually become.