It’s been a rocky ride for Oklahoma fans.
The Sooners were supposed to be good enough to rip off wins in chunks on the way to another College Football Playoff. Instead, win-loss-win-loss-win-loss win-loss. OU is consistent, but not necessarily in a positive way.
The offense turns it over too often, the defense can’t carry the day, and now Oklahoma has to play a Mississippi State team trying to get its groove back.
After a 4-0 start, the Bulldogs lost their last two games to Alabama and LSU by a combined score of 87-23. The rest of the schedule is challenging, but not impossible if they can get by the Sooners.
Oklahoma vs Mississippi State: Quick Hits
- Mississippi State starts a run of four home games in five weeks, with a trip to Texas next.
- Oklahoma gets three of its next four games at home, hosting South Carolina next before going to Florida.
- It seems impossible, considering 650 miles is nothing in college football travel world, but this is the first time these two have met.
How To Watch Oklahoma vs Mississippi State
Date: Saturday, October 24, 2026
Game Time: 3:30 PM ET
TV: SEC Network
Location: Davis Wade Stadium, Starkville, MS
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Why Oklahoma Will Win
The defense remains fantastic, and it has to keep holding up.
It’s No. 2 in the nation in third down stops, No. 5 overall, and it has the pass rush and pressure to give the Mississippi State backfield problems.
The OU offense isn’t anything great – to be nice about it – but the main problem is fixable. Turnovers have been a killer, but there weren’t any in the win over Texas, and Mississippi State’s defense only has five takeaways on the year, and four of those came against South Carolina and Alabama.
Why Mississippi State Will Win
The main man should be back. Mississippi State star quarterback Kamario Taylor is close to playing again after missing the Tennessee game with foot issues. He’s the one who makes the offense go, and while it won’t go off on the Oklahoma defense, it should be dangerous enough at home to keep things moving.
And no, the Bulldog defense doesn’t take the ball away in bunches, but that doesn’t mean the Sooners won’t hand them easy mistakes. It really has become obnoxious – the Sooners have turned it over 13 times over the last five games.
Oklahoma vs Mississippi State Prediction, Betting Lines
Taylor isn’t a sure thing to go, even if he’s trending the right way. Assuming he plays, he has to be patient and can’t get frustrated against a suffocating Sooner defense. But it’s the other side of the ball that will decide this.
The Mississippi State defense has been great against the run and only buckled when LSU Sam Leavitt and Alabama’s Keelon Russell went off – those were the only two games the Bulldogs allowed the opposing offenses to hit more than 65% of their passes.
Oklahoma quarterback John Mateer might be hit-or-miss, but as long as he’s not forcing anything deep, he can hit 70% of his throws. The Sooner defense will take care of the rest.
Oklahoma 26, Mississippi State 23
Latest Consensus Line: Oklahoma -2.5, o/u: 47.5
ATS Confidence (out of 5): 1.5
Must See Rating (out of 5): 3.5
Consensus line based on BetMGM, Caesars, DraftKings, and FanDuel. Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, call 1-800-GAMBLER.