# 2017 Mississippi State Bulldogs football team

The 2017 Mississippi State Bulldogs football team represented Mississippi State University in the 2017 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Bulldogs played their home games at Davis Wade Stadium in Starkville, Mississippi and competed in the Western Division of the Southeastern Conference (SEC). They were led by ninth-year head coach Dan Mullen. They finished the season 9–4, 4–4 in SEC play to finish in a tie for fourth place in the Western Division. They were invited to the TaxSlayer Bowl where they beat Louisville.
Head coach Dan Mullen resigned at the end of the regular season to become the head coach at Florida. Running backs coach Greg Knox served as interim head coach for the TaxSlayer Bowl. On November 28, Penn State offensive coordinator Joe Moorhead was hired as their new head coach, beginning in the 2018 season.

## Rankings

Ranking movements Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking — = Not ranked RV = Received votes :
| | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week |
| Poll | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | Final |
| AP | — | RV | RV | 17 | 24 | — | — | RV | RV | 21 | 18 | 17 | 16 | 24 | 24 | 19 |
| Coaches | RV | RV | RV | 19 | 24 | RV | RV | RV | RV | 22 | 18 | 19 | 17 | 24 | 23 | 20 |
| CFP | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | 16 | 16 | 16 | 14 | 23 | 23 | Not released |

## Schedule

Mississippi State announced its 2017 football schedule on September 13, 2016. The 2017 schedule consists of 7 home and 5 away games in the regular season. The Bulldogs will host SEC foes Alabama, Kentucky, LSU, and Ole Miss, and will travel to Arkansas, Auburn, Georgia, and Texas A&M.
The Bulldogs will host three of the four non-conference opponents, BYU, UMass both are football independent schools and Charleston Southern from the Big South Conference and travel to Louisiana Tech of Conference USA.
| Date | Time | Opponent | Rank | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| September 2 | 3:00 p.m. | No. 14 (FCS) Charleston Southern* | | Davis Wade StadiumStarkville, MS | SECN | W 49–0 | 54,215 |
| September 9 | 6:30 p.m. | at Louisiana Tech* | | Joe Aillet StadiumRuston, LA | CBSSN | W 57–21 | 28,100 |
| September 16 | 6:00 p.m. | No. 12 LSU | | Davis Wade StadiumStarkville, MS (rivalry) | ESPN | W 37–7 | 60,596 |
| September 23 | 6:00 p.m. | at No. 11 Georgia | No. 17 | Sanford StadiumAthens, GA | ESPN | L 3–31 | 92,746 |
| September 30 | 5:00 p.m. | at No. 13 Auburn | No. 24 | Jordan–Hare StadiumAuburn, AL | ESPN | L 10–49 | 86,901 |
| October 14 | 11:00 a.m. | BYU* | | Davis Wade StadiumStarkville, MS | SECN | W 35–10 | 54,866 |
| October 21 | 3:00 p.m. | Kentucky | | Davis Wade StadiumStarkville, MS | SECN | W 45–7 | 58,963 |
| October 28 | 6:15 p.m. | at Texas A&M | | Kyle FieldCollege Station, TX | ESPN | W 35–14 | 96,128 |
| November 4 | 11:00 a.m. | UMass* | No. 16 | Davis Wade StadiumStarkville, MS | SECN | W 34–23 | 57,374 |
| November 11 | 6:00 p.m. | No. 2 Alabama | No. 16 | Davis Wade StadiumStarkville, MS (rivalry) | ESPN | L 24–31 | 61,344 |
| November 18 | 11:00 a.m. | at Arkansas | No. 16 | Donald W. Reynolds Razorback StadiumFayetteville, AR | CBS | W 28–21 | 64,153 |
| November 23 | 6:30 p.m. | Ole Miss | No. 14 | Davis Wade StadiumStarkville, MS (Egg Bowl) | ESPN | L 28–31 | 59,345 |
| December 30 | 11:00 a.m. | vs. Louisville* | No. 23 | EverBank FieldJacksonville, FL (TaxSlayer Bowl) | ESPN | W 31–27 | 41,310 |
| *Non-conference gameHomecomingRankings from AP Poll and CFP Rankings after October 31 released prior to gameAll times are in Central time ||||||||
    Schedule Source:

## Game summaries
### Charleston Southern

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 14 (FCS) Buccaneers | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bulldogs | 23 | 12 | 7 | 7 | 49 |

### At Louisiana Tech

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| MSU Bulldogs | 16 | 20 | 21 | 0 | 57 |
| LTU Bulldogs | 9 | 5 | 0 | 7 | 21 |

### LSU

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No.12 Tigers | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
| Bulldogs | 0 | 17 | 13 | 7 | 37 |

### At Georgia

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No.17 MSU Bulldogs | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| No.11 UGA Bulldogs | 14 | 0 | 17 | 0 | 31 |

### At Auburn

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 24 Bulldogs | 3 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| No. 13 Tigers | 14 | 7 | 7 | 21 | 49 |

### BYU

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Cougars | 0 | 3 | 7 | 0 | 10 |
| Bulldogs | 7 | 14 | 7 | 7 | 35 |

### Kentucky

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Wildcats | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
| Bulldogs | 7 | 10 | 7 | 21 | 45 |

### At Texas A&M

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Bulldogs | 7 | 7 | 14 | 7 | 35 |
| Aggies | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 14 |

### UMass

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Minutemen | 3 | 17 | 0 | 3 | 23 |
| Bulldogs | 10 | 3 | 14 | 7 | 34 |

### Alabama

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 1 Crimson Tide | 7 | 7 | 3 | 14 | 31 |
| Bulldogs | 7 | 7 | 7 | 3 | 24 |

### At Arkansas

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Bulldogs | 0 | 14 | 0 | 14 | 28 |
| Razorbacks | 14 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 21 |

### Ole Miss

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Rebels | 7 | 3 | 14 | 7 | 31 |
| Bulldogs | 0 | 6 | 0 | 22 | 28 |

### vs Louisville–TaxSlayer Bowl

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Cardinals | 7 | 14 | 3 | 3 | 27 |
| Bulldogs | 14 | 3 | 0 | 14 | 31 |