# 1998 Mississippi State Bulldogs football team

The 1998 Mississippi State Bulldogs football team represented Mississippi State University as a member of the Western Division of the Southern Conference (SEC) during the 1998 NCAA Division I-A football season. Led by eighth-year head coach Jackie Sherrill, the Bulldogs compiled an overall record of 8–5 with a mark of 6–2 in conference play, sharing the SEC's Western Division title with Arkansas. By virtue of Mississippi State's head-to-head win over the Razorbacks, the team advanced to the SEC Championship Game, losing to the eventual national champion, Tennessee. This remains the only appearance in the SEC Championship Game for Mississippi State. The Bulldogs were invited to the Cotton Bowl Classic, where they were defeated by Texas. Mississippi State played home games Scott Field in Starkville, Mississippi.

## Schedule

| Date | Time | Opponent | Rank | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| September 5 | 5:00 pm | Vanderbilt | | Scott FieldStarkville, MS | ESPN2 | W 42–0 | 32,150 |
| September 12 | 11:30 am | at Memphis* | | Liberty Bowl Memorial StadiumMemphis, TN | FSN | W 14–6 | 28,467 |
| September 19 | 6:00 pm | at Oklahoma State* | No. 25 | Lewis FieldStillwater, OK | | L 23–42 | 42,250 |
| September 26 | 11:30 am | at South Carolina | | Williams–Brice StadiumColumbia, SC | JPS | W 38–0 | 70,052 |
| October 10 | 11:30 am | Auburn | | Scott FieldStarkville, MS | JPS | W 38–21 | 40,029 |
| October 17 | 1:30 pm | East Tennessee State* | | Davis Wade StadiumStarkville, MS | | W 53–6 | 37,573 |
| October 24 | 5:00 pm | at LSU | No. 24 | Tiger StadiumBaton Rouge, LA (rivalry) | ESPN2 | L 6–41 | 80,040 |
| November 7 | 5:00 pm | at Kentucky | | Commonwealth StadiumLexington, KY | ESPN2 | L 35–37 | 57,760 |
| November 14 | 11:30 am | Alabama | | Scott FieldStarkville, MS (rivalry) | JPS | W 26–14 | 40,517 |
| November 21 | 11:30 am | No. 9 Arkansas | | Scott FieldStarkville, MS | JPS | W 22–21 | 36,656 |
| November 26 | 7:00 pm | at Ole Miss | No. 25 | Vaught–Hemingway StadiumOxford, MS (Egg Bowl) | ESPN | W 28–6 | 50,412 |
| December 5 | 6:30 pm | vs. No. 1 Tennessee* | No. 23 | Georgia DomeAtlanta, GA (SEC Championship Game) | ABC | L 14–24 | 74,795 |
| January 1 | 10:00 am | vs. No. 20 Texas* | No. 25 | Cotton BowlDallas, TX (Cotton Bowl Classic) | FOX | L 11–38 | 72,611 |
| *Non-conference gameHomecomingRankings from AP Poll released prior to the gameAll times are in Central time |||||||||

## 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 | — | — | 25 | — | — | RV | RV | 24 | — | — | — | RV | 25 | 23 | 25 | RV |
| Coaches Poll | — | — | RV | — | — | RV | RV | 24 | RV | — | — | RV | 24 | 22 | 23 | RV |
| BCS | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Not released |

## Game summaries
### Ole Miss

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| • Mississippi St | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 28 |
| Ole Miss | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 6 |