Final 2025 SEC power rankings: 15 - Mississippi State
While State showed improvement this year, fans still have to feel like there was some disappointment in how things panned out. Following a 4-0 start, the back to back conference games against Tennessee and A&M, the latter on the road, were a bit of a reality check.
It’s tough to tell whether MSU faded late or their schedule picked up. The win against ASU was legitimately a very good showing, and there definitely were some “what-if” moments in the final few games, but this could just be a classic case of a team getting exposed.
Despite finishing 5-7, the Bulldogs participated in a bowl. They lost, though, bringing their final record to a very strange 5-8 mark, but the potential of Kamario Taylor going forward for Jeff Lebby is scintillating to any fan of the game.
The grade for the season is passing, given the improvement year over year, but in the pantheon of the SEC, it’s tough to put them any higher than this. The arrow is pointed up, but 2025 was a building block rather than the finished product.