Kickoff times for Mississippi State Football’s first three games in 2024 revealed.
The schedule for Mississippi State football’s first three games of the 2024 season has been announced.
Thursday was a significant day in the college football offseason, as kickoff times for SEC teams and much of college football were announced for the first three weeks of the 2024 season.
Mississippi State football fans can now start planning their Saturdays for this fall, with the anticipation of watching the Bulldogs in primetime early in the 2024 season.
State’s first three games will all be evening matchups. The season opener against Eastern Kentucky will kick off at 5:00 pm CT. In week two, they will travel to Arizona State for a late-night game starting at 9:30 pm CT. In week three, State will host Toledo with a kickoff time of 6:30 pm CT.
Additionally, the Egg Bowl will move from its traditional Thanksgiving night slot to Black Friday afternoon in 2024.
Jeff Lebby makes his debut under the lights
The Bulldogs will kick off the 2024 season Saturday night, August 31, at 5:30 pm CT against FCS Eastern Kentucky. Jeff Lebby will get to make his debut as the MSU head man under the lights as he looks to showcase his high-powered offense to an eager crowd. The game will be exclusively broadcast through streaming on SEC Network+.
State battles power conference foe in “the artist formerly known as the Pac-12 After Dark” action
Two years ago State got to participate in “Pac-12 After Dark” action on a road trip to Arizona, winning a fun game over the Wildcats. This year they’ll again head out west, but this time, they’ll face Zona’s rivals in Arizona State. And even though it’s another late kick, it won’t technically be “Pac-12 After Dark”.
The Sun Devils, along with Zona, are now members of the Big 12! However, for State fans, this doesn’t change much, as they’ll still need to stay up late. The game is scheduled for 9:30 pm CT on Saturday, September 7, and will be broadcast on ESPN.
We’ll see if “Big 12 After Dark” brings the same excitement as its West Coast predecessor often did.
Bulldogs Get Another Night Game to Beat the September Heat
The major challenge of early-season college football games is the scorching September heat in the Southeast. Fortunately, State is getting some relief this season.
The Bulldogs will kick off their week three game against Toledo at 6:30 pm CT on Saturday, September 14. The game will be aired on either ESPN2 or ESPNU. This marks the first time since 2018 that State’s first two home games will kick off at night.
While this might mean fewer night games during conference play, most fans would likely prefer to avoid the intense heat.
Timeslots for State’s Remaining Schedule to Be Announced Soon
The SEC is changing its approach to selecting kickoff times. Previously, kickoff times for games after week three were announced about two weeks prior to the games.
Although exact kickoff times will still be announced similarly, fans will soon get a clearer idea of when each game will be played. On June 11, the SEC will announce television windows for the entire 2024 season.
The windows are: Morning (11 AM – Noon CT), Afternoon (2:30 – 3:30 PM), and Night (5 – 7 PM). There’s also a “Flex” window for games that could be scheduled in either the afternoon or at night. While exact game times and broadcast details will come later, fans will have a general sense of game timings in a little over a week.
Pros and Cons
The upside? Fans can better plan their fall Saturdays and make arrangements for the games they wish to attend.
The downside? There’s less flexibility for shifting games into appropriate timeslots based on actual performance. Some less exciting games might end up in primetime while deserving games are stuck in the morning slot.
Hopefully, Mississippi State will be selected for mostly desirable timeslots for the remainder of their schedule.
