We are still in the first week of September, and Mississippi’s largest football-playing universities all face really meaningful games Saturday. 

Let’s take a look.

Ole Miss at Kentucky, 2:30 p.m.

The 2024 Ole Miss season likely always will be remembered for what might have been. And what might have been was this: The Rebels, led by first-round NFL draft pick Jaxson Dart, should have played in the first 12-team College Football Playoffs. They were talented enough with a school record eight players taken in the NFL’s seven-round draft. That was more than the likes of Notre Dame, Clemson, Penn State, SMU, Boise State and Indiana — all teams that made the playoffs. That was also more than traditional powerhouses such as Alabama, LSU, Michigan, Florida, Southern Cal and Miami.

Of course, Ole Miss did not make the playoffs, and the 2025 Rebels on Saturday will face probably the primary reason the 2024 Rebels didn’t make it: Kentucky. In retrospect, that home defeat to Kentucky, which was a 17-point underdog, ranks as one of the biggest upsets of the 2024 college football season. After somehow defeating No. 6 Ole Miss 20-17 on Sept. 28, Kentucky lost its last six games against FBS teams. Most weren’t close. 

Defeating Kentucky on Saturday — and the Rebels are 9.5-point favorites to do so — won’t exorcise last year’s demon; however, it would be a first step toward making the playoffs this season. It also will provide a first SEC start, on the road, for Ole Miss sophomore quarterback Austin Simmons, who appears to these eyes potentially every bit as good as Dart. Yes, that is sky-high praise, but Simmons appears to have it all: the arm, the smarts, the speed. He appears to throw the football with the ease of throwing a baseball, and you can’t say that about a lot of quarterbacks. Yes, he made a couple of poor decisions in the opener against Georgia State, but he is 19 years young. Saturday should provide a big step in his maturing process.

Kentucky? Kentucky is a question mark, the case with so many college football teams in this transfer portal era. The Wildcats overhauled their squad with 24 transfers, including quarterback Zach Calzada and running back Dante Dowdell, the former Picayune superstar, who is making his third stop in three seasons of college football. Dowdell, who signed with Oregon and transferred to Nebraska as a sophomore, led Kentucky to its opening victory over Toledo with 129 yards and a touchdown on just 14 carries. Dowdell, who packs 227 pounds on his 6-foot-2 frame, will challenge the Rebels’ retooled defensive front.

Simply put, Ole Miss needs to take care of business. Stopping Dowdell and forcing Calzada to throw is the first order of that business. Calzada, making his fourth collegiate stop in his seventh year of college football, completed 10 of 23 passes for just 85 yards against Toledo.

Jackson State at Southern Miss, 4 p.m.

Southern Miss is a 7.5-point favorite, but don’t think for a second T.C. Taylor’s JSU Tigers don’t expect to win. And why wouldn’t they? The Tigers have now won 11 straight games. Meanwhile, Southern Miss has lost 11 straight. Jackson State has won those 11 straight by an average margin of 23 points. Southern Miss has lost those 11 straight by 25 points a game. At first glance, you ask yourself: How can USM be favored?

Yes, there is a difference in competition. FBS team such as Southern Miss can offer as many as 85 scholarships. JSU, which plays at the FCS level, can offer 63 scholarships, each of which can be split among multiple players. Theoretically, USM should have more depth. But then, Taylor says the Tigers are a solid two-deep at every position, and I haven’t heard Charles Huff, USM’s new head coach, say the same.

Huff has had nothing but praise this week for JSU, which defeated Huff’s alma mater, Hampton, 28-14 last Saturday. “Winning cures a lot and they have won,” Huff said. “Their players expect to win, their fan base expects to win … It’s gonna be a challenge. We need to improve quickly.”

To these eyes, Southern Miss appeared an improved team, although it was overmatched at the line of scrimmage last Saturday against Mississippi State. The biggest difference is at the quarterback position, where multi-talented Braylon Braxton should give the Golden Eagles a chance to win any game remaining on the schedule. Of course, until they prove differently, the Eagles also could lose any game remaining on the schedule, including this one. Expect a near-sellout crowd, a terrific atmosphere and a highly competitive contest. 

Arizona State at Mississippi State, 6:30 p.m.

Oddsmakers make Arizona State a 6.5-point favorite in what could be a statement game for Mississippi State. The statement? “We’re back!”

We will see. But I saw enough last Saturday to believe State is much improved over last season, especially at the line of scrimmage. State is huge — and can move — on both sides of the ball. Blake Shapen, a top-shelf quarterback, is healthy after sitting out the last eight games of 2024. Do not forget that the 24-year-old Shapen four years ago quarterbacked Baylor to a Big 12 Conference championship and was the MVP of a 21-16 championship victory over Oklahoma State. Shapen completed a record 17 straight passes in that one.

Clearly, Shapen can play, and he played well early last season in a 30-23 road loss to Arizona State. Led by irrepressible running back Cam Skattebo, who rushed for 262 yards and broke seemingly that many tackles, the Sun Devils staved off a fourth quarter State rally. Arizona State went on to an 11-victory season and the NCAA playoffs. You know what happened to State.

But a Mississippi State victory Saturday night would not shock this writer for any number of reasons, including that Skattebo, who pretty much single-handedly whipped State last year, now plays for the New York Giants. Other reasons:

• Arizona State was far from impressive in its 38-19 opening week victory over Northern Arizona.
• Arizona State is 0-2 all-time playing on the road against SEC teams and 1-6 overall against the SEC.
• State has covered the spread in its last four games against ranked teams. The Bulldogs are due to win one of those.

It’s hard to overstate how important this game is for State, mostly because of how difficult the schedule becomes down the road. Beginning Sept. 27, the Bulldogs finish the season, in order, against Tennessee, Texas A&M, Florida, Texas, Arkansas, Georgia, Missouri and Ole Miss. Good luck with that.

Reaching six victories and a bowl game would be a huge step forward for Jeff Lebby and his Bulldogs. It’ll be hard to find six without one of those coming this Saturday.