College Football Rankings 2020: Projected AP Top 25 for Week 5
By Zach Bigalke
1-0. won 44-34 at No. 6 LSU. Mississippi State Bulldogs. Scouting Report. Pick Analysis. 17. player. 893
What a difference a coach can make. In Mike Leach’s SEC debut, Mississippi State went to Death Valley and toppled the defending College Football Playoff champions. LSU lost a lot of personnel in the offseason, both on their roster and on the coaching staff, but the Tigers were still ranked No. 6 as they fell 44-34 to the Bulldogs. The win will vault Mississippi State into the AP Top 25 in a week where the field of candidates is glutted.
KJ Costello looked exactly like one would expect from a quarterback in Leach’s offense, throwing for 623 yards and five touchdowns on 36-of-60 passing. The Bulldogs only ran the ball 16 times for nine net yards on the ground, but standout running back Kylin Hill caught eight passes for 156 yards and a touchdown. He was one of three Bulldogs to top 100 receiving yards, led by Osirus Mitchell’s 183 yards and two scores.
With the home opener in Starkville next week against Arkansas, Mississippi State can really start to consolidate position in the rankings and set themselves up as a legitimate threat in the SEC West this season.