College Football: These five U.S. states have the most FBS programs per capita
By John Scimeca
4. Mississippi
987,093 people per FBS program
Ole Miss, Mississippi State, Southern Miss
The state of Mississippi ranks fourth on this per capita list by virtue of its relatively small population of 2.95 million — 35th in the United States — and three FBS programs. Southern Miss competes in Conference USA, while its two larger counterparts Ole Miss and Mississippi State are longtime members of the SEC.
After beginning play as a program in 1893, Ole Miss was a co-national champion from 1960 and won six SEC titles between 1947 and 1963. The school has produced 13 All-Americans, including legendary quarterback Archie Manning from 1969.
The Rebels haven’t been a powerhouse program recently, although current head coach Lane Kiffin seems intent on changing that narrative. He led Ole Miss to its first 10-win season in six years in 2021 with a bravado that’s been entertaining for fans.
Mississippi State began play as a program two years after Ole Miss and have one conference title to its name from 1941. Current Dallas Cowboys star quarterback Dak Prescott led the squad to a 10-3 season in 2014, but the Bulldogs have struggled to maintain that level of success — they’ve endured three losing seasons since then.
The two in-state rivals meet annually in one of college football’s most fiercely contested grudge matches, the “Egg Bowl.” The two squads have met 118 times, with Ole Miss owning a 64-45-6 edge against the Bulldogs.
Southern Miss began to play in 1912 and was a longtime independent before joining Conference USA in 1996. The team has won five conference titles, including in three of its first four seasons as C-USA members.
Many fans will recognize the Golden Eagles as the alma mater of NFL legend Brett Favre, who spent his college career in Hattiesburg, Miss. before going on to win a Super Bowl with the Green Bay Packers. The team has had more limited success in recent years (only four winning seasons in the past decade), but the 2011 squad went 12-2 and finished No. 20 in the AP rankings.