| Thursday, October 1, 2026 |
| Secretary of War designates Mississippi State as new 'Distinguished Military College' | |
 | Secretary of War Pete Hegseth delivered a "State of the Force" address on Wednesday where he announced that five U.S. universities were being designated as a "Distinguished Military College." Mississippi State University was among the list. At his direction, the Pentagon is expanding the "America's Corps of Cadets" program to assist the universities and colleges and increase the pipeline of "patriotic leaders of character" commissioned into the Joint Force. Mississippi State President Mark Keenum said the university is deeply honored to have the opportunity to serve the country in a way that is part of its institutional DNA. "We were established as a land-grant university and a military school. We have robust U.S. Army and U.S. Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps components -- and we have one of the nation's premier Centers for American Veterans," Keenum said. Mississippi's senior U.S. Senator Roger Wicker, who also serves as the Senate Armed Services Committee chairman, called the new designation at Mississippi State terrific news in a social media post. |
| Secretary of War recognizes Mississippi State as 'Distinguished Military College' | |
| Mississippi State University has been recognized as a "Distinguished Military College" by U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth. The school joins four others in earning the title. Hegseth said the new designation expands America's Corps of Cadets, a War Department program established to expand the pipeline of "patriotic leaders of character" commissioned into the Joint Force – a military organization that combines significant elements from two or more military departments, such as the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard -- operating under a single commander. "Our university is deeply honored to have the opportunity to serve our country in a way that is part of our institutional DNA," Mississippi State President Dr. Mark Keenum said. Keenum contended that the legacies of the late U.S. Sen. John C. Stennis and the late U.S. Rep. G.V. "Sonny" Montgomery cast long shadows over MSU's historic service in preparing students to serve their country in the military. Montgomery notably served in the U.S. Army for more than three decades and retired as a Major General. |
| Hegseth announces 5 new non-Ivy League partnerships | |
 | Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced new Pentagon partnerships with five non-Ivy League colleges and universities Wednesday amid his ongoing efforts to distance the military from America's most prestigious higher education institutions. "We're partnering with a new crop of premier higher ed institutions, including Louisiana State University [LSU], Liberty University, Tuskegee University, Mississippi State University and Hillsdale College," Hegseth said during a speech Wednesday in Quantico, Va. "These schools have stepped forward to answer the call to duty and establish new corps of cadets in partnership with the Department of War," Hegseth added, using his preferred term for the Department of Defense. "So today, at my direction, we are formally establishing a program to assist these universities and colleges. It's called, 'America's Corps of Cadets.'" |
| MSU designated as a 'Distinguished Military College' | |
| Mississippi State University is one of five universities designated as a new "Distinguished Military College." The announcement came during Secretary Pete Hegseth's speech Sept. 30 to active-duty tactical-level and noncommissioned officers at Marine Corps Base Quantico in Virginia. Hegseth said the new designation expands America's Corps of Cadets, a War Department program established to expand the pipeline of "patriotic leaders of character" commissioned into the Joint Force. "We're partnering with a new crop of premier higher ed institutions, including Louisiana State University (LSU), Liberty University, Tuskegee University, Mississippi State University and Hillsdale College," Hegseth said. "These schools have stepped forward to answer the call to duty and establish new corps of cadets in partnership with the Department of War," Hegseth added. "So today, at my direction, we are formally establishing a program to assist these universities and colleges. It's called, 'America's Corps of Cadets.'" |
| Historical Deep Dive: Meridian's Grand Opera House | |
 | Walking into the historic auditorium today, visitors are met with warm woodwork, period wallpapers, and ornate balcony facades. But long before it became the MSU Riley Center, the Grand Opera House was a forgotten treasure sleeping above 5th Street. During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Meridian surged as one of the fastest-growing rail hubs in the Southeast. Seeking to enhance the booming city's quality of life, the Rothenberg family -- proprietors of the Marks-Rothenberg Department Store -- commissioned the creation of the Grand Opera House. As commercial entertainment habits shifted across the country, the opera house eventually closed its doors. For decades, the venue sat silent and dark, cut off from electricity and secured only by padlocked back doors. While rumors of the preserved space circulated as local lore, an entire generation in Lauderdale County grew up unaware of the architectural gem hidden right in the center of town. That silence ended with a comprehensive restoration project that revived the site as the Mississippi State University Riley Center. Crews painstakingly preserved original mirrors, structural posts, and historic sightlines, officially reopening the facility 20 years ago. According to MSU Riley Center Executive Director Morgan Dudley, the project became a pivotal turning point for downtown Meridian, describing the revival as an economic catalyst that spurred regional revitalization across East Mississippi and West Alabama. |
| Quality of Mississippi's peanut crop varied by location in 2026 | |
| How Mississippi's peanut crop fared this year depended mostly on location, with drastically different growing conditions from the north to the southeast part of the state. George and Monroe counties are the state's top producing counties, and there are also multiple growers in the Hattiesburg area and then north along the Highway 82 corridor. Brendan Zurweller, peanut specialist with the Mississippi State University Extension Service, said reported acres is around 12,000, the lowest since the mid-2000s. "The low acreage is the result of low prices, a large amount of rainfall in May that prevented some acres from being planted and one of our buying points didn't offer contracts this year," Zurweller said. "Some growers did not want to risk planting a crop and not have anywhere to sell it in the fall." Each year, MSU runs peanut variety trials to test the performance of varieties under different growing conditions. This year, researchers also ran about 30 trials at the Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station R.R. Foil Plant Science Research Center in Starkville to test seed rates, crop protection, soil and foliar fertility and harvest time. |
| Mary Means Business: Hallberg does it again: New Starkville restaurant on the way | |
 | Eric Hallberg's latest culinary plan is underway. Hoping to open this November, the Big E's and former Breakfast Club owner is preparing to open Hallberg's. Located at 105 Eckford Lane, Hallberg said few details are available at this time. According to the Secretary of State's office, Hallberg filed a formation form Aug. 27. "We are very vague, ... trying to get a plan," Hallberg sent in a text message. He also added that he plans to open in November at the very earliest. Hallberg has spearheaded many ventures over the years in Starkville, including Cappe's, Chicken Salad Chick and The Breakfast Club (all of which I miss dearly). Over on Highway 12, Wing Gold in Starkville is officially open. Located at 210 Hwy. 12, Suite G, Wing Gold is a fast-casual restaurant serving up fried chicken, pizza and wings. It is open from 10:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 10:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and noon to 9:30 p.m. on Sunday. |
| Agriculture and forestry groups press Gov. Reeves for fuel relief | |
| Leaders from Mississippi's agriculture and forestry industries are calling on Gov. Tate Reeves for fuel relief as 22 agriculture and forestry groups have petitioned the governor. David Livingston, executive director of the Mississippi Loggers Association, said in-woods machines are averaging a fuel cost increase of $4,400, with an additional increase of around $6,600 for the trucking portion of logging operations. "It's crucial. This is bad as I've ever seen it. I've been in the industry for over 37 and a half years now," Livingston said. Livingston said some logging operations have already shut down because of the costs. Livingston said other states have acted while Mississippi has not. "We're surrounded. But we're still sitting here on our hands and haven't had any movement here within the state, and that's very disappointing as big as this industry is to the state," Livingston said. Mississippi Farm Bureau Federation President Mike McCormick said they haven't had enough traction in talks with the governor's office. "The governor doesn't feel like that he has the authority to do that. I think it's unfortunate. Some of the other governors had just moved ahead and made that executive order," McCormick said. |
| Gov. Reeves appoints Paul Jerrod 'PJ' Waldrop as MDA Executive Director | |
| Paul Jerrod "PJ" Waldrop was appointed the new Executive Director of the Mississippi Development Authority, Gov. Tate Reeves announced Wednesday. This appointment arrives after William "Bill" Cork's retirement from state service. Most recently, Waldrop served as Deputy Executive Director and Chief Operating Officer of the MDA. Waldrop also served as the first Director of the Governor's Office of Military Affairs at the MDA. Prior to his return to Mississippi, Waldrop worked in the United States Senate as Deputy Chief of Staff, State Director and Legislative Director for Sen. David Perdue. He also served on the staffs of Sen. Saxby Chambliss and Sen. Thad Cochran as well as the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry. Waldrop earned a Master of Science in Economic Development from the University of Southern Mississippi and a Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance from Delta State University. The appointment will be effective Thursday, Oct. 1. |
| U.S. Jobless Claims Fall for the Fourth Straight Week | |
 | U.S. jobless claims moved lower for the fourth week in a row, the latest sign that the economy is holding strong despite rising prices and weak consumer sentiment. The number of people who filed for unemployment benefits was 197,000 in the week through Sept. 26, 1,000 lower than the revised 198,000 reported a week earlier, the Labor Department said Thursday. Economists surveyed by The Wall Street Journal were expecting to see the figure tick up to 200,000. Continuing claims, which scale with the total size of the unemployed population, totaled 1.7 million in the week through Sept. 19, falling by 11,000 from the downwardly revised total a week earlier. The data on continuing claims lag the initial-claims data by a week. The data fits neatly with Wednesday's reports that the economy grew better than expected in the second quarter, driven by strong consumer spending. Americans are largely still employed and still spending despite higher prices and concerns about the direction of the economy. |
| $6B data center planned for Jefferson Davis, one of the poorest counties in the country | |
| A $6 billion data center is being planned for Jefferson Davis County. The developer, Eagle Rock Partners, hosted an informational meeting on Tuesday to talk with people about their concerns and answer questions about the project, which is called the Big Woods Technology Park. Construction could begin as early as 2027. "Get informed. Get answers -- straight from the people who know," read a flyer for the meeting in Bassfield. Eagle Rock Partners told Mississippi Today that the company is in the design stage and is working on submissions. It is proposing a three-building complex that will be around 2 million square feet and said it will not request abatements or incentives. The company expects the project to create 200 permanent jobs and over 1,000 temporary construction jobs. Gary Russell Bass, director of the Jefferson Davis County Economic Development Association, said residents can go to a website the developer has set up to find answers about the project. Bass said he wants the project to be transparent to the public and be a model for how to develop a data center well. |
| Mississippi Democrats dare to wonder whether Senate seat is in reach | |
 | The last time a Democrat won a Senate race in Mississippi, the party's candidate this year, Scott Colom, hadn't been born. Now Colom, the 43-year-old district attorney for several counties in northeast Mississippi, has top Democratic officials and donors increasingly hopeful that he could pull off the inconceivable and use this year's poor political environment for Republicans to win a Senate race that just a few months ago was nowhere to be found on the party's 2026 plans. Colom's campaign against Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith (R) remains a long shot for the party, especially because Democrats are not as flush with campaign cash as they were in past elections and face a growing list of expensive targets in the fight to take back the Senate. President Donald Trump won Mississippi by 23 percentage points in 2024. The last time a Democrat won a Senate race in the state was in 1982. And some Democrats, when asked about Senate campaigns in the state, recalled when former congressman Mike Espy spurred excitement in 2020 only to lose to Hyde-Smith by 10 points. But Colom and other top Democrats argue this year is different. |
| Cory Booker's coming back to Mississippi to again campaign against Cindy Hyde-Smith | |
| New Jersey U.S. Senator Cory Booker is coming to the Mississippi Coast this Friday to campaign with Democrat nominee Scott Colom. Colom is hoping to upset heavily favored incumbent Republican U.S. Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith in the November 3 General Election. Colom announced Booker's appearance in Gulfport on Wednesday evening, saying, "Y'all, I'm excited to announce we are officially launching Canvass with Colom this Friday, October 2nd, on the Gulf Coast -- and my friend Senator Cory Booker is headed down to kick things off with us!" Redistricting in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court's Callais decision and advocating for black representation could be among the narratives cultivated by Booker and Colom during the Mississippi visit as MS NOW reported in June that Booker was "steering six figures from his political operation toward defending Black representation in the South." |
| Sen. Cory Booker to campaign for Scott Colom in Mississippi Senate race | |
| U.S. Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey will campaign for Mississippi Democratic Senate candidate Scott Colom on Friday, according to the Colom campaign. This will be the third time that Booker has visited Mississippi to try to help oust Republican Sen. Hyde-Smith and flip her seat to Democratic. The New Jersey senator visited Mississippi in 2018 and 2020 to campaign for Democratic candidate Mike Espy. U.S. senators from both political parties have visited the Magnolia State this year to stump for Hyde-Smith and Colom. Senate Majority Leader John Thune and Sen. John Kennedy of Louisiana have visited to support Hyde-Smith, while Sen. Angela Alsobrooks of Maryland and Sen. Lisa Blunt Rochester of Delaware visited to campaign with Colom. |
| Senate Republicans Leave Town Wondering: Did We Do Enough? | |
| Republicans made a last-gasp bid Wednesday to answer simmering anger in the electorate, holding a pair of failed show votes on high costs and corruption, then recessing until after the midterms. Republican leaders had considered leaving sooner so members could campaign, as the House did, but stuck around after GOP senators clamored for votes on items they could use in those campaigns. It was partially successful. After spending more than a week passing a package to overhaul college sports -- which may or may not die in the House -- they had to settle for failed procedural votes on a bill aimed at curbing energy costs from data centers and another to curtail stock trading by lawmakers. Democrats derided both as toothless. The closing record left some lawmakers worried the moves were too little, too late with less than five weeks until Election Day, especially as the Iran war drags on and gas prices remain near highs for the year. "You're always concerned that if you could do more, you should do more," said Sen. Mike Rounds (R-South Dakota). "We know the American people are hurting right now. We know that." "I think the current status right now with prices being high on petroleum products in particular ... it hurts anybody who's currently in office," Rounds said. "If the price of gas were to go down by a dollar a gallon right now, that would really help." |
| Most Americans blame Trump for high prices as midterms approach, a new AP-NORC poll finds | |
 | Americans are deeply frustrated with President Donald Trump's handling of the economy and rising prices, with most panning his performance and blaming his policies as higher costs threaten his party's chances in November. A new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research finds that only 17% of U.S. adults approve of the Republican president's handling of the cost of living. Just 26% approve of his handling of the economy overall, marking a new low. A majority, 65%, of U.S. adults now blame Trump's policies for persistently high costs more than factors outside of his control, signaling growing weariness over his aggressive use of tariffs and continued unhappiness with the war with Iran. "Groceries are just like kind of out of control. It seems like everything is going up," said Bethany Lnenicka, 41, who operates a small farm in Fairfax, Iowa. "It's just one thing and the next week it's another thing. It's just insane. And of course your income doesn't go up." A political independent who typically votes Republican and has voted for Trump three times, Lnenicka said she had hoped his second term would be more like his first. |
| ICC choirs selected to perform at White House | |
 | The Itawamba Community College Chamber Choir and ICC Choir have been selected from more than 1,000 entries to perform during official White House Christmas tours in Washington. ICC President Dr. Jay Allen shared the exciting news during the recent Singing Symposium hosted at ICC. Their performance is scheduled for the evening of Dec. 14. Under the direction of Kyle Davis, with Anna Morgan serving as pianist, approximately 68 ICC student performers will travel to the nation's capital. The invitation provides an opportunity for students to share their musical talents while representing their college, communities and Mississippi. "This is an extraordinary honor for our students and our college," Allen said. "A performance at the White House is an experience they will carry with them long after their time at ICC. We are proud of the work they have put into their music and grateful for the opportunity to share their talents on a national stage." |
| Student builds collegiate apparel brand | |
| When University of Mississippi senior Carter Graves noticed a gap in the collegiate apparel market, he decided to try to fill it himself. Graves, a Dallas native studying business at Ole Miss, founded GMDY, a collegiate apparel company that began with quarter-zips and polos and has since expanded to serve six universities. The brand currently offers apparel for Ole Miss, Alabama, LSU, TCU, Iowa and UL Lafayette. GMDY was recently approved by Ole Miss for officially licensed university-branded apparel, a process Graves said took months of work while he was still a student. The idea for GMDY began during Graves' freshman year, when he was producing quarter zips and polos for companies and franchise groups that wanted customized apparel for corporate meetings and events. Graves would wear some of the apparel around the Ole Miss campus, where other students began asking whether he could make similar products featuring the university. |
| Kratom organization calls OPD investigation 'unforgivable' | |
 | The American Kratom Association (AKA) denounced local law enforcement in Oxford for misrepresenting the drug kratom following the deaths of two University of Mississippi students. The conference took place outside the Lafayette County Detention Center on Wednesday, Sept. 30. "We wanted to correct the false claim that was provided in a pre-investigation report by the police chief and the county sheriff where they indicated that there was found at the scene a packaged kratom product," Mac Haddow, senior fellow of public policy for the American Kratom Association (AKA), said. "We now know that that is inaccurate and should never have been put up." The Lafayette County Metro Narcotics Unit released a statement on Sept. 22 following the deaths of Aidan Hamilton and Robert Strang, stating that packaged kratom was found at both investigation sites. The specific product was not disclosed, and the statement said that there was no confirmation that kratom was a contributing factor in either death. However, the statement warned the public to avoid kratom altogether. |
| Regions Bank donates $2.5M to UMMC for cancer center | |
 | The University of Mississippi Medical Center (UMMC) will receive a $2.5 million donation from Regions Bank to help build a new cancer clinic. Officials at UMMC said the facility will increase access to advanced cancer treatment and allow more Mississippi patients to receive care closer to home. The hospital is expected to provide specialized treatments, clinical trials and other resources typical of an NCI-designated cancer center. "If patients in Mississippi want to receive that level of care, which is the most cutting-edge care, and the NCI-designated cancer center has treatment options through clinical trials, cutting-edge treatment specialists, and other patient resources that you don't have if you're not one of those," said LouAnn Woodward, MD, Vice Chancellor of Health Affairs at UMMC. |
| War Dept. awards $7.5 million research grant to Jackson State | |
| Jackson State University has been named a recipient of a $7.5 million federal research grant from the U.S. Department of War Historically Black Colleges and Universities/Minority-Serving Institutions Program. The university was one of 10 HBCUs and minority-serving institutions selected for the grant to increase the institutions' capacity to conduct nationally significant, defense-relevant research. Through JSU's five-year $7.5 million grant award, the university's research teams will support the development of smart-management approaches to protect critical logistics infrastructure -- including ports, roads, bridges, airfields, embankments and transportation corridors -- against physical deterioration, extreme weather and adversarial threats. |
| Blue Mountain Christian University president announces retirement plans | |
 | It was 2012 when Dr. Barbara McMillin came on board as President of what was then Blue Mountain College. It would be a decade later before it assumed its current name, Blue Mountain Christian University. "The name change was a significant transition for us," McMillin said. During her fifteen years as President of BMCU, the university's athletics programs have grown, along with enrollment. The ice storm earlier this year impacted the campus, and a new, 15 million dollar new home for the university's school of nursing will soon open. McMillin says the Center for Grace and Healing will educate healthcare professionals and equip them to minister to their patients. "Very excited about that, as you drive onto our campus, anyone who hasn't been here in a couple of years might be surprised at this beautiful building, very thankful for that," McMillin said. Although she has overseen many changes during her tenure, McMillin says the vision and mission of the Christian university will remain the same. |
| U. of Alabama waives fees during free application week | |
| The University of Alabama, along with other universities across the state, will waive application fees next week as part of a statewide free application week. UA applications must be submitted before 11:59 p.m. on Oct. 9 to be considered for the application waiver. "UA's Free App Week helps prospective students take the next step toward their educational goals," said Matthew McLendon, vice president for enrollment management. "By waiving application fees, we're removing a financial barrier and making it easier for more students to explore what UA has to offer." The waiver will cover The University of Alabama's Early College, undergraduate programs, UA Online and Graduate School applications. Without the waiver, applications to the University's programs range from $40 to $80. |
| Hegseth taps LSU cadet corps for new generation of military officers | |
| U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth announced Wednesday he is elevating LSU's corps of cadets program and granting the university a new military designation. LSU will be made a Distinguished Military College, a newly revived federal designation that offers graduates of its Reserve Officer Training Corps program priority in becoming a commissioned military officer, Hegseth announced at his State of the Force address at the U.S. Marine Corps base in Quantico, Virginia. Other schools given the designation are Mississippi State University, Tuskegee University, Hillsdale College and Liberty University, though Hegseth said more will be named soon. The distinction also puts LSU on the path to becoming a Senior Military College, a prestigious designation that is essentially a step between a normal ROTC program, like what LSU currently offers, and one of the U.S. service academies, such as West Point or the Naval Academy in Annapolis. |
| UT Creamery opens new location in Torchbearer Residence Hall | |
| UT Creamery opened its doors in a 'soft launch' for customers at its new location inside of Torchbearer Residence Hall Sept. 1. The launch came suddenly, with no formal announcement made. This is the creamery's third location, with the first opening in 1915 on the Agriculture Campus and lasting into the 1980s. The creamery came back to campus in 2023, opening a location on Neyland Drive across the road from Sorority Village. When selecting a location for the third location, Torchbearer Hall came into the conversation by sheer coincidence. UT Creamery manager Nathan Miller recounted how David White, dean of the University of Tennesse's Herbert College of Agriculture, selected the location. The creamery has 12 different flavors to choose from, ranging from "The Sheriff's Peanut Butter & Chocolate" to "Go Big Orange." The new location features 39 guest spots with varying seating arrangements, along with various outdoor tables for customers' convenience. With plain walls and an unstocked freezer in the space, the creamery stayed in its 'soft launch' until its opening ceremony on Tuesday. |
| Texas A&M to celebrate 150th anniversary starting this weekend | |
| Texas A&M will start a celebration of its 150th anniversary this weekend with events scheduled through May.Six professors and 40 students gathered at a small college campus alongside the tracks of the Houston and Texas Central Railroad in central Brazos County on Wednesday, Oct. 4, 1876. They were the first professors and students at the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas which had been established in 1871 and was beginning on 2,400 acres of land split by the railroad. What they helped create has grown into what is now known as Texas A&M, the largest university system in the state of Texas and the largest university in the country in terms of enrollment. What began on 2,400 acres has grown to include 11 other universities, eight state agencies and a living alumni base of 600,000. Texas A&M will begin celebrating that anniversary this weekend and keep it going until May 2027, while looking ahead to the next 150 years of the university. |
| Cornell agrees to an independent probe into its handling of a fraternity rape case | |
 | Cornell University will bring in an outside counsel to conduct an independent probe into the handling of an alleged gang rape in 2024 that involved students, school officials confirmed Wednesday. University officials tell NPR they have no further details about how the investigation will play out. The move comes after New York Gov. Kathy Hochul on Tuesday called for Cornell to open an outside investigation. In a video posted on X Wednesday evening, she said she spoke with Cornell President Michael Kotlikoff about making that a reality. "They have agreed. They understand the importance of this," Hochul said. The Xi chapter of Chi Phi fraternity, of which the alleged rapists were members, was banned from the campus two years ago, when details first emerged. On Tuesday, Cornell students walking to classes on a gray, autumn day expressed anger and disappointment over the case. |
| College Leaders Prepare to Administer Workforce Pell | |
 | The long-awaited debut of Workforce Pell has finally arrived. Later this month, Ivy Tech Community College in Indiana will begin doling out federal financial aid dollars to eligible students in an eight-week clinical medical assistant program. When they do, Ivy Tech will become one of the first colleges in the nation to accept Pell Grants as payment for certain short-term career-oriented programs. After years of policy debate, Congress in summer 2025 passed legislation that allows federal Pell dollars -- financial aid for low-income students -- to be used on programs between eight and 15 weeks long rather than a full year or longer. That triggered a yearlong sprint for federal and state leaders to figure out how to work together to determine which programs would qualify for approval by state governments and the U.S. Education Department. The rollout has been slow so far; since the policy took effect on July 1, ED has approved 21 programs across six states, including Florida, Indiana, Iowa, Nebraska, North Carolina, Texas. But for colleges, the work doesn't stop when a program is approved. |
SPORTS
| What makes Mississippi State vs Alabama the Bulldogs' biggest game in over a decade | |
 | No, ESPN's "College GameDay" isn't coming to Mississippi State. And no, Mississippi State is not playing Alabama in a night game. But when the No. 16 Bulldogs (4-0, 2-0 SEC) host the No. 7 Crimson Tide (4-0, 2-0) on Oct. 3 (11 a.m., ABC), it projects as one of the biggest games at Davis Wade Stadium in a long time. It's an electric quarterback matchup featuring what could be two first-round draft picks in 2028 in MSU's Kamario Taylor and Alabama's Keelon Russell. The Bulldogs vaulted 11 spots in the US LBM Coaches Poll after defeating Missouri on Sept. 26. Could a win over Alabama launch them into the top 10 and into the conversation for the College Football Playoff? |
| State's secondary not shying away from contact | |
| The abbreviations MSU and PBU are becoming synonymous with each other. Through four games, Mississippi State has boasted one of the top cornerback duos in the SEC. Kelley Jones, a projected first-round pick, has defended a conference-best six passes, while Jett Jefferson is right behind him with five. For Jefferson, defending opposing receivers feels a lot easier after defending State's receivers in practice every week. "We've probably got the fastest receivers in the country," Jefferson said. "Being able to go up against them guys every day, being able to build with them, and being able to cover them every day is good to help me build on my end, coverage-wise." As a unit, the secondary put up some of its best stat lines of the season against Missouri. After breaking up 12 passes in the first three games combined, the Bulldogs broke up 15 passes against the Tigers alone. |
| Alabama faces potential shootout against Mississippi State in clash of wide receivers | |
| Alabama's matchup in Starkville with No. 16 Mississippi State has the potential to be a shootout between the wide receiver talent each team boasts. The Bulldogs are No. 13 in the country in passing yards per game, while the Crimson Tide is No. 27. With Alabama quarterback Keelon Russell and Mississippi State quarterback KaMario Taylor both ranking in the top five of DraftKings' latest Heisman Trophy odds, these teams are trusting in their signal-callers to air the ball out. The Bulldogs have an especially athletic group of small, quick receivers, who can take the top off a defense with the speed of their releases and pick up yards after the catch. Taylor's most reliable target has been senior slot receiver Anthony Evans III, who is tied for the most receptions in the SEC. Evans was an important contributor to the Bulldogs' offense a year ago with 831 yards and four touchdowns, but he has exploded early this season. |
| Alabama OL starter could miss Mississippi State game, another will play | |
 | Alabama football could be without one of its starting offensive linemen for Saturday's trip to Mississippi State. However, another one will be available to play. The Crimson Tide listed Jayvin James as questionable on its first SEC availability report of the week, publicly released by the conference on Wednesday. James suffered what head coach Kalen DeBoer called a lower extremity injury on Saturday, during UA's victory over South Carolina at Bryant-Denny Stadium. DeBoer said on his "Hey Coach" radio show Wednesday night that James had been on the practice field "a little bit" early in the week. "We'll kind of see," DeBoer said. "We still got a few more days. It's what we expected, the progress that he was making. He's still questionable." The availability report did have good news elsewhere on the offensive line. Left guard William Sanders, who suffered an upper-body injury against South Carolina, was not listed, meaning he will be available for Saturday's game. |
| Keelon Russell was MVP. Kamario Taylor barely kept up. Now they're SEC equals | |
 | Twenty-five months ago, the football recruiting world gathered in Manhattan Beach, Calif., to watch the 2024 Elite 11 quarterback competition. The Class of 2025 was considered to be one of the best recruiting classes for quarterbacks in the past 20 years, and by the end of the three-day camp, recruiting analysts came away raving about what they saw. So did the Elite 11 coaches, who called it the most talented group they'd ever seen. Truth be told, it has gotten harder to project how quarterbacks are going to pan out in this name, image and likeness and the transfer portal era, but two of the most talented prospects in that class have become the talk of the first month of this season. On Saturday, Alabama's Keelon Russell and Mississippi State's Kamario Taylor will face off in Starkville, Miss., in a game that has folks riveted. NFL scouts, too. |
| College sports bill facing pressure in the House: 'We won't pass language to blow up the ACC' | |
| Members of the House of Representatives are sharpening their proverbial pencils to go to town on the Protect College Sports Act. Lawmakers in the lower chamber expect to take an X-Acto knife to the 170-page bill that passed in the Senate earlier this week. Some expect moderate revisions. Others believe there will be wholesale changes. And even a few folks think the bill itself may be too divisive to reach the House floor for an actual vote, despite its overwhelming (77 votes) passage in the upper chamber. But if House members choose to amend portions of the Act, complications are expected. The Senate would need to ratify any changes in another elongated procedural process that could, for one, run into a time issue (the final day of this Congress is Dec. 18) and, secondly, include a host of new demands from senators (if the House gets changes, some in the Senate will want changes, too). In fact, one leading voice in the Senate told us on Wednesday that wholesale revisions from the House stand to torpedo the bill. "We are sending it over for adoption as is," the Senate staff member said. "It is a final product." |
| 'If we can get a decent deal, we are definitely going to 24' -- CFP leaders discussing logistics of 24-team playoff | |
| College Football Playoff leaders on Wednesday took another step down what's been a long, winding road to expanding the sport's postseason to 24 teams. The fact that it happened here, in a Chicago suburb, within the headquarters of the Big Ten, came only as a coincidence. The league that originally pitched the 24-team playoff model hosted the annual gathering. The consensus: A doubling of the postseason feels like a foregone conclusion -- even if no one will say it publicly. "We've worked through a lot of the other issues associated with [a 24-team] expansion and those things needed to happen before we started any kind of negotiation [over money]," CFP executive director Rich Clark said, peeling back the curtain a bit. Discussions over a 24-team playoff field, introduced as a realistic proposal by the Big Ten last August, have accelerated this summer and, now, into the fall. Would CFP executives really spend hundreds of hours of time over scheduling and logistics only to decide against expanding to 24 teams? It's unlikely, especially when considering that "the money is there," as one CFP stakeholder told Yahoo Sports. I |
| College Football Playoff leaders continue to discuss 24-team model | |
| Leaders of the College Football Playoff continued to discuss a 24-team model on Wednesday but didn't vote on any calendar or scheduling changes for the 2027 season as negotiations with ESPN continue, CFP executive director Rich Clark said. "I think we've worked through a lot of the other issues that are associated with expansion, and those things needed to happen before we started any kind of a negotiation," Clark said in the lobby of Big Ten headquarters, where the regularly scheduled meeting was held. "[Money] is not the only consideration, but right now it is an unknown because we have no idea what the revenue that could be generated is." The CFP is in the midst of a 30-day negotiation window with ESPN, the sole rights holder of the event. Clark said Oct. 9 is the last day of the negotiation period with ESPN before the event goes to the open market, and the CFP has until Dec. 1 to decide if the format will change in time for the 2027 season. |
| CFP executive director: 'We have no idea' how much money a 24-team Playoff would bring | |
| More than halfway through their window of exclusive negotiations with ESPN, College Football Playoff leaders have made enough progress on a plan to expand to 24 teams to feel confident it could be up and running for 2027 -- if the price is right in a new television deal. "I think we've worked through a lot of the other issues that are associated with expansion, and those things needed to happen before we started any kind of a negotiation," CFP executive director Rich Clark said Wednesday after a four-and-a-half-hour meeting with the management committee. Clark said the value of the media rights for an expanded Playoff is the most prominent missing piece of information as the 10 Football Bowl Subdivision conference commissioners and Notre Dame's athletic director weigh doubling the size of the field. "I would say that that is not the only consideration, but right now it is an unknown because we have no idea what the revenue that could be generated is," Clark said. "Other things we have some ideas about, and we're still working through some of those things. But the revenue is an unknown, and that's why we're in this negotiating window." |
| How shocking is LSU athletics' projected $26 million deficit? We asked economists what it means | |
 | The money in college football seems infinite, which is why it was jarring when LSU president Wade Rousse came before the state's board of regents last week and revealed LSU athletics didn't have enough cash to cover expenses. "We're gonna address the bleeding," said Rousse, the former McNeese president, who projected a $26 million deficit for his current school's athletic department. It doesn't take a sports economist to explain why LSU expects a loss. It used to cost nothing beyond a scholarship to reel in the athletes who drive a money-making machine, but, five years into NIL pay, the Tigers' football roster is rumored to command $50 million. What a sports economist will debate is whether the word "deficit" correctly describes LSU's predicament as it puts on another football spectacle this weekend. "Every time I order pizza, I'm running a deficit. I made zero money off the pizza," said Andy Schwarz, an economist at the consulting firm OSKR. "The right question is not, 'Why didn't I make money buying pizza?' The question is, 'Did I get $25 of value out of that pizza?'" LSU, undeniably, sees immense value from its football program. |
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