| Monday, December 8, 2025 |
| MSU conservation education master's program earns prestigious accreditation | |
 | Mississippi State University's online Master of Science in Conservation Education program has earned accreditation from the North American Association for Environmental Education, a distinction held by fewer than 15 institutions nationwide and one of only a few at the graduate level. Leslie Burger, associate teaching professor in MSU's College of Forest Resources Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Aquaculture, helped establish the program and led the accreditation effort. She said the recognition further sets the program apart. "For the NAAEE -- the primary organization for conservation education across the U.S. and Canada -- to say we meet its standards for excellence in the preparation and professional development of environmental and conservation educators is a huge stamp of approval for our program," Burger said. Launched in 2021, the 30-hour online degree equips professionals to merge conservation practice with education. The curriculum combines core courses in ecology and education with flexible electives and culminates in a community-based capstone project. Burger said the program's flexibility attracts students from around the world. |
| Horsing around for stress relief | |
| With the campus buzzing as students prepared for finals, some Mississippi State University students found an unexpected way to step away from their textbooks and computer screens: a stress-relief session with horses. The MSU Equine Stress and Wellness event, held Wednesday at the university's Horse Unit, provides a structured opportunity for students to decompress before exams. Participants spend time grooming, petting, and feeding horses, then take a leadership role guiding the animals through obstacles and maneuvers in the arena. Finally, they enjoy quiet time grazing with the horse in the fields -- a simple but effective way to destress. Freshman Kazzi Rivera came to the event with a personal motivation. Out in the grazing field with Phoenix, she held his lead and petted him while he munched on clover. Her grandfather, who loved and owned horses of his own, recently passed away, and she said attending the event felt like a way to reconnect while also taking a break from finals. Rivera, who has spent time around horses before, said she came not only to remember her grandfather but to open her mind and debrief after weeks of studying. |
| MSU forensic team helps identify remains | |
 | Human remains were found off Stuart Road in Oktibbeha County Thursday. The Oktibbeha County Sheriff's Office and Starkville Police have been conducting an investigation in the wooded area for a number of months. The agencies called Cobb Institute of Archaeology at MSU to confirm what they found that morning. "Based on our previous knowledge of human anatomy, and what I teach the students here based on comparative anatomy, we could tell that it is more consistent with human than versus not human, thinking of like a deer or dog, or some other four-legged animal," said Mississippi State Archeologist Dr. Jesse Goliath. The remains were sent to the Mississippi State Medical Examiner's office in Pearl for further analysis. Goliath said the team has been working with law enforcement on missing person cases since January 2022. "What we're trying to do here at Mississippi State is build a forensic laboratory, similar to what we have in Pearl. But right now, based on our contract, we then go down to Pearl to work with those cases because they have all the resources at that Pearl crime lab," said Goliath. |
| MSU's Goliath receives national Mosaic Award celebrating forensic advocacy | |
| Mississippi State forensic anthropologist Jesse R. Goliath has been named the 2026 recipient of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences Community Connections Mosaic Award, a national honor recognizing individuals who advance advocacy and positive change in the forensic sciences. The annual Mosaic Award celebrates contributions that strengthen community and belonging within forensic teams and research groups. Goliath, an AAFS Anthropology Section Fellow, will receive the honor at the Academy's 2026 Annual Conference in New Orleans, Louisiana, in February. An assistant professor in MSU's Department of Anthropology and Middle Eastern Cultures, Goliath focuses his research on supporting marginalized populations and improving outcomes for missing and unidentified persons, particularly in underserved regions of the rural South. Goliath said the award is especially meaningful because it highlights advocacy in forensic science. "Much of our casework involves marginalized communities. Advocacy, collaboration and cultural understanding are essential if we want to bring answers to families and improve the way our field supports the public," he said. |
| Detour ahead: Major weekend closure planned on Hwy 82 East | |
| Travelers looking to get to Columbus next weekend will have to detour off Highway 82 East through West Point. The eastbound lane of Highway 82 will be closed from the U.S. 45 interchange (the Macon exit) to the State Route 182/Main Street Interchange (Downtown Columbus exit) starting at 10 p.m. Friday to 5 a.m. Monday, according to a Mississippi Department of Transportation press release. Westbound lanes on Highway 82 will remain open. Key Constructors LLC will demolish a damaged portion of the Old West Point Road Bridge to prepare it for partial replacement and a 10-inch lift through 2026, Greg Mims, construction manager for Key Constructors LLC told the Dispatch. "A while back, the Old West Point Road Bridge was hit, and this is the repair for preparing the bridge to have it open back up again," said Matt Dunn, Mississippi Department of Transportation District 1 engineer. Traffic coming into the city during this period will be detoured through West Point to Highway 50 and Highway 45 North to rejoin on Highway 82 East past the construction work, Mims said. Dunn said the bridge has been closed since an 18-wheeler carrying an excavator hit the overpass in October 2024. |
| LINK touts growth, progress after turbulent year | |
| Despite "what a year" it's been for the Golden Triangle Development LINK, Chief Operating Officer Meryl Fisackerly said the region's industrial development arm has continued pushing forward with major projects. "It's been a year for the LINK, but there's still been a lot that we've accomplished and a lot that we've achieved, and then looking forward, we've got so much potential of what we're going to do in the years to come," Fisackerly said during the Columbus-Lowndes Chamber of Commerce annual luncheon. Fisackerly's "it's been a year" remark was an oblique reference to the August firing of ex-CEO Joe Max Higgins. The LINK Executive Committee issued a statement saying it was "compelled to remove" Higgins from the position after learning of workplace behavior and speech over an extended period that "do not reflect the values of this organization and the communities we serve." Despite the transition, Fisackerly, who has headed up day-to-day operations since Higgins' firing, said the LINK has still seen growth throughout the year, specifically noting industry expansions, ongoing efforts to complete the CINCO Megasite and the completion of the organization's new office at the Golden Triangle Regional Airport. |
| Mississippi timber markets disrupted as EU rule takes effect early | |
 | The European Union's new deforestation rule is already rippling through Mississippi's timber industry -- creating confusion, restrictions, and growing financial worries for landowners who say they never saw it coming. The EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) became law in 2023, but, after multiple delays, European officials recently shifted the implementation timeline again -- this time moving it back up to December 2025. Mississippi officials said mills have begun applying the rule immediately, even though full enforcement hasn't begun. For eighth-generation landowner David Ham, the change was sudden and startling. "It kind of popped up out of nowhere," he said. "A lot of landowners and timber growers really don't know anything about it so far." Ham's family has held their property since the 1830s. Over nearly 200 years, the land has moved between timber, crops, and cattle, depending on economic need. The idea that it must now remain forest forever, he said, is unrealistic. Mississippi Agriculture and Commerce Commissioner Andy Gipson has been fighting the rule for two years and said the latest change pushed it to the top of his agenda. |
| Trump to Unveil $12 Billion Bailout for Farmers | |
 | The Trump administration is planning to announce $12 billion in aid to U.S. farmers, according to administration officials, as the agriculture sector grapples with the fallout from President Trump's far-reaching tariffs. The aid package is expected to be unveiled at the White House on Monday afternoon, where Trump is holding a roundtable with farmers, the officials said. Top administration officials have been discussing the bailout behind the scenes for months. Much of the aid -- $11 billion -- will be in the form of one-time payments through the Farmer Bridge Assistance program, which helps U.S. crop farmers. The remaining $1 billion will go toward commodities not covered under the bridge assistance program, the officials said. Bloomberg earlier reported the details of the bailout. The aid will be a shot in the arm to soybean farmers, who have faced devastating financial losses this year. Farmers have said the extra money would help them pay down their debts this year and finance the cost of planting next year's crop. It has been a challenging year for the American farmer. Crop prices have remained low, especially after harvesting the largest crop on record this fall. In the first half of 2025, farm bankruptcies rose by about 60% compared with 2024. |
| AI could enhance rural healthcare delivery, but concerns linger with the emerging technology | |
| Experts expect artificial intelligence to play a part in the future of healthcare in the United States, but there is concern that a lack transparency and biased algorithms may taint the creation of those AI models. Healthcare advocates often contend that Mississippi faces a number of hurdles in ensuring residents have access to care, especially in rural areas where a number of factors are at play. In addition, many of the state's hospitals are reportedly facing shortages in funding, staff and facilities. Telemedicine has been proposed as a potential source to address at least some of these issues and advocates say AI could play a part in ensuring people live healthier lives. There are existing disparities in healthcare within the United States, particularly when studying various demographics. A person's health outcomes are largely based on their genetics, place of residence, income, exercise regime, diet, education and access to healthcare, Dr. Joseph Betancourt, President of the Commonwealth Fund said. "And we know within the context of racial disparities that minority communities are more likely to be on the kind of the negative end of all those social drivers, and tend to be disadvantaged in many ways," Betancourt described, also noting that minorities tend to be less insured for a variety of reasons. |
| Congress Gears Up to Pass $900 Billion Defense Policy Bill | |
 | The House is expected to take up legislation this week that would authorize about $900 billion for the military, providing an increase over the White House's annual budget request. The bicameral version of the bill released on Sunday includes $8 billion more than what the Trump administration had requested and what the House allotted in a version of the bill that it passed earlier this year. The additional funding in the legislation marked a modest but rare divergence for Republican lawmakers from President Trump, after a year of largely ceding authority as he made dramatic cuts to the government. Both chambers are racing to pass the annual defense policy bill before the end of the year and deliver it to the president's desk. One overarching goal of the bill, which authorizes spending for the 2026 fiscal year, is to streamline how the Defense Department meets its needs through research, contracting and manufacturing. The bill, however, does not rename the Defense Department the "Department of War," as Mr. Trump and his defense secretary have called it. Instead, the legislation sticks with the already codified "Department of Defense" and "secretary of defense" throughout the roughly 3,000-page bill. |
| Republicans have an affordability problem. They can't agree on how to fix it. | |
 | Republicans want to put the economy at the center of their midterm message as they seek to protect their majorities in Congress. But as cost-of-living concerns mount across the political spectrum, the GOP is struggling to act decisively to address them. Already top Republicans acknowledge they haven't done enough to sell the "one big, beautiful bill," the party-line centerpiece of their economic agenda they enacted over the summer. Now internal divisions and the need for bipartisan support in the Senate are threatening any attempt to follow up on it. The GOP is struggling to coalesce behind a health care plan that would prevent Obamacare premium hikes set to kick in next month and efforts to rein in President Donald Trump's tariffs have run aground in the House. Meanwhile, the administration's proposal to distribute $2,000 rebate checks has gotten a lukewarm response on Capitol Hill and the fate of other smaller bills to address things like housing prices and student debt have sparked intraparty sparring. While many in the GOP -- including Trump -- continue to lay blame for their economic problems with former President Joe Biden, there are clear warning signs for Republicans. Forty-six percent of respondents in a recent POLITICO Poll said the cost of living is the worst they can remember it being. |
| Does one drink make you dizzy? Why alcohol hits us harder as we age | |
 | Once upon a time, a drink or two at a holiday party went down the hatch with no problems. Now, it's a recipe for misery the next morning. Sound familiar? Dr. Monica Christmas of the University of Chicago Medicine says it's a common lament as people enter middle age. "You are not alone," Christmas says. "I am in that age range too and absolutely, [drinks] need to be spread out or it's all going to go straight to my head and I will need to sleep half the day away the next day." There are physiological explanations for why our ability to tolerate alcohol wanes with age. For one thing, studies show the liver enzymes that break down alcohol become less efficient. "That means that our bodies metabolize alcohol a little bit differently," she says. "We also lose more muscle as we get older, and that muscle is replaced by fatty tissue." That's important, because muscle stores water and that water dilutes alcohol in our blood, says Johannes Thrul, an alcohol and substance abuse researcher and associate professor at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. He says having less muscle mass means alcohol will hang around in our bodies longer. |
| Town & Tower to present MUW campus and community service awards | |
| The Town & Tower Club will present its annual awards for outstanding service at a holiday luncheon Thursday, Dec. 18, at 11:30 a.m. in the Pope Banquet Room of Hogarth Dining Center on the Mississippi University for Women campus. The Campus Service Award honors an individual or organization demonstrating long-term contributions to the campus community or a local organization, nonprofit or city initiative; accomplishments that have brought positive recognition to The W and the area; volunteerism that has improved quality of life, health, education or economic growth; or notable recognition beyond the area. The Community Service Award honors an individual or organization demonstrating long-term contributions to a local organization, nonprofit or city initiative; accomplishments that have brought positive recognition to Columbus and the Golden Triangle; volunteerism that has improved quality of life, health, education or economic growth; or notable recognition beyond the area. Town & Tower's mission is to foster and strengthen relationships between the university, the community and Columbus Air Force Base. |
| Ole Miss collection boosts acquisition of rare documents for global research | |
 | Researchers from around the world will have more opportunities to broaden their understanding of Mississippi and the surrounding region during the Civil War, thanks to the new Harry Owens Civil War Archival Collection at the University of Mississippi. The collection is a partnership between the Center for Civil War Research and the Department of Archives and Special Collections, made possible by former students. Inspired by their beloved history professor, Harry Owens, former students created an endowment to raise money for library materials related to the war. Owens, who taught history at Ole Miss for 32 years, died in March 2020. "We wanted to find a way to promote original research on the Civil War era in the Mississippi region," said April Holm, associate professor of history and director of the Civil War center. "We realized we could use these funds to purchase precious historical documents that would then be preserved in the university archives for the use of students, researchers and the public." |
| Staffed by volunteers, LSU Food Pantry serves 5,000 students this fall | |
 | Half an hour before the LSU Food Pantry opened, student volunteers unpacked boxes of canned goods, snacks and produce, arranging them on shelves according to the food category. Students began to line up on the first floor of the Student Union as they waited for the pantry doors to open. The pantry has already served 5,000 individual students this semester, according to Campus Life operations and food pantry manager Jennifer Cristina. Before she started managing the supplemental grocery store, she wouldn't have known the extent to which it was actually needed on campus, Cristina said. But more students experience food insecurity than people might expect, she said. In 2020, around 23% of college students reported struggling with food insecurity, according to the U.S. Government Accountability Office. "The old cliche of starving college student, everyone just eating ramen, that's there for a reason," Cristina said. "College students aren't making professional money yet. Everyone struggles at some point during their college experience." |
| U. of Florida to spend $2.7B on construction; Landry to seek permanent presidency | |
 | The University of Florida Board of Trustees has greenlit the construction of more than 700 campus projects, many expected to be completed next year, with a price tag of about $2.7 billion. UF's major projects will cost over $2 billion, according to university officials. That number includes a $400 million renovation to Ben Griffin Hill Stadium to be completed by 2030 and $400 million for the construction of two new student residence halls on campus opening in 2028 and 2029. UF's 10-year undergraduate housing plan aims to add 10,000 new beds by 2030. But, Board of Trustees Chair Mori Hosseini has pushed for an accelerated timeline, suggesting a 5-year plan, assuring staff financing construction will not be an obstacle. University leaders have not finalized plans for the expansion of graduate housing but are considering new construction or the acquisition of existing housing. UF Provost J. Scott Angle suggested increasing graduate student stipends so students could afford off-campus housing. UF's Board of Trustees voted unanimously to initiate its search for a permanent president. Interim President Dr. Donald Landry plans to apply for the position, Hosseini said at the Dec. 4 board meeting. |
| The quest to slow aging leads scientists into the powerhouse of cells | |
 | Aging taps us on the shoulder in many ways: wrinkles, thinning hair, loss of flexibility, slowing of the brain. But the process also unfolds at a more fundamental, microscopic level, as the energy source inside most cells deteriorates. Scientists at Texas A&M University have discovered a way to recharge aging and damaged cells, an innovation that could lead to better treatment for a variety of conditions, including Alzheimer's disease, muscular dystrophy and fatty liver disease. All cells, except those in red blood, get their energy from the mitochondria found in the fluid that surrounds the nucleus. Sometimes called the powerhouse of cells, the mitochondria play an important role in fighting viruses, starving parasites, and synthesizing amino acids, sex hormones and other important chemicals in the body. As people age, their mitochondria diminishes, "a primary or secondary contributor to multiple aging-associated disorders, neurodegenerative diseases and metabolic conditions such as diabetes," according to Akhilesh K. Gaharwar, a professor of biomedical engineering at Texas A&M and one of the authors of a study recently published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Gaharwar and his colleagues created mini mitochondria factories by adding microscopic flower-shaped particles called nanoflowers to a lab dish containing stem cells. |
| Second graduate instructor removed after excusing student absences for attending protest for graduate instructor placed on leave | |
| The University of Oklahoma confirmed another graduate instructor has been removed after she reportedly told students she would excuse any absence for attending Friday's protest supporting the graduate instructor who was placed on leave after a student claimed discrimination, but would not excuse absences for counter-protesters. In an email to OU Daily Friday evening, OU Marketing and Communications confirmed the instructor was removed for allegedly expressing viewpoint discrimination in her absence policies regarding Friday afternoon's protest where hundreds gathered in support of the graduate instructor who was placed on leave after psychology junior Samantha Fulnecky claimed religious discrimination over a failing essay grade. OU confirmed the instructor who would not excuse counter-protest absences was placed on administrative leave for the remainder of the semester. |
| Higher education officials issue millions in AI innovation grants | |
| Oklahoma higher education officials allocated $3.4 million in grants to seven colleges and universities to fund artificial intelligence innovation. The grants provide "seed money" to implement artificial intelligence technology across Oklahoma higher education institutions. The funding for the Innovations with AI Program comes from the State Regents' System Innovation Fund, which is appropriated dollars. The program aligns with the long-term goals of the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education, according to a meeting agenda. The State Regents received 20 proposals from higher education institutions. "Providing these 'seed money' grants for comprehensive AI-driven projects represents a bold step to position state system colleges and universities to maximize the impact and sustainability of AI applications in higher education," said Courtney Warmington, chair of the State Regents. "By investing in technology innovations today, we are preparing our campuses and the students they serve for new workplace frontiers tomorrow." Nick Hathaway, vice chancellor for budget and finance, said the program has encouraged institutions to innovate with AI to "enhance the student experience" and monitor online instruction. |
| Legion of Black Collegians commemorates 10-year anniversary of racial protests at Mizzou | |
 | Two events commemorating the 10-year anniversary of racial protests at Mizzou will be hosted by the Legion of Black Collegians Saturday. The demonstrations were in protest of 2015 Mizzou administrators and their lack of response to a series of racist and discriminatory acts on campus. The student advocate group behind the protests is known as Concerned Student 1950. The group gained national attention after blocking then-president Tim Wolfe's car during the annual Mizzou Homecoming Parade and releasing a list of demands, including Wolfe's removal. Jonathan Butler, a prominent member of Concerned Student 1950, also went on a hunger strike. He vowed not to eat until Wolfe was removed from the administration. "I think it's important for students, especially Black students, to understand the people that came before us and the things they fought for," Legion of Black Collegians President Amaya Morgan said. "Concerned Student 1950 is not just a specific moment. The things we face now are the same things we faced in 2015 ... so it's important for us to understand exactly why we're here and why we fight for the things that we do." |
| Higher education faces 'deteriorating' 2026 outlook, Fitch says | |
| Fitch Ratings on Thursday issued a "deteriorating" outlook for the higher education sector in 2026, continuing the gloomy prediction the agency issued for 2025. Analysts based their forecast on a shrinking prospective student base, "rising uncertainty related to state and federal support, continued expense escalation and shifting economic conditions." With its report, Fitch joins Moody's Ratings and S&P Global Ratings in predicting a grim year for higher ed -- Moody's for the sector overall and S&P for nonprofit colleges specifically. Fitch's report details a dour year for higher ed, but one that affects colleges unequally. The shifting federal landscape, for example, will have "a wide but uneven impact on the sector," the report said, citing possible changes to research funding and the Republicans' massive spending bill that passed this summer. The analysts specifically pointed to new federal lending limits for graduate programs, set to take effect in July, which could limit colleges' pricing power. Fitch also expects international enrollment to falter. |
| Education Dept. Wants to Begin and End Workforce Pell This Week | |
 | Talks over how to regulate Workforce Pell, a new need-based financial aid program for short-term job training certificates, will kick off this week at the Department of Education. But the meeting agenda, released late Thursday afternoon, is raising concerns among members of the advisory committee as well as outside higher education policy experts. Department officials are hoping to reach a final agreement on the regulatory proposal for the new grant program and a few other Pell-related issues by Friday, according to the agenda. Historically, negotiations over new regulations take place over several weeks of meetings, though this administration wrapped up one of its prior rule-making sessions, concerning Public Service Loan Forgiveness, in just one week. An advisory committee, which includes representatives from the department, typically meets for a week of negotiations. Then they break, creating an opportunity to ask questions, talk with constituents and develop alternate proposals. It's only after several weeks that they come back together for a second or even third week of debate on the same topic before taking a final vote. If the committee reaches consensus, the plan will be released for public comment as is. If not, the department can rewrite the policy as it sees fit. |
| College students less comfortable expressing beliefs after Kirk death | |
 | A new survey conducted in the wake of Charlie Kirk's assassination in September is providing new insight into how college students -- and those at Utah Valley University where the conservative activist was killed -- view free speech on campus. The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE) and College Pulse, a student-centered survey company, surveyed more than 2,000 undergraduate students between Oct. 3 and Oct. 31, weeks after Kirk's assassination on Sept. 10. It included an oversample of 204 students at Utah Valley University, where Kirk was killed. Students, particularly conservative students and those attending Utah Valley University, reported being less comfortable expressing their beliefs in the wake of the shooting. But experts emphasized the nuance of the findings, pointing to other results that found, for example, most students did not agree with firing professors for controversial social media posts. The survey's purpose was to gauge whether the assassination and its aftermath, which saw mass firings and other punishments related to speech about Kirk's death, created a chilling effect on college campuses nationwide. FIRE concluded that it did, though it noted that the findings "paint a complex picture." |
| Vouchers to Mississippi schools teaching Christian values are OK, but what if other values are taught? | |
| Mississippi Today's Bobby Harrison writes: Mississippi private school officials have said they would welcome receiving public funds from state taxpayers to help educate their students, but not if it means governmental oversight of their faith-based curriculum and their admissions requirements. For some legislative supporters of providing public funds to private schools, the conditions being demanded by those private schools are OK. At least that seems to be the message, based on recent hearings at the Mississippi Capitol in advance of the 2026 legislative session. "I don't want to force our Christian schools to teach secular curriculum," Rep. Jansen Owen, a Pearl River County Republican and co-chair of a House school choice select committee, said after an October meeting with the Mid-South Association of Independent Schools. "I don't want the state's involvement to infringe on that in any way." Sure, it is highly likely many Mississippi legislators would support spending public funds on the teaching of "Christian values" and even campaign on that expenditure in their next election. But what if the school receiving public funds was teaching Muslim values or Hindu values or Wiccan values? |
| MDOT efforts to thwart copper thieves making progress | |
 | Columnist Bill Crawford writes: Efforts to thwart thieves from ripping copper wiring out of interstate lights in the Jackson area are making progress. Copper thieves have targeted the area for over a decade, joining a list of targeted cities from Portland, Oregon, to Palm Beach, Florida. Notably, the Jackson area has been the only targeted area in Mississippi. Repair costs have risen above $800,000 with millions on line for theft prevention. A $2.8 million contract to R&W Electric Company of Collinsville to upgrade lighting and install a theft notification system has just been completed, explained Mississippi Department of Transportation Executive Director Brad White. "We had to totally complete the upgrade to LED lighting before we could switch on the system." This project covers I-20 lights from State Highway 18 to the stack and north on I-55 to the Rankin County line. MDOT now gets alerted immediately when lights go out. This lets MDOT notify law enforcement for quick response, allows MDOT to monitor its non-recording cameras in the area and alerts repair crews. MDOT said there have been no thefts since the notification system was switched on. |
SPORTS
| Mississippi State Secures 27th Bowl Game; Will Play In Duke's Mayo Bowl | |
| For the 27th time in program history, Mississippi State football is going bowling as the Bulldogs will take on Wake Forest in the Duke's Mayo Bowl at 7 p.m. CT/8 p.m. ET on Jan. 2 at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, N.C. The game will be televised on ESPN. Tickets are now available at hailstate.com/tickets. Club seats are priced at $150 and lower-level seats are $95, plus fees, and all seating assignments will be finalized later this week based on Bulldog Club priority rank. The best way to support your Bulldogs in Charlotte is to purchase tickets directly from Mississippi State Athletics. Mississippi State owns a bowl game record of 15-11, with its most recent appearance coming in 2023 at the ReliaQuest Bowl in Tampa Bay, Florida. This will be State's second appearance in a bowl game in Charlotte, N.C., the previous coming in 2015 at the Belk Bowl, now called the Duke's Mayo Bowl. Mississippi State defeated NC State 51-28 in that contest. |
| Mississippi State accepts bid for Duke's Mayo Bowl vs. ACC foe | |
| It was a goal for the Mississippi State football team all season long and now the Bulldogs get to experience it as they grabbed a bowl invite on Sunday afternoon. Despite going just 5-7 this season, the Bulldogs will have their second bowl invite based solely on Academic Progress Rate. After several schools ahead of State on the pecking order declined an invite, Director of Athletics Zac Selmon and head coach Jeff Lebby have decided to reward the team with one final game for 2025. On3's Brett McMurphy first reported the news that the Bulldogs will be playing in the Duke's Mayo Bowl in Charlotte, N.C. While the accepted bowl bid will trigger some groans in the State fanbase and beyond, it's an opportunity for young, exciting talent to get another game under their belt. It's also an opportunity for Lebby to have his team together for a full month of practices as State prepares for the trip. It's especially a good time to get freshman quarterback Kamario Taylor even more reps at the lead position heading into the offseason. The Noxubee County product is 30-of-55 this season with 388 passing yards, four touchdowns and one interception. He's also been explosive in the run game with 64 carries for 428 yards and seven touchdowns. Now, he'll get one more full game to refine his skill before beginning his offseason work. |
| Football: Zach Arnett Returns To Mississippi State As Defensive Coordinator | |
| Mississippi State football head coach Jeff Lebby has named Zach Arnett the Bulldogs' defensive coordinator, returning one of the nation's most productive defensive minds to Starkville. Arnett previously served as Mississippi State's defensive coordinator from 2020-22, coordinating three consecutive top-five SEC defenses before being elevated to head coach in December 2022. He spent the last two seasons as an analyst at Ole Miss (2024) and Florida State (2025). Arnett returns to lead a defensive unit that aims to reestablish its physical, aggressive, attacking-style identity. Across his three seasons as MSU's defensive coordinator, Arnett's defenses ranked top five in the SEC in 28 different defensive efficiency and production categories during that span, including finishing No. 5 in the league in total defense in each individual season. His units also finished No. 3 in the SEC in limiting explosive plays, No. 4 in turnovers forced and No. 5 in points per possession allowed. |
| Bowl officials seek 5-7 teams to fill in after Irish, Iowa St, Kansas St say they're done for year | |
 | In a matter of hours Sunday, what had appeared to be a year no teams with losing records would be needed to fill out the bowl schedule suddenly changed when Notre Dame, Iowa State and Kansas State announced they would decline bids despite being eligible. There are 41 bowls this year, and 82 teams won the necessary six games to be eligible. But Iowa State and Kansas State teams going through coaching changes almost simultaneously said they were hanging up their cleats for the season. Notre Dame, the first team left out of the College Football Playoff, followed a few hours later. Mississippi State and Rice, both 5-7, swooped in to accept bids because they were among the first in line based on their Academic Progress Rate. The Bulldogs will play Wake Forest in the Duke's Mayo Bowl in Charlotte, North Carolina, and the Owls will face Texas State in the Armed Forces Bowl in Fort Worth, Texas. The Birmingham Bowl, after multiple 5-7 teams declined bids, on Sunday night got Appalachian State to accept an invitation to play Georgia Southern in an all-Sun Belt Conference matchup. Georgia Southern won the regular-season meeting 25-23 on Nov. 6. |
| College Football Playoff Takes 3-Loss Alabama and Miami Over Notre Dame | |
| College football has its fair share of zany traditions, but none has become as reliable as spending the final weekend of the season arguing over whether Alabama deserves to make the College Football Playoff. The Crimson Tide had seemingly locked up a spot in the playoff by clinching the top seed in the Southeastern Conference championship. Then they marched into Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Saturday afternoon and found themselves on the wrong end of a 28-7 shellacking by Georgia. But Alabama's loss, combined with Notre Dame's weekend off and the weirdness of Atlantic Coast Conference tiebreakers keeping Miami out of its own title game, created a nightmare scenario for the selection committee. With 10 of the spots seemingly spoken for, they would need to choose between Alabama, Notre Dame and Miami for the final two berths. "In spite of their performance in the conference championship," selection committee chairman Hunter Yurachek said of Alabama, "they deserved to stay in that No. 9 spot." Indiana clinched the top overall seed and a bye by defeating Ohio State in the Big Ten championship -- the Hoosiers' first outright title since World War II. Four other spots went to conference champions: No. 3 Georgia, No. 4 Texas Tech, No. 11 Tulane and No. 12 James Madison. |
| O'Connor defines principles for success at Columbus Rotary appearance | |
| Mississippi State head baseball coach Brian O'Connor joked that he'd been duped when he arrived at Lion Hills on Tuesday for an appearance at Columbus Rotary. After living in the north for most of his life, he wasn't expecting the frigid, humid cold of Mississippi to bite as tough as it did that day. The new man in charge at Dudy Noble spent his lunchtime meeting and speaking to club members, sharing a bit more about himself and his program. He also shared his vision for the O'Connor Bulldogs and the principles that he hopes will define his team. "My staff and I have been on the job for exactly six months," he said. "I can tell you, there hasn't been a day go by that I haven't felt in the community the passion and energy for Mississippi State baseball. Already today, walking in this room, I've heard from three or four different people about how special it is." The Bulldogs played 15 intrasquad scrimmages as well as exhibitions against Florida State and Louisiana Tech in the fall, and O'Connor also introduced something called the Iron Dawg Challenge. "We put the players in situations and challenges, physical and mental challenges over three weeks to test them, for them to compete against each other, for them to push themselves," he explained. |
| Women's Basketball: Six Bulldogs Finish In Double Figures In Victory Over Charlotte | |
| Mississippi State (9-1) extended their winning streak to five after earning a 30-point victory over the Charlotte 49ers (4-6) on Sunday night, 89-59. "Huge win tonight," Coach Sam Purcell said. "Charlotte's record is nowhere indicative of the season they're going to have. They've played several tough teams, so I told my team that we needed to make sure we came out and played hard." Six Bulldogs finished the game in double-figures, including a pair with double-doubles. Favour Nwaedozi collected a team-leading 16 points and 11 rebounds, which was her fourth of the season. Chandler Prater earned her first double-double in the Maroon and White with 14 points and 13 rebounds. Destiney McPhaul tied Nwaedozi with 16 points in the contest. McPhaul knocked down a trio of three-pointers in the contest and shot 6-13 from the floor. She also led the team with two steals and tied for the team-lead with three assists. The Bulldogs will be back in action when they welcome the Southern Miss Golden Eagles to town on Sunday, December 14. Tipoff for the contest is set for 2 p.m. on SEC Network+. |
| Basketball Dawg Talk Debuts On Monday | |
| Mississippi State basketball's radio show, "Dawg Talk" presented by Learfield, makes its 2025-26 season debut on Monday at Walk-On's Sports Bistreaux from 7-8 p.m. CT with head coaches Chris Jans and Sam Purcell. The 60-minute program airs on the MSU Sports Radio Network affiliates from Walk-On's Sports Bistreaux which is locally owned by State alumni and located at 996 MS HWY 12 E in Starkville. Neil Price, "The Voice of the Bulldogs", will serve as the show's host for the men whereas Jason Crowder will act as the host on the women's side. For those unable to attend the show in-person, "Dawg Talk" will be streamed courtesy of Hail State On-Demand at www.HailState.com/watch and The Varsity Network App. Coach Jans is slated to make three additional appearances on Monday's Jan. 5, Feb. 2 and Feb. 9, while Coach Purcell also is scheduled to appear three more times after the joint show on Monday's Jan. 12, Jan. 26 and Feb. 23. Each coach will be joined by various staff members and student-athletes throughout the season. |
| Mississippi State Names Championship Coach Kevin O'Brien Eighth Head Soccer Coach | |
| Five-time ASUN Coach of the Year Kevin O'Brien has been hired as Mississippi State's eighth head soccer coach in program history, Director of Athletics Zac Selmon announced on Sunday. O'Brien comes to Starkville from Lipscomb where he guided the Bisons to 12 combined ASUN Regular Season and Tournament championships. The veteran coach spent 14 years as the head coach of the Bisons while becoming the winningest coach in Lipscomb's program history with a career record of 155-81-37. This fall, he matched his highest single-season win total with 15 victories before Lipscomb lost a tightly-contested, one-goal match to eventual national finalist No. 6 Florida State. "Kevin O'Brien brings a track record of success and a relentless competitive spirit that matches the standards we hold at Mississippi State," Selmon said. "His vision for our soccer program, combined with his focus on developing student-athletes holistically, positions us for long-term success. We are excited to welcome Kevin and Shannon to the Mississippi State family and cannot wait to see the future he builds for our program." O'Brien is no stranger to Starkville. In the five NCAA Tournament berths his teams earned, they twice advanced to the second round with victories against the Bulldogs on the MSU campus. |
| Mississippi State soccer hires Kevin O'Brien away from Lipscomb | |
| Kevin O'Brien is coming back to Starkville but this time to stick around for a little bit longer as the veteran coach has been hired to lead Mississippi State's women's soccer program. For the past 14 seasons, O'Brien served as Lipscomb's head coach and was named ASUN Coach of the Year five times. During the 2025 season, he led the Bison back to the NCAA Tournament, where they upset Mississippi State in the opening round by a score of 1-0. The win came seven years after O'Brien and Lipscomb pulled off a round-one upset over the Bulldogs in the 2018 NCAA Tournament, a game that was also played in Starkville. Mississippi State athletic director Zac Selmon announced O'Brien's hiring on Sunday. "Kevin O'Brien brings a track record of success and a relentless competitive spirit that matches the standards we hold at Mississippi State," Selmon said. "His vision for our soccer program, combined with his focus on developing student-athletes holistically, positions us for long-term success. We are excited to welcome Kevin and Shannon (O'Brien) to the Mississippi State family and cannot wait to see the future he builds for our program." |
| Soccer: Perry Earns First Team All-American Status | |
| For the second time in program history and the second year in a row, Mississippi State boasts a United Soccer Coaches First Team All-American. Ally Perry brought home the honor on Friday on the heels of being named First Team All-Region and a Hermann Trophy semifinalist on Tuesday. Perry was named the SEC Midfielder of the Year and earned First Team All-SEC honors for the second consecutive season this year. She led the Bulldogs in goals (8), assists (8), points (24), shots (71) and shots on goal (31) while climbing State's career leaderboards. The Frisco, Texas, native wrapped up her time in the Maroon and White by tying the program record for both career (11) and single-season (5) game-winning goals. In fact, she's scored the game-winner in four of State's six top-10 wins in program history. Macey Hodge was State's first First Team All-American and first Hermann Trophy semifinalist last fall. She went on to sign a professional contract and spent 2025 playing with Angel City FC in the NWSL. |
| Zach Bryan announces May performance at Davis Wade Stadium | |
| Grammy Award-winning country singer Zach Bryan will be stopping at Mississippi State University in May on his 2026 tour. The performance will be the 10th stop on Bryan's "Heaven on Tour" and will be held at 7 p.m. May 2 at Davis Wade Stadium with support from artists Dijon and J.R. Carroll. Bryan, an alternative country artist, has released five albums since 2019 and has received numerous awards in both country and rock categories, including a Grammy Award for best country duo/group performance for the song "I Remember Everything," featuring country artist Kacey Musgraves. Other well-known songs to top the charts include "Something in the Orange," "Pink Skies" and "Oklahoma Smokeshow." Bryan has received seven Billboard Music Awards since 2023 including awards for Top Rock Artist in 2024, Top New Artist in 2023, Top Country Tour in 2024, as well as awards for Top Country Album, Top Rock Album and Top Rock Song. He also received the Academy of Country Music Award for New Male Artist of the Year in 2023. |
| Huff won't coach in Southern Miss' bowl game, Anderson named interim | |
| Following Charles Huff's departure for Memphis, Southern Miss has named offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Blake Anderson as the interim head coach for the team's upcoming bowl game. Anderson was brought back to Hattiesburg to be part of Huff's inaugural staff last offseason. He previously worked as the offensive coordinator at Southern Miss under Larry Fedeora from 2008-11 before moving on to head coaching stops at Arkansas State and Utah State. Southern Miss athletic director Jeremy McClain announced Anderson as the interim coach Sunday evening and confirmed Huff will not coach in the New Orleans Bowl. McClain added that the search for a permanent head coach is "already underway." "We met with the team today to discuss the transition, and I shared that Blake Anderson will serve as our interim coach as we prepare for the New Orleans Bowl," a statement from McClain reads in part. "Our search for the next, right leader of Southern Miss football is already underway." Southern Miss will take on Western Kentucky in the New Orleans Bowl inside Caesars Superdome on Dec. 23. |
| Former SEC commissioner Roy Kramer, whose vision paved the way for college football playoffs, dies at 96 | |
| Pretty much every debate over who should play for the national title, every argument about the staggering amounts of money, every angry tirade about how college football is nothing like what it used to be, traces back to a man who saw a lot of this coming, then made it happen -- Roy Kramer. Kramer, the one-time head coach who became an athletic director at Vanderbilt, then, eventually, commissioner of the Southeastern Conference where he reshaped an industry to reflect the billion-dollar business it would become, died Thursday. He was 96. The SEC said he died in Vonore, Tennessee. The man who currently holds his former job, Greg Sankey, said Kramer "will be remembered for his resolve through challenging times, his willingness to innovate in an industry driven by tradition, and his unwavering belief in the value of student-athletes and education." Kramer helped transform his own conference from the home base for a regional pastime into the leader of a national movement during his tenure as commissioner from 1990-2002. It was during that time that he reshaped the entire sport of college football by dreaming up the precursor to today's playoff system -- the Bowl Championship Series. |
| How the Big Ten Transformed Into College Football's Money Machine | |
| For almost all of its 129-year existence, the Big Ten has positioned itself as a moral custodian of college football. This was a conference of hulking stadiums and buttoned-up traditions that was older than the NCAA itself. It bragged about the academic prestige of its schools and reminded its athletes that they were students first, sneering at all those other schools that had the audacity to win at all costs. The Big Ten was so wedded to its own way of doing things that Ohio State undergraduates still hear about the time that a bunch of professors kept the Buckeyes out of the Rose Bowl to punish a coach for paying his players. But in recent decades, Big Ten leaders have appeared less concerned with maintaining its particular heritage and more interested in squeezing every last dollar out of the business of college sports. What was once a hallowed collection of 10 Midwestern universities has nearly doubled in size, to 18 schools, including those in the New York and Los Angeles TV markets. The Big Ten now generates more than $1 billion a year from its media rights. "It is," said Andy Geiger, a former Ohio State athletic director, "an absolute money machine." |
| Coach Buyouts Boom to Record Highs | |
| Earlier this year, Pennsylvania State University announced it would close seven campuses due to financial constraints, while Louisiana State University implemented a hiring freeze and other cost-cutting measures. Months later both institutions fired their head football coaches -- for a price. Despite Penn State's financial challenges, administrators were willing to pay more than $45 million to make head coach James Franklin go away after the Nittany Lions posted a 6-3 record. LSU fired Brian Kelly after a 5-3 start and gave him a buyout of $54 million. Franklin's total buyout was ultimately reduced to $9 million when he landed the head coaching job at Virginia Tech, and Kelly's exit package will also shrink should he find another position. But the eye-popping compensation numbers are adding up -- and setting new records at a time when many colleges and universities are cutting costs. Recent data compiled by the Knight Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics shows that failing is a lucrative business for college football coaches. Fifteen fired football coaches have already racked up collective buyouts of nearly $228 million from public universities, compared to $120 million in fiscal year 2024. |
| GOP lawmakers get heated over college football and money | |
 | The booming business of college sports is getting out of control, lawmakers on both sides of the aisle agree, but whether Congress should intervene and how to effectively level the playing field between premier universities and smaller schools is a heated debate on Capitol Hill. The stalemate was highlighted last week by the death of the SCORE Act, a bill designed to regulate the compensation college student-athletes earn from their name, image and likeness (NIL), after several hard-line conservatives in the lower chamber expressed opposition. The debate over NIL in college football reached a new inflection point when former Ole Miss football coach Lane Kiffin left Oxford for its conference rival Louisiana State University (LSU), a decision Kiffin said was in part driven by LSU's ability to lure more and better recruits with NIL opportunities. Kiffin's decision angered not just the Ole Miss faithful, but fans of college football across the country who say his ditching of the playoff-bound team he spent six seasons building is emblematic of a broken system where coaches and athletes chase paydays over school pride, eroding competitive balance and disrespecting longstanding cultures in intercollegiate athletics. The SCORE Act would have perpetuated this phenomenon, critics said, arguing it would not have done enough to scale back how easily major schools like LSU can run away in the NIL race. |
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