So, you’re looking for the miss state football score today, January 15, 2026. Here is the blunt reality: there isn't one. The pads are in storage, the cowbells are (mostly) silent, and Davis Wade Stadium is currently home to more groundskeepers than wide receivers.
College football is a seasonal beast. We are deep in the "dark months" of the offseason. If you see a score floating around social media today, it’s either a glitch, a replay of the Duke's Mayo Bowl from a few weeks back, or someone playing EA Sports College Football 26 in their dorm room.
What actually happened in the last game?
The Bulldogs' season officially wrapped up on January 2nd. It wasn't the fairy-tale ending Jeff Lebby wanted for his second year. Mississippi State ran into a buzzsaw in Charlotte, falling to Wake Forest 43-29 in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl.
Honestly, the game was a roller coaster. True freshman sensation Kamario Taylor looked like the future, racking up 304 total yards. He had the Bulldogs within a single possession late in the fourth quarter after a 42-yard bomb to Sanfrisco Magee. But then, the nightmare scenario happened. Taylor went down with a lower leg injury and had to be carted off.
The stadium went silent. You could feel the collective gasp from Starkville all the way to the Atlantic coast. Fortunately, the news since then has been much better than it looked on the field. Taylor avoided a major structural injury. He’s expected to be the centerpiece of the 2026 offense.
Miss State Football Score Today: The Transfer Portal is the Real Game
While the scoreboard says 0-0, the roster is changing by the hour. This is the new "score" fans are tracking. The winter transfer portal window is closing tomorrow, January 16th. If you want to know who is "winning" today, you have to look at the commitments.
Jeff Lebby has been aggressive. He’s basically rebuilding the trenches via the portal. Just this week, Tyler Miller, a massive offensive tackle from LSU, announced he’s coming home to Mississippi. That’s a huge win. The Bulldogs also landed a big-time defensive lineman from Texas A&M.
- Kamario Taylor is officially returning (huge sigh of relief).
- Fluff Bothwell is staying in Starkville after a stellar freshman year.
- Anthony Evans (67 catches last year) is back to lead the receiving corps.
The Zach Arnett Factor
The weirdest "score" of the week? The coaching staff. In a move that absolutely nobody had on their 2026 bingo card, former head coach Zach Arnett is reportedly returning to Starkville as the defensive coordinator.
It’s rare to see a former head man come back to the same school in a lower role, but the Bulldogs’ defense struggled last year, giving up over 30 points a game. Bringing back a guy who knows the personnel and the culture might be the smartest "score" Lebby has made all winter.
Looking ahead to the 2026 Schedule
Since you're clearly itching for some football, we might as well look at when the next real score will happen. The 2026 season opener is currently set for September 5th against ULM in Starkville.
The SEC is only getting harder. With the expanded playoff and the conference powerhouse status of teams like Texas and Georgia, State has to find a way to flip those close losses. Last year, they finished 5-8. That’s not going to cut it in the 144-team landscape of 2026.
The "score" today isn't about touchdowns. It's about keeping Kamario Taylor healthy, keeping the star recruits from flipping to Ole Miss, and making sure the new defensive scheme actually stops someone on third down.
Your Offseason Action Plan
Since there’s no game to watch today, here is how you can actually stay caught up:
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- Check the Portal: Follow the final 24 hours of the winter transfer window. Any last-minute "shocks" usually happen right before the January 16th deadline.
- Spring Game Prep: Keep an eye out for the Maroon and White Game dates, usually set for mid-April. That’s your first chance to see the new-look defense under Arnett.
- Watch the Hardwood: If you need a Mississippi State fix right now, the men's and women's basketball teams are in the thick of SEC play. The women's team actually has a massive game against No. 5 Vanderbilt tonight at the Hump.
The 2025 season had its moments, but the 2026 campaign is being built right now in the weight room and the recruitment offices. The real score will be settled this fall.