Arizona vs. Mississippi State odds: Early point spread released on Wildcats, Bulldogs
The Pac-12 and SEC conferences will collide this Saturday as the Arizona Wildcats will travel down to Starkville to face Mississippi State. Both teams handled business in Week 1 versus lesser competition, entering Week 2 undefeated at 1-0. But who does Vegas believe has the best odds to build on their opening-day victory to start the season?
According to FanDuel, Mississippi State is favored by 11.5 points at home versus the Wildcats this weekend. The Bulldogs looked solid at home in their opener, defeating SE Louisiana 48-7 in their first season under new head coach Zach Arnett. Arnett now keeps his undefeated streak going after leading Mississippi State to a 19-10 victory in the ReliaQuest Bowl versus Illinois in his head-coaching debut.
The Bulldogs ran a non-air raid offense for the first time in three seasons, and it not disappoint under new offensive coordinator Kevin Barbay. Mississippi State’s new-look offense displayed a balanced attack, scoring their 48 points behind their 298 rushing yards and 227 yards in the air. Quarterback Will Rogers looked comfortable in the new scheme entering his third year as the Bulldogs’ starter, completing 20 of his 29 pass attempts with two touchdowns in the air. And on the ground, Jo’Quavious ‘Woody’ Marks stole with show with a career-high 127 yards on the ground and two touchdowns.
Mississippi’s State’s defense thrived, allowing just 208 total yards and 7 points against SE Louisiana, but they’ll face much stiffer competition when they take on Arizona’s offense.
The Wildcats also excelled on offense in Week 1 following a slow offensive start to the day. Arizona entered halftime ahead of Northern Arizona by just 11 points, but picked things up in the second half with a 21-point third-quarter scoring outburst to defeat the Lumberjacks 38-3.
Arizona did most of their damage through the air, as quarterback Jayden de Laura threw for 285 yards, three touchdowns, and one interception on the day distributing the ball to eight different pass-catching targets. Their rushing effort was also the product of a committee performance, with five different rushers contributing towards a 186-yard day on the ground.
This matchup is a rematch from Week 2 last season, as Mississippi State traveled to Arizona to defeat the Wildcats 39-17. The Bulldogs took the lead in the first quarter last season and never looked back, as they’ll look to defeat Arizona in their house this season and the Wildcats look to flip the script on last year’s matchup.