Thanks to a development earlier this offseason, this scheduling announcement involving Mississippi State and Washington State carries a little extra kick.
Wednesday afternoon, both Mississippi State and Washington State announced the two schools have agreed to a future home-and-home series. The Cougars will travel to Starkville on Aug. 31, 2030. The Bulldogs will then make the trek to Pullman on Aug. 30 of the following season.
That 2030 meeting will mark the first-ever between MSU and Wazzu. The 2031 game will mark the first time ever that an SEC has played in Pullman.
“We’re thrilled to add another home-and-home series against a quality opponent and institution like Washington State to our future schedules,” MSU athletic director John Cohen said in a statement. “These will be the first-ever meetings between the two programs and should be an exciting opportunity and experience for our student-athletes and fans.”
“We are excited to schedule this series with Mississippi State and bring an SEC opponent to Martin Stadium for the first time in school history,” Cohen’s counterpart, Pat Chun, said in his statement. “To create a matchup between the Pac-12 and the SEC is always great for our league and the series exemplifies our commitment to schedule top non-conference opponents. We look forward to a fun experience for our student-athletes, alumni and fans in Pullman and Starkville.”
Mike Leach was the head coach at Wazzu from 2012-18. In January of this year, Leach left Washington State to take the same job at Mississippi State.