Mississippi State becomes the first SEC team to hit the field in the postseason when the Bulldogs meet Miami (Ohio) in Monday’s St. Petersburg Bowl.
It’s the seventh bowl appearance in a row for Mississippi State (5-7), which is in the postseason because of its high APR ranking. There weren’t enough bowl-eligible teams, so a school’s APR score then comes into play.
The Bulldogs come in off a dominating performance in their regular-season finale when they blasted archrival Ole Miss 55-20 in the Egg Bowl. Quarterback Nick Fitzgerald (at right above) set a school single-game record with 258 rushing yards against the Rebels.