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Mississippi State vs. Texas Prediction and Pick, Week 9 2026

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Data updatedOct 31, 2026
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Picks two teams at random. Any FBS team can come up.

How we picked it

How we picked it

Three ratings look at a team in three different ways. The numbers' pick is the team at least two of them favor.

Where the game is won

Where the game is won

Each row puts one team's unit against the unit it faces, by national rank out of all FBS teams. An edge is a gap of 25 spots or more.

Ratings: SP+ via CFB Update; PRIME via primecfb.com. Box and play stats computed from CollegeFootballData.com play data (via the public cfbfastR files), FBS games only for scoring. Rushing yards here exclude sacks, so they run higher than official totals. Ranks are out of 138 FBS teams.

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Mississippi State at Texas

Week 9, Sat, Oct 31, 7:30 PM ET, DKR-Texas Memorial Stadium.

The numbers say: Texas, 88% to win.

The game

KickoffSat, Oct 31, 7:30 PM ET
TVESPN
WhereDKR-Texas Memorial Stadium
Weather74°, cloudy, wind 2 mph
LineTexas −20.5, total 50.5
Line movementHasn't moved since it opened.
SeriesTexas leads 4–2
Last meetingTexas 45–38 in 2025
Mississippi State injuriesTaylor (QB), out
Texas injuriesColin Simmons (EDGE), doubtful

The ratings and the line

MarginWin chanceTotal
SP+Texas by 16.989%56
PRIMETexas by 14.785%
EloTexas91%
The lineTexas −20.550.5

Margins include home field. SP+ is Bill Connelly's rating; Sources has PRIME and Elo. Line and total from DraftKings, as of Fri, Oct 30, 7:43 PM ET.

Who wins, Mississippi State or Texas?

The numbers say: Texas. 88% chance to win

Which matchups decide Mississippi State vs. Texas?

All three ratings favor Texas, by 14.7 to 16.9 points, and it isn't close. Texas' best matchup is its 3rd down offense, 53rd in 3rd down conversion, against Mississippi State's 3rd down defense at 113th. Mississippi State's way back in is its run defense, 44th in yards per carry allowed, against Texas' run game at 98th. We left out the edges built on Taylor, who's out.

Mississippi State with the ball

Texas with the ball

Who's out for Mississippi State and Texas?

Mississippi State

Texas

How Mississippi State and Texas compare, in charts

Each chart puts all 138 FBS teams on two stats; Mississippi State and Texas are lit. Dashed lines are the FBS averages, and up and right is better. Ranks in parentheses. Games through Oct 24, 2026.

How Mississippi State's and Texas' players compare

The scatter charts show the top 40 FBS players at the position by both stats combined, plus the players lit here. Dashed lines are the averages; up and right is better. Ranks are among every FBS player at the position with enough snaps. Takeaways are interceptions plus fumble recoveries. Games through Oct 24, 2026.

How do SP+, PRIME and Elo rate Mississippi State and Texas?

On a neutral field, SP+ has Texas 14.4 points better (8th to 52nd). PRIME also has Texas ahead, by 12.2. Elo, which only sees results, also has Texas ahead (9th to 58th).

Mississippi StateTexas
SP+ overall6.0 (52nd)20.4 (8th)
SP+ offense31.9 (35th)34.6 (16th)
SP+ defense26.3 (68th)14.5 (7th)
SP+ special teams0.4 (11th)0.3 (28th)
PRIME net10.8 (27th)23.0 (4th)
PRIME offense10.14 (15th)5.79 (32nd)
PRIME defense0.02 (67th)16.69 (1st)
PRIME SOS6.7 (6th)8.0 (1st)
PRIME SOR1.6 (27th)2.8 (9th)
Elo1555 (58th)1902 (9th)

Opponent-adjusted power ratings. These drive the projection.

Who's better once you adjust for the schedule?

Mississippi State's offense ranks 27th in adjusted EPA per play, and the Texas defense it faces ranks 12th in EPA per play allowed. Texas' offense ranks 78th against Mississippi State's 75th-ranked defense. Neither side of the ball has a clear edge. The biggest edge on the board is Texas' efficiency: 45th in adjusted success rate, against Mississippi State's 82nd-ranked defense. Adjust for opponents and Mississippi State's offense climbs from 67th to 27th in EPA per play: it has done its work against good defenses.

Mississippi StateTexas
EPA per play (adjusted)+0.17 (27th)+0.09 (78th)
EPA per pass (adjusted)+0.23 (41st)+0.21 (54th)
EPA per rush (adjusted)+0.12 (25th)+0.05 (87th)
Success rate (adjusted)48.2% (11th)43.6% (45th)
Success rate, standard downs (adjusted)51.7% (12th)47.6% (50th)
Success rate, passing downs (adjusted)32.2% (34th)31.6% (45th)
Explosiveness (adjusted)0.94 (66th)0.91 (113th)
Line yards per carry (adjusted)3.10 (25th)2.87 (98th)
Open-field yards per carry (adjusted)1.31 (24th)1.04 (99th)
EPA per play allowed (adjusted)+0.11 (75th)−0.00 (12th)
EPA per pass allowed (adjusted)+0.21 (78th)+0.09 (13th)
EPA per rush allowed (adjusted)+0.04 (50th)−0.02 (11th)
Success rate allowed (adjusted)42.6% (82nd)33.0% (1st)
Explosiveness allowed (adjusted)0.89 (6th)0.91 (23rd)
Line yards allowed per carry (adjusted)3.03 (94th)2.67 (7th)
Open-field yards allowed per carry (adjusted)0.96 (19th)1.01 (37th)

The same efficiency numbers, adjusted for the offenses and defenses each team has faced (CollegeFootballData.com). A good number against a soft schedule shrinks; one against a hard schedule grows.

Who's more efficient, Mississippi State or Texas?

Mississippi State is about as good throwing (63rd in EPA per pass) as running (58th). Texas is better throwing (76th in EPA per pass) than running (111th). Mississippi State's pass defense ranks 102nd, so that's an edge. On third down, Texas has the edge: its offense ranks 87th in EPA per third-down play, and the defense it faces ranks 118th.

Mississippi StateTexas
EPA per play+0.14 (67th)+0.05 (106th)
EPA per pass+0.24 (63rd)+0.20 (76th)
EPA per rush+0.12 (58th)+0.01 (111th)
EPA per 3rd-down play+0.46 (69th)+0.41 (87th)
EPA per play allowed+0.14 (94th)0.00 (24th)
EPA per pass allowed+0.28 (102nd)+0.05 (27th)
EPA per rush allowed−0.01 (45th)−0.06 (21st)
EPA per 3rd-down play allowed+0.59 (118th)+0.37 (57th)

Expected points added per play, from CollegeFootballData.com. EPA measures how much each play changes the points a team can expect from the drive. Zero is break-even; +0.20 is very good. Not adjusted for opponents.

Who scores more, Mississippi State or Texas?

Mississippi State outscores FBS opponents by 2.3 a game, and Texas by 11.6. Mississippi State's offense ranks 61st in scoring, and the Texas defense it faces ranks 29th in points allowed. Texas' offense ranks 57th against Mississippi State's 102nd-ranked defense. The matchup that decides it is Texas' offense against Mississippi State's defense.

Mississippi StateTexas
Points scored30.0 (61st)30.7 (57th)
Points allowed27.7 (102nd)19.1 (29th)

Per game, FBS opponents only.

Which offense has the edge?

Mississippi State has no clear edge here. Its best is yards per carry, 35th, against a defense ranked 21st in yards per carry allowed. Texas' best matchup is third downs: its offense ranks 53rd in 3rd down conversion rate, and Mississippi State's defense ranks 113th in 3rd down conversions allowed. That's a mismatch.

Mississippi StateTexas
Pass yards / game265.6 (35th)223.0 (77th)
Rush yards / game189.9 (41st)163.3 (75th)
Yards per play6.36 (55th)5.98 (86th)
Yards per carry5.70 (35th)4.78 (98th)
Yards per attempt7.50 (76th)8.05 (48th)
Completion %59.3% (87th)67.5% (40th)
Success rate45.5% (49th)44.7% (61st)
Explosive play rate14.2% (31st)11.5% (87th)
3rd down conversion39.2% (75th)42.9% (53rd)
Sack rate (taken)7.5% (106th)8.9% (117th)
INT rate (thrown)2.4% (74th)3.6% (115th)
SUPLEX59.2% (42nd)57.7% (56th)

Per game and per play, from play-by-play.

Which defense has the edge?

Mississippi State's defense is best placed to stop the run: it ranks 44th in yards per carry allowed, and Texas' offense is bottom-40 in yards per carry (98th). Texas' defense is best placed to get home: it ranks 43rd in sack rate, and Mississippi State's offense is bottom-40 at avoiding sacks (106th). That's a mismatch.

Mississippi StateTexas
Pass yards allowed / game268.6 (126th)189.3 (34th)
Rush yards allowed / game135.1 (48th)127.0 (35th)
Yards per play allowed6.25 (96th)4.62 (7th)
Yards per carry allowed4.44 (44th)4.06 (21st)
Yards per attempt allowed8.39 (107th)5.50 (10th)
Success rate allowed46.2% (114th)33.8% (8th)
Explosive plays allowed10.8% (61st)7.1% (6th)
3rd downs allowed45.1% (113th)32.4% (26th)
Sack rate (generated)6.3% (66th)7.3% (43rd)
INT rate (generated)0.9% (133rd)2.5% (69th)
SUPLEX allowed57.8% (97th)38.9% (3rd)

What opponents managed against them.

Who wins up front?

They split these evenly, 6 each. The biggest gap is stuff rate (defense), where Texas ranks 17th and Mississippi State 120th.

Mississippi StateTexas
Big Uglies: offensive line50.1 (71st)42.1 (120th)
Big Uglies: defensive front44.4 (102nd)59.6 (13th)
Line yards per carry3.11 (54th)2.72 (119th)
Line yards allowed per carry3.14 (106th)2.49 (8th)
Second-level yards per carry1.13 (60th)1.15 (49th)
Open-field yards per carry1.26 (61st)0.93 (100th)
Stuff rate (runs stopped at or behind the line)20.1% (102nd)20.3% (106th)
Stuff rate (defense)14.6% (120th)23.5% (17th)
Power success (short yardage)71.4% (74th)70.5% (82nd)
Power success allowed78.3% (111th)69.2% (58th)
Front-seven havoc allowed9.4% (79th)13.3% (135th)
Front-seven havoc8.6% (93rd)12.1% (23rd)

The lines. Big Uglies is our rating for each offensive line and each defensive front: adjusted line yards (30%), stuff rate (20%), power success (15%), sack rate (20%) and front-seven havoc (15%), against every FBS team. 50 is average, and every 10 points is a standard deviation. Line stats from CollegeFootballData.com, garbage time out.

Who wins the turnover battle?

Neither team has a real turnover edge: Mississippi State is −0.6 a game and Texas −0.4.

Mississippi StateTexas
Interceptions thrown / game0.86 (84th)1.00 (105th)
Fumbles lost / game0.57 (74th)0.57 (74th)
Giveaways / game1.43 (88th)1.57 (107th)
Interceptions / game0.29 (119th)0.86 (45th)
Fumbles recovered / game0.57 (51st)0.29 (94th)
Takeaways / game0.86 (107th)1.14 (67th)
Turnover margin / game-0.6 (113th)-0.4 (98th)

Per game, from play-by-play.

Which team has more talent?

Texas has the more talented roster (2nd in the 247Sports talent composite; Mississippi State is 20th). Texas also plays further above its talent: +0.2 points of SP+ beyond what its roster predicts, to Mississippi State's −2.9.

Mississippi StateTexas
Talent composite804.5 (20th)985.2 (2nd)
Blue-chip ratio32.0% (24th)63.3% (7th)
Players on roster115 (40th)109 (82nd)
Rated by 247Sports97 (5th)90 (23rd)
5-star players0 (37th)15 (1st)
4-star players31 (19th)42 (13th)
3-star players66 (52nd)33 (128th)
Below 3-star0 (113th)0 (113th)
2026 transfers in28 (41st)22 (63rd)
Transfer share28.9% (70th)24.4% (90th)
SP+ vs. talent-2.9 (84th)+0.2 (64th)
Returning production33.9% (84th)72.1% (19th)
Returning passing production-0.2% (119th)85.4% (51st)
Returning rushing production87.3% (31st)126.4% (10th)
Returning receiving production27.9% (86th)55.0% (37th)
2026 recruiting class (national rank)23 (23rd)7 (7th)
Recruiting rank, last four classes26.5 (20th)4.2 (3rd)

247Sports team talent composite and 2026 transfer portal class. Star counts cover only the players 247Sports rates, not walk-ons, so they add up to less than the full roster. Ranks are out of all 138 FBS teams.

Which roster costs more?

Texas' roster is valued at $47.5M, Mississippi State's at $21.2M. Dollar for dollar, Mississippi State plays better: −0.5 points of SP+ above what its payroll predicts, to −3.6 for Texas.

Mississippi StateTexas
Roster value$21.2M (42nd)$47.5M (1st)
Roster cost per win$5.3M (33rd)$9.5M (64th)
Projected wins per $1M0.26 (39th)0.18 (61st)
SP+ vs. payroll-0.5 (39th)-3.6 (50th)

NIL roster value from The NIL Standard (power-conference teams plus Boise State and Oregon State). Ranks are out of 70 teams with a valuation.

Where did each team's wins come from?

Mississippi State is +0.5 wins against a .500 team; the biggest piece is schedule (−1.4). Texas is +1.5 wins against a .500 team; the biggest piece is roster (+2.2). Mississippi State's record is running 1.2 wins ahead of its play on luck alone, so it's not as good as the record says.

Mississippi StateTexas
RECEIPTS (total)+0.5 (57th)+1.5 (30th)
Schedule RECEIPTS-1.4 (135th)-1.6 (137th)
Roster RECEIPTS+0.8 (22nd)+2.2 (2nd)
Coach RECEIPTS-0.1 (75th)+0.9 (32nd)
Luck RECEIPTS+1.2 (7th)+0.0 (66th)

Where the wins came from. Every team starts as a .500 team. Then each win (or loss) goes to the schedule, the roster, the coaching or luck, and the four add up to the real record. Wins above or below a .500 team.

Mississippi State at Texas: questions people ask

Mississippi State vs. Texas prediction: who will win?

The numbers pick Texas, 88% chance to win. All three ratings favor the same team. Texas' best matchup is its 3rd down offense, 53rd in 3rd down conversion, against Mississippi State's 3rd down defense at 113th.

Where can I watch Mississippi State vs. Texas, and what time is it?

Sat, Oct 31, 7:30 PM ET at DKR-Texas Memorial Stadium. It's on ESPN.

What's the projected score of Mississippi State vs. Texas?

SP+ projects Texas 37–20. That's from this season's SP+ offense, defense and special teams ratings, with home field worth 2.5 points.

What's the line for Mississippi State at Texas?

DraftKings has Texas −20.5, total 50.5. The numbers pick winners, not bets.

What's the Mississippi State vs. Texas series history?

Texas leads 4–2. Last meeting: Texas won 45–38 in 2025.

Who are the players to watch in Mississippi State vs. Texas?

Mississippi State: Taylor (1,466 passing yards), Fluff Bothwell (513 rushing yards) and Anthony Evans III (653 receiving yards). Texas: Arch Manning (1,542 passing yards), Raleek Brown (407 rushing yards) and Ryan Wingo (464 receiving yards). Season totals through Oct 24, 2026.

Who are the quarterbacks in Mississippi State at Texas?

Mississippi State's is Taylor (1,466 passing yards this season); Texas' is Arch Manning (1,542 passing yards this season).

Who's out for Mississippi State at Texas?

Mississippi State: Taylor (QB), out. Texas: Colin Simmons (EDGE), doubtful.

More on this game

Numbers through the games of Oct 24, 2026. SP+ as of Oct 27, 2026. Updated every week.

Mississippi State and Texas: team pages with every stat and national rank. Compare any two teams.