Anybody who thought Deion Sanders wouldn’t make Colorado instantly better hasn’t been paying much attention. Week two of the glorious college football season has better matchups up and down the board. Here’s a gander at what the Mississippi schools have on deck starting with Mississippi State hosting PAC-12 opponent Arizona. 

Mississippi State vs. Arizona

Saturday, Sept. 9

6:30 p.m. CT, Starkville

SEC Network

Mississippi State had a week to get tuned-up in starting the regular season and did so with a 48-7 home win over Southeastern Louisiana.

The competition will be better this week when current PAC-12 and future Big 12 school Arizona comes to town for a night game at Davis-Wade Stadium. 

Zona started the season with a cupcake too, beating Northern Arizona 38-3 last weekend. 

Also, the mascot of Northern Arizona is a lumberjack. Why do zero high schools or colleges in Mississippi have a lumberjack as a mascot? 

It should be a law that the next new school in our state must have a mascot that depicts a logger driving a skidder as its logo.

The Dogs won 39-17 in Tucson last year. If you’re ever in Tucson, I recommend going to Contigo Latin Kitchen and having the flan for dessert.The Bulldogs had a semi-drowsy start to their season opener against SLU but dominated the final three quarters with a solid rushing game and physical defense.They’ll likely lean on those same strengths again this week against the visiting Wildcats. 

Arizona head coach Jedd Fisch is in his third year at the school. His first team went 1-11 and last season the Wildcats finished 5-7. 

Fisch has a long coaching resume that includes multiple stops in the NFL including a job as the quarterbacks coach with the Patriots prior to being hired at Arizona. 

He’s still probably never experienced the sound of 60,000 cowbells clanging in unison, a noise that can drown out the band and the public address announcer and even your ability to reason or think. The game is a whiteout. 

Check back each hour for previews of Mississippi college football games.