1997 Mississippi State Bulldogs football team

American college football season

1997 Mississippi State Bulldogs football
Conference	Southeastern Conference
Division	Western Division
Record	7–4 (4–4 SEC)
Head coach	Jackie Sherrill (7th season)
Offensive coordinator	Lynn Amedee (2nd season)
Offensive scheme	Multiple
Defensive coordinator	Joe Lee Dunn (2nd season)
Base defense	50
Home stadium	Scott Field
Seasons ← 1996 1998 →

1997 Southeastern Conference football standings
v t e
Team	W		L	W		L
Eastern Division
No. 7 Tennessee x$	7	–	1	11	–	2
No. 10 Georgia	6	–	2	10	–	2
No. 4 Florida	6	–	2	10	–	2
South Carolina	3	–	5	5	–	6
Kentucky	2	–	6	5	–	6
Vanderbilt	0	–	8	3	–	8
Western Division
No. 11 Auburn xy	6	–	2	10	–	3
No. 13 LSU x	6	–	2	9	–	3
No. 22 Ole Miss	4	–	4	8	–	4
Mississippi State	4	–	4	7	–	4
Arkansas	2	–	6	4	–	7
Alabama	2	–	6	4	–	7
Championship: Tennessee 30, Auburn 29
$ – Conference champion x – Division champion/co-champions Rankings from AP Poll

The 1997 Mississippi State Bulldogs football team represented Mississippi State University as a member of the Western Division of the Southern Conference (SEC) during the 1997 NCAA Division I-A football season. Led by seventh-year head coach Jackie Sherrill, the Bulldogs compiled an overall record of 7–4 with a mark of 4–4 in conference play, tying for third place in the SEC's Western Division. Mississippi State played home games at Scott Field in Starkville, Mississippi.

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Rank	Site	TV	Result	Attendance	Source
August 30	6:00 p.m.	Memphis*		Scott Field Starkville, MS	FSN	W 13–10	33,310
September 6	11:30 a.m.	Kentucky		Scott Field Starkville, MS	JPS	W 35–27	30,121
September 13	8:00 p.m.	No. 10 LSU		Scott Field Starkville, MS (rivalry)	ESPN	L 9–24	40,030
September 27	11:30 a.m.	South Carolina		Scott Field Starkville, MS	JPS	W 37–17	30,120
October 4	12:00 p.m.	at No. 18 Georgia		Sanford Stadium Athens, GA		L 0–47	83,211
October 11	6:00 p.m.	NE Louisiana*		Scott Field Starkville, MS		W 24–10	30,857
October 25	1:30 p.m.	UCF*		Scott Field Starkville, MS		W 35–28	28,621
November 1	1:00 p.m.	at No. 11 Auburn		Jordan-Hare Stadium Auburn, AL		W 20–0	82,736
November 15	11:30 a.m.	at Alabama	No. 17	Bryant–Denny Stadium Tuscaloosa, AL (rivalry)	JPS	W 32–20	70,123	^[1]
November 22	1:00 p.m.	at Arkansas	No. 15	Razorback Stadium Fayetteville, AR		L 7–17	39,911
November 29	2:30 p.m.	Ole Miss	No. 22	Scott Field Starkville, MS (Egg Bowl)	JPS	L 14–15	41,200
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game All times are in Central time

^ "Tide's 0–4 in T-town". The Anniston Star. November 16, 1997. Retrieved February 20, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.

v t e Mississippi State Bulldogs football
Venues	Davis Wade Stadium (1914–present) Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium (alternate, 1953–1990)
Bowls & rivalries	Bowl games Alabama LSU Ole Miss: Egg Bowl
Culture & lore	Bully "Hail State" Famous Maroon Band
People	Head coaches NFL draftees Statistical leaders
Seasons	1895 1896 1897–1900 1901 1902 1903 1904 1905 1906 1907 1908 1909 1910 1911 1912 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024