1981 Mississippi State Bulldogs football team

1981 Mississippi State Bulldogs football
Hall of Fame Classic, W 10–0 vs. Kansas
Conference	Southeastern Conference
Ranking
Coaches	#17
1981 record	8–4 (4–2 SEC)
Head coach	Emory Bellard (3rd year)
Home stadium	Scott Field (Capacity: 35,000)

1981 SEC football standings
	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
#7 Alabama +	6	–	0	–	0			9	–	2	–	1
#6 Georgia +	6	–	0	–	0			10	–	2	–	0
Mississippi State	4	–	2	–	0			8	–	4	–	0
Tennessee	3	–	3	–	0			8	–	4	–	0
Florida	3	–	3	–	0			7	–	5	–	0
Auburn	2	–	4	–	0			5	–	6	–	0
Kentucky	2	–	4	–	0			3	–	8	–	0
LSU	1	–	4	–	1			3	–	7	–	1
Ole Miss	1	–	4	–	1			4	–	6	–	1
Vanderbilt	1	–	5	–	0			4	–	7	–	0
+ – Conference co-champions Rankings from AP Poll

The 1981 Mississippi State Bulldogs football team represented Mississippi State University during the 1981 NCAA Division I-A football season.

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent#	Rank#	Site	TV	Result
September 5		Memphis State*	#14	Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium • Jackson, MS		W 20–3
September 19		Vanderbilt	#14	Scott Field • Starkville, MS		W 29–9
September 26		Florida	#12	Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium • Jackson, MS		W 28–7
October 3		Missouri*	#9	Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium • Jackson, MS		L 3–14
October 10		at Colorado State*	#19	Hughes Stadium • Fort Collins, CO		W 37–27
October 17		#13 Miami (FL)*	#16	Scott Field • Starkville, MS		W 14–10
October 24		at Auburn	#9	Jordan–Hare Stadium • Auburn, AL		W 21–17
October 31		at #8 Alabama	#7	Bryant–Denny Stadium • Tuscaloosa, AL (Rivalry)		L 10–13
November 7		vs. #20 Southern Miss*	#15	Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium • Jackson, MS		L 6–7
November 14		at LSU		Tiger Stadium • Baton Rouge, LA (Rivalry)		W 17–9
November 21		vs. Ole Miss		Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium • Jackson, MS (Egg Bowl)		L 17–21
December 31		vs. Kansas*		Legion Field • Birmingham, AL (Hall of Fame Classic)		W 10–0
*Non-conference game. Homecoming. #Rankings from AP Poll. All times are in Central Time.