Jackson Free Press

College football is heading into its home stretch as October fades into November. It is time once again to look into the bowl and SWAC East hopes for Mississippi teams.

This season has featured more bad than good, with just one team that has a winning record at this point in the season: http://www.espn.com/college-football/team/schedule/_/id/2572">the University of Southern Mississippi. At 4-3, the team comes off a bye week with a winning record.

http://www.gscsports.org/standings.aspx?standings=73&path=football">Delta State University, at 4-4, and http://www.espn.com/college-football/standings/_/view/fcs/group/31">Alcorn State University, at 3-3, are the only teams that currently even boast a .500 record. The http://www.espn.com/college-football/team/schedule/_/id/145">University of Mississippi (3-4), http://www.espn.com/college-football/standings/_/view/fcs/group/31">Jackson State University (3-4), http://www.espn.com/college-football/team/schedule/_/id/344">Mississippi State University (2-5), http://gomajors.com/schedule.aspx?path=football">Millsaps College (2-5), http://www.gscsports.org/standings.aspx?standings=73&path=football">Mississippi College (2-6), http://blazers.belhaven.edu/schedule.aspx?path=football">Belhaven University (1-6) and http://www.espn.com/college-football/standings/_/view/fcs/group/31">Mississippi Valley State University (0-8) all have losing records.

Things aren’t looking good for the teams in our state. Time is running out for a dramatic turnaround, and for most teams, even a turnaround won’t earn them a winning season.

Even as bad as things are right now, Mississippi teams still have hopes of a bowl or SWAC Championship Game berth. Here is a quick look at those hopes for five teams.

Mississippi State is still mathematically alive to reach a bowl game. The Bulldogs should get a win this week against Samford and reach 3-5 on the season.

MSU has to be kicking itself for missing a field goal in a loss to the University of South Alabama, a late rally against Louisiana State University, an overtime loss to Brigham Young University and leaving too much time on the clock so the University of Kentucky to make a game-winning field goal.

If a few of those four losses had gone the other way, the Bulldogs would be playing for six wins this weekend or already have six wins. Discounting a blowout loss to Auburn University, MSU has four losses by a combined 13 points.

Even if they win this weekend, the trouble for the Bulldogs is finding three more wins. http://www.espn.com/college-football/team/schedule/_/id/344">MSU’s schedule over the last four weeks is home games against Texas A&M University (6-1) and the University of Arkansas (5-3) with road trips to the University of Alabama (8-0) and UM in between the home games.

It seems impossible to find three more wins in those four games. MSU would have to http://www.espn.com/college-football/standings/_/group/8">upset three teams just to make a bowl game.

While still alive, the reality is the Bulldogs’ bowl streak ends this year. It could have gone differently for MSU, but close losses doomed this team.

The schedule looks a little better for the Rebels, even with two straight losses to Arkansas and LSU. They still have to win three more games to reach a bowl game, but they have opportunities to get there with the remaining games.

UM faces an Auburn team that has found its lost offense. The Tigers look like a tough game to win right now, but that is a home game for the Rebels.

The final four games of the season features home games against Georgia Southern University (4-3) and MSU with road trips to Texas A&M and Vanderbilt University (4-4) sandwiched between the two home games.

UM should beat Georgia Southern, but it gets tricky from there. Texas A&M might be the second-best SEC team, and Vanderbilt has won two straight games and played nearly every team close.

Still, the Rebels should be 5-6, at worst, heading into the season-final showdown with the Bulldogs. The Egg Bowl is where UM will become bowl eligible or slightly upgrade its postseason destination.

It seems highly unlikely that the Rebels would miss a bowl game, but take nothing for granted this season. UM has http://www.espn.com/college-football/team/schedule/_/id/145">three wins on the schedule, but the team has little room for error.

Southern Miss has three losses, but two of those losses aren’t unexpected. Troy University (6-1) looks to be head and shoulders above the rest of the Sun Belt Conference, and LSU is LSU. The loss to the University of Texas, San Antonio is a bit of surprise, but the Roadrunners out played USM from start to finish.

The Golden Eagles host Marshall University (2-5) this weekend for homecoming, but http://www.espn.com/college-football/team/schedule/_/id/2572">nothing on the schedule looks too daunting. A win this week puts the Eagles needing just one more win in four games to reach bowl eligibility.

USM hosts the University of North Carolina at Charlotte (3-5) and Louisiana Tech University (5-3) with road games against Old Dominion University (4-3) and the University of North Texas (4-3) in between the home games.

Every game left on the Golden Eagles’ schedule is winnable. If USM runs the table, they will finish 9-3 and would be a lock for a bowl game.

Here is why winning as much as possible is important to USM:

Conference USA current has a log jam with http://www.espn.com/college-football/standings/_/group/12">11 teams with records between 5-2 and 2-5 in the conference. The conference only has http://collegefootballnews.com/2016/college-football-bowl-ties-affiliations-conference">six bowl tie-ins but could earn more if other conferences can’t fill out their bowl tie-ins. USM could be left out in the cold if seven teams or more get to six wins.

USM still has a shot to win the C-USA West title and go to the conference championship game. That would boost the team’s bowl hopes no matter how many teams get to six wins, as long as the Golden Eagles don’t fall to 6-7 on the season.

Southern Miss has the best chance to reach a bowl game. But nothing this season has been a lock for the team, and a late skid could ruin everything.

Currently, the http://www.espn.com/college-football/standings/_/view/fcs/group/31">SWAC East is a two-horse race between Jackson State and Alcorn State. Both teams are in first place with 3-2 conference records.

Alabama State University and Alabama A&M University are lurking behind with 2-4 conference records. A late season slip from the Braves and Tigers could open the door for either team below them to steal the division.

http://www.espn.com/college-football/team/schedule/_/id/2016">Alcorn State has the tougher road to end the season. The Braves face Southern University (4-0 SWAC) this weekend and finishes with road games Prairie View A&M University (4-1) and Mississippi Valley State (0-6) and a home game against JSU.

http://www.espn.com/college-football/team/schedule/_/id/2296/jackson-state-tigers">Jackson State, on the other hand, hosts Prairie View this weekend before traveling to Alabama State and finishing with Alabama A&M at home and Alcorn State on the road. The Tigers could enter their season finale against the Braves in the lead in the east division.

Right now, it is looking like when the Braves host the Tigers, it will be for the division title. Unless both teams implode over their final four games, it would seem like one will be a lock to play for the conference title.

The winner of the east will get the winner of the Prairie View, Southern and Grambling State race for the west division.