I am going to the LaTech game so I thought I would check out their message board to see what was being said. The majority really think they will beat us. Here is some info I copied from there:
Re: Massey's 2017 Predictions
One of my beer drinking buddies has a son on the Ms. State team. Their offense is in shambles. Terrible O-line play and the QB has regressed quite a bit.
I hope and predict they are in for a rude awakening.
Tech is the closest thing USM has to a rival, so I'm pretty well-versed on their program. Their fans are pretty excited about this game. Pretty rare for a P5 team to come to Ruston. They've "hosted" Texas A&M and Miami before but those were played in Shreveport (about an hour west of campus). However, I doubt this game even sells out. They have loyal fans, but not many of 'em. Aillet Stadium seats about 30k, and I don't think it's ever sold out.
I think they are an 8-9 win team. They could beat State if they catch a bunch of breaks, but I'm thinking something like a 31-20 or 35-24 MSU win sounds about right.
Not much going on in Ruston, but they do have a couple good restaurants. The Dawg House (big Tech sports bar/grill), Ponchatoulas (Cajun), and Portico (pub-type atmosphere). If you make the trip, be sure to stop by the Johnny's Pizza stand inside the stadium. A North Louisiana institution.