re: What would be Mississippi State's overall reputation as a university be?

I'm way late to this party, but I'll say that State is a fine university in most respects. Their architecture and landscape architecture schools are top notch. Agriculture, of course, is an area they're extremely well known for.

Starkville is also pretty safe for a college town. Not a whole lot of violent crime there.

I'm an LSU grad (1991) and if I had kids I would not send them to LSU due to the dive Baton Rouge has taken since my days as a student there. I would not hesitate, however, to send them to Mississippi State for a good education in a much safer environment.

ETA: One of LSU's finest and most renowned presidents, General Troy H. Middleton, was a graduate of Mississippi State. There are obviously some noteworthy alumni of that school in Starkvegas.