re: Why isn't Miss St. ranked??

Partly because they haven't played anyone and partly because the rankings system is flawed. There are not 25 teams out there better than MSU, but most pollsters don't truly rank the teams based on how good they are, they base it on predictions and current rankings. I've heard Herbstreit and others explain their rankings of certain teams and say point blank that they have this team or that team higher or lower based on their schedule. Ohio State was as high as they were in preseason in large part because everyone expected them to just blow through that easy Big 10 schedule. Moo State, on the other hand, is in the SEC West where every other team except Arkansas is in the top 10. Going .500 in conference would be a great year for them.