MSU, Mississippi Valley State Cancel 2013 Game

ITTA BENA, Mississippi -- Mississippi State's 2013 football game against Mississippi Valley State has been canceled due to MVSU's failure to meet NCAA-mandated financial aid guidelines.

The teams were scheduled to meet in the season opener on Aug. 31, 2013, in Starkville. MSU athletics director Scott Stricklin said he has a "pretty good idea what we're doing to replace them but aren't ready to announce."

The game had to be canceled because playing Valley would not count toward bowl eligibility for MSU. Normally, Division I-A teams can have one game versus a I-AA foe count toward bowl eligibility. But for that to happen, the I-AA program must average 90 percent of the permissible maximum number of grants-in-aid in football over a rolling two-year period. Valley does not meet the requirement.

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