What ESPN said about Southern Miss football's 2023 non-conference schedule

Southern Miss football plays the toughest non-conference schedule among the Group of Five teams according to ESPN's Chris Low.

The Golden Eagles will face off against Florida State and Tulane in back-to-back weeks on Sept. 9 and Sept. 16. They will also play Mississippi State on Nov. 18.

Southern Miss went 7-6 in its first season in the Sun Belt while playing against Miami, Tulane and Liberty in its non-conference schedule. The Golden Eagles finished its season with a 38-24 victory over Rice in the LendingTree Bowl in December.

"We weren't a team good enough to beat anybody if we didn't play well," third-year Southern Miss coach Will Hall said at Sun Belt Conference Media Day. "But we were good enough to play with anybody when we did play well. We played a really tough schedule."

Southern Miss was picked to finish fourth in the Sun Belt Conference West Division this season. Running back Frank Gore Jr. and defensive back Jay Stanley were the only Golden Eagles selected to the conference's preseason first teams.

"Nobody is expecting a whole lot out of us this year," Hall said. "But we really like our roster. We like how we've built it going into year three. We're really excited about the challenges that lie ahead."

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Southern Miss 2023 football schedule

• Sept. 3 vs. Alcorn State, 6 p.m.

• Sept. 9 at Florida State, 7:30 p.m.

• Sept. 16 vs. Tulane, 3 p.m. (ESPNU)

• Sept. 23 at Arkansas State, TBD

• Sept. 30 vs. Texas State, TBD

• Oct. 7 vs. Old Dominion, TBD

• Oct. 17 at South Alabama, 6:30 p.m. (ESPN 2)

• Oct. 28 at Appalachian State, TBD

• Nov. 4 vs. Louisiana-Monroe, TBD

• Nov. 9 at Louisiana, 6:30 p.m. (ESPNU)

• Nov. 18 at Mississippi State, 11 a.m.

• Nov. 25 vs. Troy, TBD

Jordan Davis is a sports writing intern for the Mississippi Clarion Ledger. Contact him at jcdavis@gannett.com or on Twitter @JDavis34_.

This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Among the Group of Five teams, Southern Miss will face the toughest non-conference schedule in 2023