Ok. I think that's a fair argument. So let's say 2014 was the year those expectations took hold. From 14-17, Mullen went 18-6 as a favorite (75%) and 7-12 (37%). He still managed to win more games as an underdog than he lost as a favorite with the elevated expectations.
Went back and researched all of this using this database:https://www.sportsbookreviewsonline.com/scoresoddsarchives/ncaafootball/ncaafootballoddsarchives.htm
Here's the stats: Mullen went 58-8 (87.9%) as a favorite from 09-17. Only 4 of those losses were in games where he was 7+ point TD...