Football is such a different sport because the regular season means so much more.
Most people won't remember that this year's baseball team was one game above .500 in SEC play and finished 5th in the league. We will always remember hosting a Regional and finally taking care of UCA, whipping Virginia, and playing our way into the National Championship series.
I don't think you can reasonably expect MSU to contend for football national championships every year. You possibly can for baseball now. We have elite facilities, an elite head coach, and we are starting to attract elite players like Stratton, Renfroe, and Frazier.
It may mean that Mullen sure as heck better go to bowl games every year, but I don't think this puts pressure on him to win an SEC Title within 3 years or anything like that.
Ray has a pass for at least one more year. And as much as I hate to say it, I don't think any of the other sports matter enough to our fans and maybe even our athletic department to put a ton of pressure on them. We are absolute bottom feeders in some minor sports (volleyball, soccer, etc.), and I think moderate success in sports like tennis and softball is plenty for most people that follow the teams.