I hate it and it pisses me off to no end, but outside observers (out of SEC) see us as a joke football program SEC bottom feeder. I personally know some yankees who think this way - not because they are dumb, but it's just perception. The late 90's are gone, we've been terrible for a decade. We haven't had a coach either win big in Starkville or move on in awhile.
We all know it's wrong. Most folks in the SEC know it's wrong, they just won't admit it because it makes them feel better about themselves. We're not a dead end job and have plenty of potential. But you can't really expect anyone who doesn't follow MSU football to know any better.
Right now we all probably think Washington is a dead end job. Or Washington State. They get made fun of too. But not too long ago they were competing for Pac 10 titles.