Make no mistake, there is a lot of pressure building on..

[57stratdawg]

Dan Mullen. It's not pressure for his job, but pressure for results. We're going to find out the answers to basically all the questions around Mullen as a head coach:

1) Can make a run at a 10 win season?
2) Can you close on a top 15 (maybe top 10) class?
3) Can your offense move the ball against high caliber SEC Ds?

There shouldn't be much debate about the answer to those questions in six months. That pretty much makes this mission critical IMO for MSU Football and Mullen.

I think the next six months likely define his career at MSU.

 

[esplanade91]

If he has that 9 or 10 win season, he is in for a payday. A big one. He knows that.

 

[aTotal360]

Followed by twice as much pressure on SS to make him stick around.

 

[engie]

I think #3 is a yes, just based on the fact that no one really stopped Dak last year. At least not when playing from zero(he proved incapable of passing us back into the Ok State and LSU games early)...

I agree. All of Mullen's marbles are on the table with this team. He's got to prove he can beat someone. Now is the time...

 

[Uncle Ruckus]

Yeah but the real question is will he beat a top 20 team? **

 

[512taylor]

Yeah but the real question is will he beat a top 20 team? **

The "real" question might be how many fans will ***** when ticket prices continue to increase?

 

[57stratdawg]

Probably. The money is there.

Only adds to the pressure, right?

 

[drt7891]

No because the stadium won't be done on time.

 

[MSUDawg25]

2) Can you close on a top 15 (maybe top 10) class?

I'm no recruitnik, but I doubt this class ends up ranked that high. It's a very good class, but we are ranked ahead of a lot of people based solely on the high number of commits we have already.

 

[abitadawg]

Unfortunately, I believe our kicking game will lose at least 1 winnable game. With an SEC kicking game 9-10 is doable but without it I think 8 is the ceiling.

 

[hatfieldms]

Yep

And I think he does it this year

 

[hatfieldms]

We won't lose him because of money

....

 

[Uncle Ruckus]

It better be. I've been waiting damn near a year to see if someone finally bought that ***** a mercedez benz.

 

[57stratdawg]

We'll have to see.

I think Peters and/or Leo Lewis will end up 5stars, plus we have Fletcher Adams, an outside shot at Patterson, Darryl Williams, Bates, Gabe Campbell, and Danley all could end up 4stars. It's almost a sure thing DThomas will get that 4th star on 247.

 

[121Josey]

I'm no recruitnik, but I doubt this class ends up ranked that high. It's a very good class, but we are ranked ahead of a lot of people based solely on the high number of commits we have already.

People think it will be around Top 15. They will finish the recruiting cycle with this same margin of recruits. Plus, any other rerankings - Champion got a pretty substantial bump yesterday on 247.

 

[DesotoCountyDawg]

It's the put up or shut up year for Mullen. Everything is set up for success and now we sit back and see what he can do.

 

[Shmuley]

He's locked in for this season and two more regardless.

If he wins 7 like I expect, he probably gets three more.

 

[Dawg1976]

If he keeps winning 7 most years with a 6 win season here and there, he won't ever be fired. I hope we have some 9-10 win seasons mixed in too of course. Perhaps this will be the year.

 

[thekimmer]

Winning 6 games isn't as hard as it used to be.....

If he keeps winning 7 most years with a 6 win season here and there, he won't ever be fired. I hope we have some 9-10 win seasons mixed in too of course. Perhaps this will be the year.

With 12 games now the norm and which essentially adds another cupcake win has made it much easier to win 6-7 games and the expansion of bowl games then makes it easier to get to the post season. Paradoxically, the increase in competition in the top half of the SEC and particularly the west has made it much tougher to get above the 8-9 game plateau.

 

[esplanade91]

Probably. The money is there.

Only adds to the pressure, right?

I think of all the places he would go, we have the most money to give. Obviously a school like Texas has more to give, but a school like Texas wouldn't be interested in Mullen. So just based on $$$, I think we've got him as long as we want him.

 

[thunderclap]

Unfortunately, I believe our kicking game will lose at least 1 winnable game.

Me too. Always does.

 

[engie]

I don't think he would get extended for 7 this year. Not unless some crazy stuff happened injury-wise.

 

[thekimmer]

I agree that this is a year that *** must move the needle....

Dan Mullen. It's not pressure for his job, but pressure for results. We're going to find out the answers to basically all the questions around Mullen as a head coach:

1) Can make a run at a 10 win season?
2) Can you close on a top 15 (maybe top 10) class?
3) Can your offense move the ball against high caliber SEC Ds?

There shouldn't be much debate about the answer to those questions in six months. That pretty much makes this mission critical IMO for MSU Football and Mullen.

I think the next six months likely define his career at MSU.

At minimum he's got to get the ranked opponent monkey off of his back and prove that he can win a game or two against 'elite' SEC competition. He's finally got the pieces in place to make a move. If this team stays status quo then I think it definitely indicates that we have seen the best we will ever see from him as an MSU coach. That is pressure on him for sure but that just comes with the territory. I think he can and will do it!

 

[esplanade91]

At minimum he's got to get the ranked opponent monkey off of his back and prove that he can win a game or two against 'elite' SEC competition. He's finally got the pieces in place to make a move. If this team stays status quo then I think it definitely indicates that we have seen the best we will ever see from him as an MSU coach. That is pressure on him for sure but that just comes with the territory. I think he can and will do it!

They did a piece on CFD about Dak being the #86 player in college football and they all said "I don't think he has enough talent around them."

Hypothetically we go 7-5 and fire Mullen people are going to think we're nuts as fans, because apparently we're terrible.

I mean, what does it take to become an analyst these days? It's like they don't do their research on anyone. ANYONE. Including the big dogs. I was just fed Michigan-Ohio State to determine who will win the B1G this year. Michigan is going to be turrible!

 

[Uncle Ruckus]

They did a piece on CFD about Dak being the #86 player in college football and they all said "I don't think he has enough talent around him.

BS. The reason people will want Mullen gone with a .500 season is because this is his most talented team to date. The '10 team may have had more nfl talent but I think this team has more overall. If Mullen can't get it done with these guys then we need to start looking considering someone who can and start making 5 Hud threads a day.

 

[Confucius Say]

BS. The reason people will want Mullen gone with a .500 season is because this is his most talented team to date. The '10 team may have had more nfl talent but I think this team has more overall. If Mullen can't get it done with these guys then we need to start looking considering someone who can and start making 5 Hud threads a day.

The '10 team went 8-4. Would you be upset with 8-4 this year? Not being a smart ***, I'm curious as to what the number is, not just from you, but fans in general.

 

[57stratdawg]

They did a piece on CFD about Dak being the #86 player in college football and they all said "I don't think he has enough talent around them."

Hypothetically we go 7-5 and fire Mullen people are going to think we're nuts as fans, because apparently we're terrible.

I hate when people put up wet-blank statements like that. Okay, so what position on offense doesn't have enough talent?

RB? We have several RBs that can put up good numbers. Probably an upgrade over last year even with Perkins' departure.
WR? We return basically the entire unit, and Jameon is one of the most productive returning players in the conference. He does need to fine more consistency against SEC competition though.
TE? Johnson is solid and very experienced. DHutchinson will be a nice redzone target.
OL? I think we're set G-C-G, but thin at OT.

So, in reality the only true lacking position is OT. We don't need an injury at OT.

 

[00Dawg]

Upset? Not if one of the 8 is UM, but I wouldn't exactly be happy, either. Happy is 9 wins before the bowl game and the Golden Egg still in Starkville.
Upset is....7 wins with an Egg Bowl loss (barring a major injury outbreak). That would mean we dropped 2 games we shouldn't have.

 

[Requiem For A Dawg]

The '10 team went 8-4. Would you be upset with 8-4 this year? Not being a smart ***, I'm curious as to what the number is, not just from you, but fans in general.

I will not accept 8 wins this year.

 

[engie]

The '10 team went 8-4. Would you be upset with 8-4 this year? Not being a smart ***, I'm curious as to what the number is, not just from you, but fans in general.

8 in the regular season is chalk this year IMO -- like 6 was chalk last year. 8 is probably enough to get him an extension, but not any drastic raise, and it won't really fire up the fanbase nor convince everyone that we'll ever have a chance to truly compete...

The stars are aligned this year in a way that will happen, at most, probably once a decade. We've simply got to capitalize...

 

[jacksonreb]

msu and ole miss can pay HC's. our problem is the overall salaries. with a number of schools paying coor 1m plus, that's where we both will suffer. to me the HC when the time comes will have to decide...do i love it here enough to always have to work harder than at school X that's offering me essentially the same money?.....

 

[DawgatAuburn]

Since the stars are aligned in a once in a decade sort of way, if we finish at 8 wins with the typical losses to Bama, Auburn, LSU and either TAMU or UM, will you again be calling for Hudspeth?

 

[DerHntr]

8 in the regular season is chalk this year IMO -- like 6 was chalk last year. 8 is probably enough to get him an extension, but not any drastic raise, and it won't really fire up the fanbase nor convince everyone that we'll ever have a chance to truly compete...

The stars are aligned this year in a way that will happen, at most, probably once a decade. We've simply got to capitalize...

With those 8 wins, I will be happy in general. I will be a lot happier if we compete well in the 4 losses in that scenario. If we get blown out more than once like we did in 2012, then the 8 wins will be nice but a bit tainted.

I realize I am talking about 4 moral victories and don't really care if that sounds bad. I'll take a moral victory over a blow out and shouts of over rated. The 2012 Bama game blow out was awful in every single way possible for me as a fan. And then it was followed up by a couple more.

 

[Sandman.sixpack]

I remember last November
when almost everyone wanted Hudspeth to come back. Then Wallace fumbled in the end zone and we upset OM and everything turned around in one week.

 

[Dawgzilla]

I remember last November
when almost everyone wanted Hudspeth to come back. Then Wallace fumbled in the end zone and we upset OM and everything turned around in one week.

Two weeks, actually. Beating Arkansas and UMiss to become bowl eligible made an otherwise disappointing season bearable. Before the Arkansas game, someone on this board posted that Mullen could unite the fan base by either winning or losing both of the last two games. Lose them both and we all would have given up on him. They managed to pull both of them out, in overtime, with the 3rd string QB being instrumental in both games.....combine that with our more favorable schedule this year, and we all have reason to be optimistic.

 

[Seinfeld]

Considering the projected $40M/school payout that SEC teams will now be getting from the new combined tv deals, you're damn right that I will be bitching if ticket prices continue to increase. I don't care what other schools are charging. We're getting plenty of money to do nice things without gouging the true people that are making all of this possible.

 

[Seinfeld]

Say what you want about all that, but we sure had a hell of a time getting to 6 last year. Yeah, we could have won one or two more, but we were also a few nail biters(Bowling Green, KY, and OM) away from only winning 3 games. Some years, the schedule's just gonna line up in a way where 6 wins isn't as easy as people maker it out to be.

 

[Seinfeld]

Upset is....7 wins with an Egg Bowl loss (barring a major injury outbreak). That would mean we dropped 2 games we shouldn't have.

Are you saying that you think we will be favored in 9 games this year?

 

[engie]

Since the stars are aligned in a once in a decade sort of way, if we finish at 8 wins with the typical losses to Bama, Auburn, LSU and either TAMU or UM, will you again be calling for Hudspeth?

8 = the same approach I've taken since he pulled #6 out of his *** last year... Basically on the fence and non-confrontational either way...

7 or fewer and the Hudspeth calls will be deafening. Especially when ULL brings back practically everyone and should be his best team to date by a good bit. They should probably go 10-2 with 11-1 not being outside the realm of possibility...

9 or more and I'll be back on the Mullen bandwagon. I will say -- he's made a bunch of improvements since the end of the Liberty Bowl that already have me inching that way already. Positive changes in recruiting approach(and results), getting rid of Koenning, turning over special teams, paying Collins, owning the playcalling, etc... Of all the things I've complained about over time, he seems to do a really good job of introspecting in the offseason and fixing the obvious stuff.

 

[Wizard.sixpack]

You are assuming that Peters stays committed and we even get Lewis...both are unlikely...especially if they get a 5th star.