Not to put down Jackie, but other than beating a 9-4 Florida team in 92, who
else did he really beat until his upset against a highly ranked Bama team in 96 (his 6th year)? That big Texas team he beat in 91 ended up 5-6 and the 92 Texas team went 6-5. The big Auburn win in 91 was against a team that went 6-5. Mullen has done just about the exact same thing Jackie did. He is beating the big name teams during their "down" seasons (FL, GA, Auburn, TN). Jackie had five big wins against great teams, Florida in 92 and 2000, Auburn in 1997 and 2000 (who also went 9-4), and Alabama in 1996. I guess you can throw in TN in 1994, but we caught that team when Peyton was just starting. They improved immensely through the season.
State very rarely beats highly ranked teams, so for all of you thinking we did it with regularity when Jackie was coach, check the stats. Also, most of those big wins came during or after Jackie's sixth season. Plus, we're not losing to Northeast Louisiana, tying Arkansas State, or losing to Louisiana Tech. Finally, the SEC West has been ridiculously loaded during Mullen's tenure.
Guess who else went 9-4 and got beat by State in 2009? Ole Miss. That was Mullen's first big win.
