Mullen should win COY hands-down.

[MSUCE99]

The only competition that I see is Chizik, and he was just lucky enough to land Newton. Mullen has made MSU a winner the hard way - without a rented mule to carry the load. These wins are team wins, that require a lot more coaching than handing the ball to your 6'-6" freak of nature and saying "go score".

Without #2 and to a lesser extent Gus Malzahn, Auburn is pedestrian. I really believe you could plug 'n play with any warm body in Chizik's spot and Auburn would be the same team. A tremendous amount of Auburn's success is predicated on Newton's scrambling, which is a credit to Newton, not Chizik. Their defense is nothing to write home about, and their offense depends on #2 being healthy.

Without Mullen, well, we all know what MSU would be, and the first number is probably a 3. Chris Relf has improved tremendously, and manages the game well. The defense is playing lights-out. The kicking game is improved tremendously. The offense has its identity, which is based on the personnel we have. We aren't turning the ball over. That's coaching. A perennial 3-9 team, the doormat of the SEC-West, everybody's (former) favorite Homecoming opponent, is now 7-2 with the possibility of winning 3 more, without a Heisman candidate.

The way I see it, it's really no competition.

 

[mstatefan88]

Last time I checked, Newton does in fact play for Auburn, so we need to shut up about that and move past it. Even though I think Mullen has done above and beyond so far this year with this team, I think any coach that is able to go undefeated in the SEC deserves coach of the year. If Auburn goes undefeated, Chizik should get it. Mullen still has done an outstanding job, but any coachwho can go through an SEC schedule and not lose a game deserves tobe coach of the year.

 

[slickdawg]

Auburn would be 5-4 without him.

 

[thatsbaseball]

nm

 

[mstatefan88]

I live in Auburn currently, and trust me, the Cam Newton talk is driving me nuts. But we are 9 games into the season, we are 7-2, and we are playing well without him. Auburn has Cam Newton, and they are 9-0. I don't care anymore because wherever Cam would have gone he would have been a rented mule. If he was at MSU, he would be doing mostly the same thing, except maybe running a little less.

 

[wayneland5025]

I would just as soon not call more attention of that kind to Mullen than necessary. While I do not think he is going anywhere else, I dont see why we should increase the chances that way. And if Auburn goes unbeaten, they definitely deserve the honors.

 

[MSUCE99]

If Auburn had Mullen instead of Chizik, do you think they'd be any worse of a team? I don't.

If State had Chizik, do you think they'd still be 7-2 (or better)? I don't.

Put Newton at MSU, and I think we are 9-0. Put any or all of our QBs at Auburn, and they are no better than 7-2.

Newton should rightfully win the Heisman, Player of the Year, etc, etc. Fairley is a beast as well. But nothing I have seen Chizik do leads me to believe he has done the best coaching job in the SEC this year, other than having acquired Malzahn and Newton.

 

[Incognegro]

Newton should rightfully win the Heisman, Player of the Year, etc, etc. Fairley is a beast as well. But nothing I have seen Chizik do leads me to believe he has done the best coaching job in the SEC this year, other than having acquired Malzahn and Newton.

Which is why they're 9-0. The head coach's job is to do whatever necessary to put your team in a winning position which is what he's done. Surrounding yourself with talent is also a necessary aspect of coaching. Granted, I don't think he's a better coach than Mullen, but truthfully, I can't even get mad if he does win it.

 

[MSUCE99]

You could (in theory) have a perfect season, and not still have done the best coaching job. Just imagine if LSU had continued to win. They were winning most of their games on pure talent, and not on any genius coaching the Hat was doing. If they had lucked up and won the SEC 8-0 despite his colossal clock management blunders, would you still give him COY, when everybody can see the chaos and lunacy on his sideline? Not me. Hell, his own fanbase was ready to fire him as head coach when he was 7-0 because of POOR coaching.

Voting for a Coach of the Year based on records alone is the easy way out.

 

[SLUdog]

and may win SECC and BCS Championship with him. However, to say that Auburn would be near this good without a Juco transfer, is insane. They would have lost at least 3 games by now.

 

[CoastDawg18]

Almost signed at a school other than the one they chose so there really isn't a need to discuss what might have been. It doesn't matter what AU would be without Newton, because they have him. It doesn't matter what MSU would be with Newton, because we don't have him. They are 9-0, #1 in the BCS. We are 7-2 and in the top 25. Chizik is coach of the year as it stands right now. That said, Mullen has obviously done a great job!