To win in the SEC you have to have a coach that is very good in all aspects of his job, especially at a school like MSU that has a few more disadvantages than the top SEC power programs. Mullen is a good coach but has too many flaws to ever get us routinely toward the top of the SEC or SEC West. Recruiting is his biggest one which is aided by keeping assistants on the staff that not good recruiters along with the inability to maintain a good defensive staff with some continuity. Mullen will typically get us to minor bowl games with the exception at rare times of exceeding expectations and going to a nice bowl game OR missing a bowl game altogether (which is what would normally happen after a year like this year). Mullen is what he is at this point so you are either good with that or you aren't.