Couple of good things about the football program.....

[Taog Redloh]

- Winning record in bowls
- Big 6 bowl appearance
- 7 year win streak vs. Kentucky
- Overall winning record vs. Kentucky (22-20), moving us a little bit further off the bottom
- 4 game win streak over Arkansas, after a decade of futility in that series
- 2 game win streak over Auburn
- Got Ws over Georgia and Tennessee, neither of which are normal for MSU
- Beat Florida at the Swamp
- Winning record in Egg Bowl, after weathering their greatest peak ever
- Near perfect record in games where we are favored

There are some things that need work, for sure. I do not count the bowl streak in my assessments, because to me, in an 11-game season, we'd have been 5-6 in 2011 and 2013 (all the 12 game season added was an FCS patsy). We obviously need to beat Alabama, but Alabama is also 84-10 since Mullen has been at State, with 3 national titles and 3 SEC titles. Only a peaking South Carolina/Ole Miss/Texas A&M, LSU, Auburn, Oklahoma and Ohio State have defeated them in that time frame.

Average Mullen FBS record in this time-span: 6.3-4.7 (for reference, King Jackie was 5.7-5.0-0.3)

What this tells me, is that while we have not been elite, we've been better than we've ever been. I personally like the slow, gradual trend rather than the extreme highs/lows like Ole Miss has employed (and King Jackie too), ESPECIALLY when we accomplish more and have higher win totals.

Guy gets 2 more years regardless, as long as we don't totally collapse next year. He's earned the right to build the program his way, OL coach and all.

[ShotgunDawg]

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/e8/0f/8c/e80f8cd14f921ddf6f991980ffdd1345.jpg

[CadaverDawg]

- Winning record in bowls
- Big 6 bowl appearance
- 7 year win streak vs. Kentucky
- Overall winning record vs. Kentucky (22-20), moving us a little bit further off the bottom
- 4 game win streak over Arkansas, after a decade of futility in that series
- 2 game win streak over Auburn
- Got Ws over Georgia and Tennessee, neither of which are normal for MSU
- Beat Florida at the Swamp
- Winning record in Egg Bowl, after weathering their greatest peak ever
- Near perfect record in games where we are favored

There are some things that need work, for sure. I do not count the bowl streak in my assessments, because to me, in an 11-game season, we'd have been 5-6 in 2011 and 2013 (all the 12 game season added was an FCS patsy). We obviously need to beat Alabama, but Alabama is also 84-10 since Mullen has been at State, with 3 national titles and 3 SEC titles. Only a peaking South Carolina/Ole Miss/Texas A&M, LSU, Auburn, Oklahoma and Ohio State have defeated them in that time frame.

Average Mullen FBS record in this time-span: 6.3-4.7 (for reference, King Jackie was 5.7-5.0-0.3)

What this tells me, is that while we have not been elite, we've been better than we've ever been. I personally like the slow, gradual trend rather than the extreme highs/lows like Ole Miss has employed (and King Jackie too), ESPECIALLY when we accomplish more and have higher win totals.

Guy gets 2 more years regardless, as long as we don't totally collapse next year. He's earned the right to build the program his way, OL coach and all.

I agree with Goat. And thanks for a positive thread...the board needed it

[ShotgunDawg]

I agree with Goat. And thanks for a positive thread...the board needed it

Agree. It just reminded me of Stuart Smalley staring into the mirror.

Our program is on solid ground with a good foundation. We need to clean up the green on this recruiting class, tighten down our OL recruiting, & keep moving in the right direction. I actually view Nalls' decommitment last night as a move in the right direction. It means are coaches aren't just settling

I think MSU is taking a conservative, measured, consistent approach on building a program & that will pay major dividends down the road if we continue build. However, I think much of the frustration comes from the Ole Miss not taking the same approach as us & somehow doing what they are doing in such a short time.

Conversely, A coach like Sumlin has almost gotten a pass at A&M because his in-state rival sucks. If Charlie Strong were winning at Texas, I'm curious if Sumlin would have been fired this year. It's amazing how much of your perspective on your team is dictated by what your rival is doing.

[Really Clark?]

Alabama, LSU, Georigia, Texas A & M, and Mississippi State are the only SEC schools that have been bowling all 6 years this decade. We really need to embrace this consistency for a continuation of building our foundation to get to the next level. Which was going to take a decade of some ups and downs and is the hardest to overcome and maintain. To be a 9+ win team every year we had to build up our floor against a very poor history. We have places that need to improve on but improvement has happened as during the past 7 years.

[archdog]

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/e8/0f/8c/e80f8cd14f921ddf6f991980ffdd1345.jpg

Worst movie ever made. Hands down.

[Dawg-gone-dawgs]

They made a movie about this?

[Taog Redloh]

I think MSU is taking a conservative, measured, consistent approach on building a program & that will pay major dividends down the road if we continue build.
Only thing that presents a problem is the notion that Mullen wants out of Starkville. That does not jive with the long-term building approach. Guess we will never truly know what's up with that, likely in the middle.


However, I think much of the frustration comes from the Ole Miss not taking the same approach as us & somehow doing what they are doing in such a short time.
I predict, one year from now, after we've beaten Ole Miss in Oxford, our fans will be thankful that we did not take their approach. They are about to find out how the other half lives with their boom/bust method. They better hope Kelly comes back next year, but I honestly don't see why he would. FSU, Alabama, Georgia, Arkansas, LSU and Texas A&M are all probable losses for them. Their losses are substantial - 19 seniors (the rest of that good 2011 class), plus the 4 juniors gone. Ingram and Stringfellow might go pro too. Add Kelly and those are crippling losses.

[maroonmania]

Agree. It just reminded me of Stuart Smalley staring into the mirror.

Our program is on solid ground with a good foundation. We need to clean up the green on this recruiting class, tighten down our OL recruiting, & keep moving in the right direction. I actually view Nalls' decommitment last night as a move in the right direction. It means are coaches aren't just settling

I think MSU is taking a conservative, measured, consistent approach on building a program & that will pay major dividends down the road if we continue build. However, I think much of the frustration comes from the Ole Miss not taking the same approach as us & somehow doing what they are doing in such a short time.

Conversely, A coach like Sumlin has almost gotten a pass at A&M because his in-state rival sucks. If Charlie Strong were winning at Texas, I'm curious if Sumlin would have been fired this year. It's amazing how much of your perspective on your team is dictated by what your rival is doing.

No doubt there are a lot of things we have done well under Mullen. I think a lot of the frustration in the recruiting area is that we just seem to have one arm tied behind our back there competing with much of the rest of the SEC. A number of reasons with that. We aren't really branching out in the area that we recruit, plus we seem to have the double whammy that Mullen and staff aren't great natural recruiters (I don't even think Mullen likes it that much) as opposed to Freeze and staff while at the same time we don't play the "incentives" game anywhere near the level of what OM and a lot of the rest of the SEC do. Definitely makes for an uphill battle to get anywhere beyond the 7-8 win plateau. We did it last year but it requires a number of other SEC West programs to have off years while we are having a peak year to pull it off.

[Taog Redloh]

No doubt there are a lot of things we have done well under Mullen. I think a lot of the frustration in the recruiting area is that we just seem to have one arm tied behind our back there competing with much of the rest of the SEC. A number of reasons with that. We aren't really branching out in the area that we recruit, plus we seem to have the double whammy that Mullen and staff aren't great natural recruiters (I don't even think Mullen likes it that much) as opposed to Freeze and staff while at the same time we don't play the "incentives" game anywhere near the level of what OM and a lot of the rest of the SEC do. Definitely makes for an uphill battle to get anywhere beyond the 7-8 win plateau. We did it last year but it requires a number of other SEC West programs to have off years while we are having a peak year to pull it off.
We need to sit down and acknowledge reality when it comes to recruiting.

We DO NOT have the program resources/history necessary to win all the recrootin hype battles. That may change one day, but it AIN'T HAPPENING in 2016. We can win SOME, like we have been, but we aren't going to be the recruiting champions at this point in time. Forget the paying stuff, we all do that to some degree or another, so who cares. All that really does is put you on a level playing field anyways, it doesn't close the deal. Ultimately the kids go where they want. Acknowledge and move on.

The biggest thing I see that we are not doing is 1 - not bringing in ENOUGH OL every year (I'd like to see 4 or 5), and 2 - not using the MS JUCO system more.

[ShotgunDawg]

No doubt there are a lot of things we have done well under Mullen. I think a lot of the frustration in the recruiting area is that we just seem to have one arm tied behind our back there competing with much of the rest of the SEC. A number of reasons with that. We aren't really branching out in the area that we recruit, plus we seem to have the double whammy that Mullen and staff aren't great natural recruiters (I don't even think Mullen likes it that much) as opposed to Freeze and staff while at the same time we don't play the "incentives" game anywhere near the level of what OM and a lot of the rest of the SEC do. Definitely makes for an uphill battle to get anywhere beyond the 7-8 win plateau. We did it last year but it requires a number of other SEC West programs to have off years while we are having a peak year to pull it off.

I hear you, but, honestly, I just don't know enough facts about what's going on in recruiting to make definitive statements about what the problem is.

Perhaps there really isn't a problem. I mean, I think Mullen & staff are beginning to settle into being a top 18-22 recruiter & considering our local population, brand awareness & historical success on the field, 18-22 sounds about right & where we should be.

However, I think much of the perception of our recruiting issues comes from comparing our situation to Ole Miss. Ole Miss is out kicking their coverage right now in recruiting & have created a perception that we are failing, even though we are recruiting at about the level we should be.

Ole Miss is the fat, ugly frat boy that walks through the Grove with an extremely hot blonde with him & everyone stares with amazement at how the fat, frat guy landed her (I know everyone has done this at tailgate). It's unexplainable, and makes every other fat frat guy think he should be landing that hot blonde as well, when the reality is something different.

[MetEdDawg]

Alabama, LSU, Georigia, Texas A & M, and Mississippi State are the only SEC schools that have been bowling all 6 years this decade. We really need to embrace this consistency for a continuation of building our foundation to get to the next level. Which was going to take a decade of some ups and downs and is the hardest to overcome and maintain. To be a 9+ win team every year we had to build up our floor against a very poor history. We have places that need to improve on but improvement has happened as during the past 7 years.

This is so important. While we haven't reached the peak success of an Alabama, LSU, UGA, even Auburn and their national title, we've proven that while other middle tier programs can have massive swings and multiple down years, we don't necessarily have those. I mean Auburn had a damn 3 win year and got 6 this year. Do we expect that to ever happen under Mullen? Even next year I think we get more than 6. We've built consistency and what that does is keep us relevant in off years. We don't get the peak press as often, but we always are in the conversation.

[Liverpooldawg]

Our program is in the best shape it's ever been except for possibly in the middle of the Allyn McKeen era. That was during WWII. It's time for everyone to recognize that FACT. All this whining is just insane.

[maroonmania]

I hear you, but, honestly, I just don't know enough facts about what's going on in recruiting to make definitive statements about what the problem is.

Perhaps there really isn't a problem. I mean, I think Mullen & staff are beginning to settle into being a top 18-22 recruiter & considering our local population, brand awareness & historical success on the field, 18-22 sounds about right & where we should be.

However, I think much of the perception of our recruiting issues comes from comparing our situation to Ole Miss. Ole Miss is out kicking their coverage right now in recruiting & have created a perception that we are failing, even though we are recruiting at about the level we should be.

Ole Miss is the fat, ugly frat boy that walks through the Grove with an extremely hot blonde with him & everyone stares with amazement at how the fat, frat guy landed her (I know everyone has done this at tailgate). It's unexplainable, and makes every other fat frat guy think he should be landing that hot blonde as well, when the reality is something different.

Well, we are really not even on the radar of national recruits outside the state of MS the way things are currently (even AFTER the #1 ranking) whereas OM absolutely is along with a lot of other SEC programs. Whatever the reasons, this is current reality. Now, the only way to counteract this is we have to do a dang good job in identifying more under the radar recruits that can be impact players in the SEC and develop better than most other SEC programs which is a challenging task as other SEC programs have excellent coaches as well. Its like a racing game where the competition gets a 2 to 3 second head start on you. Yes, you can potentially catch up with the correct strategy but you are at a disctinct disadvantage. One thing that is in our favor is that a lot of the hidden places in MS have recruits that are very underrated but need a LOT of polishing.

[QuadrupleOption]

I have nothing to add except +1 for all this.

[Coach34]

We need to sit down and acknowledge reality when it comes to recruiting.

We DO NOT have the program resources/history necessary to win all the recrootin hype battles. That may change one day, but it AIN'T HAPPENING in 2016.

The biggest thing I see that we are not doing is 1 - not bringing in ENOUGH OL every year (I'd like to see 4 or 5), and 2 - not using the MS JUCO system more.

Kentucky has outrecruited us in 2014 and so far in 2016....Kentucky

[MetEdDawg]

Well, we are really not even on the radar of national recruits outside the state of MS the way things are currently (even AFTER the #1 ranking) whereas OM absolutely is along with a lot of other SEC programs. Whatever the reasons, this is current reality. Now, the only way to counteract this is we have to do a dang good job in identifying more under the radar recruits that can be impact players in the SEC and develop better than most other SEC programs which is a challenging task as other SEC programs have excellent coaches as well. Its like a racing game where the competition gets a 2 to 3 second head start on you. Yes, you can potentially catch up with the correct strategy but you are at a disctinct disadvantage. One thing that is in our favor is that a lot of the hidden places in MS have recruits that are very underrated but need a LOT of polishing.

Here's where I disagree some. Yes I agree we need to find those kinds of guys, but I think it's clear by the types of games we lose that unless we start hitting recruiting hot beds for big time talent, we can't compete with upper echelon of the SEC consistently. We may snatch a win every so often, but if we want to compete consistently (which we are capable of doing), we have to start going outside of this 4 hour radius.

Let's be honest. The top talent in AL is going to Auburn or Alabama. That's a given. The top talent in LA is going to LSU. The top talent in MS is either split by MSU and OM or ends up at Alabama. We've raided Georgia a few times for some solid guys, but their top guys go to UGA, FL, or Auburn typically. There isn't enough blue chip talent to stay within 4 hours and compete consistently because it all gets shared between the schools we are competing with. So while I'm fine with getting a couple of project guys from in state, I think the reality is that we need to get out of the state of MS for more kids than we currently do, especially for OL.

We've had a lot of success at taking out of state guys and turning them into studs. Most recent examples of Bear, Benny, Day, Fred Ross, Preston Smith, Will Redmond, Dak, Robinson. I mean our who's who of the last 3 years is made up of a lot of guys that didn't come from the state of MS. Now there's a good number that have come from MS, but just look at the types of guys we get from out of state.

[maroonmania]

We need to sit down and acknowledge reality when it comes to recruiting.

We DO NOT have the program resources/history necessary to win all the recrootin hype battles. That may change one day, but it AIN'T HAPPENING in 2016. We can win SOME, like we have been, but we aren't going to be the recruiting champions at this point in time. Forget the paying stuff, we all do that to some degree or another, so who cares. All that really does is put you on a level playing field anyways, it doesn't close the deal. Ultimately the kids go where they want. Acknowledge and move on.

The biggest thing I see that we are not doing is 1 - not bringing in ENOUGH OL every year (I'd like to see 4 or 5), and 2 - not using the MS JUCO system more.

Why go so far in the other direction to make your point. Who is asking us to win all the recruiting hype battles or win a recruiting championship? We do need to consistently have Top 25 classes though to compete in this league and keep the number of projects we take on to a minimum. Granted, AL and OM were probably the 2 best SEC teams this year but we simply didn't have enough talent on the field to compete with those 2 teams this year, and that's even with having an advantage at the QB position.

[Coach34]

Whats concerning to me:

The top rated player in Miss the last 2 years has been offensive linemen- and we got neither. This year- Simmons is the top guy as a DL player- and OM is now ALL IN on him. We lose this battle in our backyard and we now have a trend developing

[maroonmania]

Here's where I disagree some. Yes I agree we need to find those kinds of guys, but I think it's clear by the types of games we lose that unless we start hitting recruiting hot beds for big time talent, we can't compete with upper echelon of the SEC consistently. We may snatch a win every so often, but if we want to compete consistently (which we are capable of doing), we have to start going outside of this 4 hour radius.

Let's be honest. The top talent in AL is going to Auburn or Alabama. That's a given. The top talent in LA is going to LSU. The top talent in MS is either split by MSU and OM or ends up at Alabama. We've raided Georgia a few times for some solid guys, but their top guys go to UGA, FL, or Auburn typically. There isn't enough blue chip talent to stay within 4 hours and compete consistently because it all gets shared between the schools we are competing with. So while I'm fine with getting a couple of project guys from in state, I think the reality is that we need to get out of the state of MS for more kids than we currently do, especially for OL.

We've had a lot of success at taking out of state guys and turning them into studs. Most recent examples of Bear, Benny, Day, Fred Ross, Preston Smith, Will Redmond, Dak, Robinson. I mean our who's who of the last 3 years is made up of a lot of guys that didn't come from the state of MS. Now there's a good number that have come from MS, but just look at the types of guys we get from out of state.

I have no real disagreement with what you are saying. To win at the highest levels trying to find guys that have been passed over by most other SEC schools that you can develop within a 4 hour radius is a tough chore.

[maroonmania]

Whats concerning to me:

The top rated player in Miss the last 2 years has been offensive linemen- and we got neither. This year- Simmons is the top guy as a DL player- and OM is now ALL IN on him. We lose this battle in our backyard and we now have a trend developing

We really almost have to get these top end talents right in our backyard because that's the only place we really have the opportunity. Haven't really shown the ability to do any of that out of state. We have a natural in with an out of state guy like Derrick Brown yet we still seem to be well down his pecking order.

[Taog Redloh]

Whats concerning to me:

The top rated player in Miss the last 2 years has been offensive linemen- and we got neither. This year- Simmons is the top guy as a DL player- and OM is now ALL IN on him. We lose this battle in our backyard and we now have a trend developing
My point is - it isn't as if this is a new ordeal. King Jackie couldn't get them all either.

[Taog Redloh]

Kentucky has outrecruited us in 2014 and so far in 2016....Kentucky
2015 doesn't count? Agenda much?

[Taog Redloh]

Why go so far in the other direction to make your point. Who is asking us to win all the recruiting hype battles or win a recruiting championship? We do need to consistently have Top 25 classes though to compete in this league and keep the number of projects we take on to a minimum. Granted, AL and OM were probably the 2 best SEC teams this year but we simply didn't have enough talent on the field to compete with those 2 teams this year, and that's even with having an advantage at the QB position.
I didn't. I'm firmly in the middle. Re-read my post.

[maroonmania]

I didn't. I'm firmly in the middle. Re-read my post.

Well as I stated, nobody is expecting a recruiting championship from us. Would be nice to see us in the top half of the league once every few years though.

[dawg27]

b
Whats concerning to me:

The top rated player in Miss the last 2 years has been offensive linemen- and we got neither. This year- Simmons is the top guy as a DL player- and OM is now ALL IN on him. We lose this battle in our backyard and we now have a trend developing

I agree we are not geeting players in our back yard,i dont understand why?

[BulldogBear]

Too many to quote.....so.....

1) Glad someone brought up the McKeen era. It, like the war, is something that doesn't seem so terribly long ago to me. I remember my grandpa talking about both, and it was something only 25-30 years earlier, like us talking about the 1980s. It's far enough back to make comparisons but not far enough back to think of as no longer "counting." So, yeah, the only period in our history that rivals (succeeds actually) the Mullen era is the McKeens era and that's been quite a while.

2) I'm still not convinced Ole Miss is not going to hang themselves given enough rope. The fact that their recruiting doesn't seem to be dropping off in spite of smoke and fire everywhere points to the fact that they don't care and would rather win today and vacate everything later so to speak. It also means they have not changed anything. They are going to get caught, ESPECIALLY if they keep beating Bama...ESPECIALLY if they keep challenging for the division. It's like the dude that show up with a new hot rod you know he can't afford. You rub his ego but you know it's gonna get repoed sooner or later. If we can't pull the recruits they are, then they can't either. They're just making it look like they can. They're cheating. There the guy that rents a hot escort to pass off as his wife at the 20 year high school reunion.

3) 2014 was not a down year. Stop saying it is. It's math. So, let's agree that TAMU, LSU, and Auburn are programs that "should" routinely beat a Mississippi State type of school. But they couldn't because we were better than they were. If they all beat us like they "should," they're 9-3, not an elite season but a baseline of acceptability for the upper division of teh conference. 9-3 is an "upper division" record and poor ol' Mittipi Tate would have 7-5 as we "should" be. But we beat them. It's arithmetic and they were 8-4 because they lost to us. If there was a collapse it came AFTER us and in bowls games. Unfortunately for the blue bloods, while they'll have superior athletes, they don't often produce the calibre of young men (and even coaches) that can continue to play at a high level when championships are no longer on the line. For instance, I doubt after so much recent success LSU or Alabama could scratch, claw, and fight their way to a 6-6 record like we did in 2013. Their prima donnas used to pushing around weaker folks couldn't hack it in a real fight for bowl eligibility. I haven't heard a single TAMU, LSU, or Auburn alum or fan that I know disparage MSU's 2014 10-2 (reg season) squad. They've given us credit. It's our fans that talk at length about underachieving. Granted we know our own team better than they do. But sheesh, I've heard State fans cut down Alabama's 2014 squad, saying they had no good wins. That includes holding on for dear life against a 10-2 Bulldog team. ***But we weren't a good team so it wasn't a good win.*** Last year was a great year, even if we know we fell short of all possibilities. The West wasn't down. We were up and ruined it for the blue bloods. They needed they a$$ kicked. And they got it.... because we were good... not because they were "down." It's a myth.

HAIL STATE!

[dawg27]

Too many to quote.....so.....

1) Glad someone brought up the McKeen era. It, like the war, is something that doesn't seem so terribly long ago to me. I remember my grandpa talking about both, and it was something only 25-30 years earlier, like us talking about the 1980s. It's far enough back to make comparisons but not far enough back to think of as no longer "counting." So, yeah, the only period in our history that rivals (succeeds actually) the Mullen era is the McKeens era and that's been quite a while.

2) I'm still not convinced Ole Miss is not going to hang themselves given enough rope. The fact that their recruiting doesn't seem to be dropping off in spite of smoke and fire everywhere points to the fact that they don't care and would rather win today and vacate everything later so to speak. It also means they have not changed anything. They are going to get caught, ESPECIALLY if they keep beating Bama...ESPECIALLY if they keep challenging for the division. It's like the dude that show up with a new hot rod you know he can't afford. You rub his ego but you know it's gonna get repoed sooner or later. If we can't pull the recruits they are, then they can't either. They're just making it look like they can. They're cheating. There the guy that rents a hot escort to pass off as his wife at the 20 year high school reunion.

3) 2014 was not a down year. Stop saying it is. It's math. So, let's agree that TAMU, LSU, and Auburn are programs that "should" routinely beat a Mississippi State type of school. But they couldn't because we were better than they were. If they all beat us like they "should," they're 9-3, not an elite season but a baseline of acceptability for the upper division of teh conference. 9-3 is an "upper division" record and poor ol' Mittipi Tate would have 7-5 as we "should" be. But we beat them. It's arithmetic and they were 8-4 because they lost to us. If there was a collapse it came AFTER us and in bowls games. Unfortunately for the blue bloods, while they'll have superior athletes, they don't often produce the calibre of young men (and even coaches) that can continue to play at a high level when championships are no longer on the line. For instance, I doubt after so much recent success LSU or Alabama could scratch, claw, and fight their way to a 6-6 record like we did in 2013. Their prima donnas used to pushing around weaker folks couldn't hack it in a real fight for bowl eligibility. I haven't heard a single TAMU, LSU, or Auburn alum or fan that I know disparage MSU's 2014 10-2 (reg season) squad. They've given us credit. It's our fans that talk at length about underachieving. Granted we know our own team better than they do. But sheesh, I've heard State fans cut down Alabama's 2014 squad, saying they had no good wins. That includes holding on for dear life against a 10-2 Bulldog team. ***But we weren't a good team so it wasn't a good win.*** Last year was a great year, even if we know we fell short of all possibilities. The West wasn't down. We were up and ruined it for the blue bloods. They needed they a$$ kicked. And they got it.... because we were good... not because they were "down." It's a myth.

HAIL STATE!
My question is we won 10 games was number 1 and the best we are is 40th in crootin not being negative just asking why? We have two 4 stars in our back yard neither has committed.

[Really Clark?]

Last year we had all our committed players before signing day and the only splash was Lewis. Fans thought the staff did a poor job creating momentum. This year we have several highly rated guys that would be committing close to signing day and would create a bigger splash. We are doing a poor job not already having them committed. Bi polar.

[sleepy dawg]

- Winning record in bowls
- Big 6 bowl appearance
- 7 year win streak vs. Kentucky
- Overall winning record vs. Kentucky (22-20), moving us a little bit further off the bottom
- 4 game win streak over Arkansas, after a decade of futility in that series
- 2 game win streak over Auburn
- Got Ws over Georgia and Tennessee, neither of which are normal for MSU
- Beat Florida at the Swamp
- Winning record in Egg Bowl, after weathering their greatest peak ever
- Near perfect record in games where we are favored

There are some things that need work, for sure. I do not count the bowl streak in my assessments, because to me, in an 11-game season, we'd have been 5-6 in 2011 and 2013 (all the 12 game season added was an FCS patsy). We obviously need to beat Alabama, but Alabama is also 84-10 since Mullen has been at State, with 3 national titles and 3 SEC titles. Only a peaking South Carolina/Ole Miss/Texas A&M, LSU, Auburn, Oklahoma and Ohio State have defeated them in that time frame.

Average Mullen FBS record in this time-span: 6.3-4.7 (for reference, King Jackie was 5.7-5.0-0.3)

What this tells me, is that while we have not been elite, we've been better than we've ever been. I personally like the slow, gradual trend rather than the extreme highs/lows like Ole Miss has employed (and King Jackie too), ESPECIALLY when we accomplish more and have higher win totals.

Guy gets 2 more years regardless, as long as we don't totally collapse next year. He's earned the right to build the program his way, OL coach and all.

THIS ALL DAY

[Coach34]

2015 doesn't count? Agenda much?

aGAIN- the agenda word thrown around stupidly. Point is that Kentucky should NEVER out recruit us. But will 2/3 years. I'm so sorry that facts= agenda these days

[Ifyouonlyknew]

aGAIN- the agenda word thrown around stupidly. Point is that Kentucky should NEVER out recruit us. But will 2/3 years. I'm so sorry that facts= agenda these days

I would call it a win for them this year just yet. It's going to be a close race.

[Eric Nies Grind Time]

Neck and neck with Kentucky. Good days ahead.

[Ifyouonlyknew]

Neck and neck with Kentucky. Good days ahead.

Considering that's a top 20-25 class I'm sorry I'll use another team in that area if you'd like.

[Eric Nies Grind Time]

Lol...I am just messing with you. Top 20 is actually a big improvement from where Mullen started. Hopefully that translates into more success. I would like to see us get into the top 15 range with our classes. I think that is about our ceiling.

[Ifyouonlyknew]

Lol...I am just messing with you. Top 20 is actually a big improvement from where Mullen started. Hopefully that translates into more success. I would like to see us get into the top 15 range with our classes. I think that is about our ceiling.

I agree. 3 out of the last 4 years we've had Top 25 classes. This year I think we'll have another with a chance to finish top 20 again. That would be 4 top 25 classes in the last 5. Is that great? No but he's getting better. If we can land in the top 20 that would be back to back years with a very MSU favorable 2017 class coming up. We have to continue to improve in recruiting but we have gradually & I think it will continue.

[Liverpooldawg]

Just like everything else under Mullen recruiting has improved significantly over what we have done historically on average. That is FACT. This board has come unhinged.

[maroonmania]

I agree. 3 out of the last 4 years we've had Top 25 classes. This year I think we'll have another with a chance to finish top 20 again. That would be 4 top 25 classes in the last 5. Is that great? No but he's getting better. If we can land in the top 20 that would be back to back years with a very MSU favorable 2017 class coming up. We have to continue to improve in recruiting but we have gradually & I think it will continue.

If we do that then I will be satisfied but we've got a lot of work to do to get there. Last year by this time all the heavy lifting was done and we were working on just filling out the class and I actually was pretty happy with the results. And I don't remember anyone being unhappy last year because we didn't "create a splash" at the end. If you have a Top 20 class you have a Top 20 class, makes no difference in the end if they commit in the summer before or in January before signing day.

[maroonmania]

Just like everything else under Mullen recruiting has improved significantly over what we have done historically on average. That is FACT. This board has come unhinged.

True, but the same can be said for pretty much every SEC school because of the rise in stature of the conference and huge plus up in SEC budgets. Its extremely attractive for prospects to play in the SEC. I personally think Mullen has benefitted more from that than him being any type of elite recruiter. That's another reason why I'm not really interested in hearing about how we recruited in the 70s, 80s or even 90s with Sherrill. Its a new day and we are a much more attractive program than we were then. It would be interesting to see how Sherrill and his staff would have recruited with all the advantages of fan support, facilities and money that Mullen and staff now have at their disposal.

[CadaverDawg]

I agree. 3 out of the last 4 years we've had Top 25 classes. This year I think we'll have another with a chance to finish top 20 again. That would be 4 top 25 classes in the last 5. Is that great? No but he's getting better. If we can land in the top 20 that would be back to back years with a very MSU favorable 2017 class coming up. We have to continue to improve in recruiting but we have gradually & I think it will continue.

This^

And let's not forget...recruiting is no more of an exact science today than it was a few years ago. Meaning, Top 20-25 ranked class could very well be Top 10 when all is said and done...just like a Top 10-15 class could end up being about a 30-ish class. We're still dealing with a very in-exact science, and if you aren't meeting needs or in the top 5 for several straight years, it's not easily measured.

[maroonmania]

Maybe we will soon get a basketball win over UNM and it will help us all feel better. Been so long since we've beaten them in a Big 3 sport I've sort of forgotten what it feels like.

[Percho]

We need to sit down and acknowledge reality when it comes to recruiting.

We DO NOT have the program resources/history necessary to win all the recrootin hype battles. That may change one day, but it AIN'T HAPPENING in 2016. We can win SOME, like we have been, but we aren't going to be the recruiting champions at this point in time. Forget the paying stuff, we all do that to some degree or another, so who cares. All that really does is put you on a level playing field anyways, it doesn't close the deal. Ultimately the kids go where they want. Acknowledge and move on.

The biggest thing I see that we are not doing is 1 - not bringing in ENOUGH OL every year (I'd like to see 4 or 5), and 2 - not using the MS JUCO system more.

Northwest just won the jc nc have 3 6'5" 1 6'4" a little over 300 lbs So's

[PendingTransaction]

Ranking high nationally is great. In many ways it's the same, but we need to look at SEC rankings. Ranking 28th nationally but 11th in the SEC is not good enough to get to Atlanta. This tells me that being in the SEC and giving a half effort should guarantee a low 30s national recruiting ranking. That's why Kentucky can get good classes.

[Really Clark?]

Northwest just won the jc nc have 3 6'5" 1 6'4" a little over 300 lbs So's

Ollie is their best lineman and he has no Power 5 offers. I don't think the others have any offers in D1.