Are we following the South Carolina Success Track?

[Goat Holder]

Eerily similar, the biggest difference being they are doing it with a re-tread coach and we have a rookie.

Similarities:
-1st 4 years we have a bunch of mediocre, but successful, results with no big wins
-Tradition-less in football
-Compete with a rival school that has historically recruited better
-Considered an SEC 'have-not'

Now, before anyone ridicules me for being bi-polar, I'm not predicting anything. I'm simply pointing this stuff out. Spurrier won 7-7-6-7 regular season games his first four seasons. Mullen did 5-8-6-8. 27 games for the both of them. In Spurrier's fifth season, they broke through with a big win at home (Ole Miss ranked #4). In his sixth season, they beat #1 Alabama. Keep in mind, they didn't start getting the 5 star players until after the 2009 season (Lattimore - 2010 signing class) then they got Clowney the next year (2011 signing class).

Maybe, just maybe, that fifth season will be the one for Mullen too. Then we have the easy schedule next year, possibly pop off a Top 5 type win? Then 2015 and 2016 will be the years when the 2012 and 2013 recruiting classes are upperclassmen, and hopefully we are a team that packs the pound for pound power that Spurrier's do in their 7th, 8th and 9th years (2011-2013). I mean, they are legitimately considered a power program at this point. 10 years ago they were a joke.

Maybe as well be optimistic about the shit. At the very minimum, it's a reason for fans to be patient. We need to stop looking at Ole Miss, and actually compare ourselves to schools with which we really are very similar. Our formula for success is not the same as Ole Miss'. We just have to find a way to continue to be a consistent winner, and that means getting to 6 wins this year.

[gravedigger]

I agree there are similarities and maybe I don't think our football future will pan out that way but I do agree that ole miss is not always the best comparison due to the differences in program building and coaches.

South Carolina isn't surrounded by bama,lsu and blow job u. Geography hurts us pretty badly when it comes to competition for hometown boys.

It really is futile to worry about the significance of a few games last year or a poor offensive game this year. Opinions are great but some people on the interwebs are Turing this into a neurosis and are begging others to ride their bipolar trips.

State is going to do well to make a bowl, but I still don't see why so many don't see the program progressing.

[Goat Holder]

I agree on the geography. I'm a big geography guy, and there's no doubt that's MSU's no. 1 weakness at this point. To really take the next step, we're just going to have to hope that the population of MS grows by leaps and bounds.

One advantage that we have though, is while South Carolina and Clemson are fighting every program in the nation for Georgia and Florida guys, we have Alabama to our east and Louisiana to our southwest that are chock full of players. And the home schools can't take them all. And funny enough, not many other schools throughout the country recruit those states, in addition to the home schools. Louisiana is the best kept secret in the country. They have 42 prospects rated 3 stars and higher on Scout.com.

[The Croom Diaries]

I agree with the South Carolina comparison to the extent that it takes winning seasons built on winning seasons to achieve a higher level of success at programs like MSU, OM, South Carolina, etc. But I think SC had a bigger head start than you are giving them credit for. I think you need to go back to include the Lou Holtz era to see any correlation in where we may be.

In Holtz's last 5 seasons he won 33 games and had them in the Top 25 at some point in each season. Then Spurrier took over. In the previous 5 seasons before Mullen got to MSU we had won only 21 games, hell we were not able to even win 33 games in the previous EIGHT seasons before Mullen got here. Holtz brought them back from the grave. And aside from a season that featured a number of fortunate bounces, we were about half buried with the string of 3 win seasons we had going. Mullen is currently in the Lou Holtz phase of the rebuilding process. That doesn't mean we can't jump up and compete for the West one year, but to consistently compete for the division like Carolina is doing right now, I think we are 4-5 years away at best. Prior to their 2010 East championship, they had 10 years of sustained success - 6 bowl games in 7 winning seasons, and three other years with at least 5 wins.

[bocfarm]

I agree with the similarities and comparing production in the first 4yrs. Unfortunately the key component is spurrier > Mullen by a huge margin. Who knows maybe Mullen surprises us all but tough to invision that right now.

[KB21]

I think another good comparision would be Oklahoma State. From 1989-2000, Oklahoma State had ONE winning season. Les Miles is hired in 2001 and goes 4-7 in his first year. He then goes 8-5, 9-4, and 7-5 and takes OSU to three Bowl games. Miles goes to LSU in 2005, and Mike Gundy takes over. His first season is 4-7, but then he goes 7-6, 7-6, 9-4, 9-4, and then has an 11-2 season followed by a 12-1 season before falling off last year with an 8-5 record. Now, he's projected to win the Big 12.

OSU has to compete with in state rival Oklahoma, which has a much more tradition rich football history than OSU, and they also have to recruit against the Texas schools. I'd venture to guess that OSU hasn't had a top 15-20 class during any of these years.

[engie]

OSU is a bad comparison because they had a billionaire pump $500 million into that program to make them a virtually immediate competitor...

Unless we have something similar, we can't follow their/Oregon's path to success...

[Goat Holder]

IMO that's a terrible comparison. Their success started with T-Boone's money. If they had achieved what they did without his donations, I might could follow you, because yes, they were a joke of a program before that. His 165M donation was 2005, and then, well.....

[Goat Holder]

I agree with the similarities and comparing production in the first 4yrs. Unfortunately the key component is spurrier > Mullen by a huge margin. Who knows maybe Mullen surprises us all but tough to invision that right now.

That's the reason I included the win totals. Mullen has matched Spurrier in that regard, so you really can't make that comparison because Mullen's future is unknown. Of course, Carolina has also done this while playing a tougher schedule (Clemson, plus usually another BCS level opponent), but still. Perhaps that cancels out their small population advantage (I think SC has about 4M people while MS has 3M) and lack of a smaller college instate like USM.

[Goat Holder]

Maybe, but I think our recruiting in 2012 and 2013 has been as good or better than theirs back in 2008 and 2009. That may facilitate things a little bit quicker. The redshirted guys from 2011, in addition to the aforementioned classes, will win some big games for us in the next few years.

[FISHDAWG]

speaking of SC did anyone hear this : ?
?I might not try again for the rest of this season. We?re probably not going to the SEC Championship game, so I?m not risking millions for another Outback Bowl appearance.? ? Jadeveon Clowney, Defensive End, South Carolina
this was taken from Saturdays Down South