Dream Scenario For the MSU Football Program

[ShotgunDawg]

Ok, so this is delusional but it's the best case scenario that I could come up with.

In talking with Auburn people before the season, the common thing they said was that Malzahn had to win 9 games to keep his job. It's not that Auburn people don't think Malzahn is a really good coach, it's that they are just ready something different & feel stagnant as a program under his leadership.

Auburn currently sits at 2 losses with UGA & Bama left on the schedule. If they lose both on their home field, Gus would finish with 8 wins & be squarely on the hot seat.

So with that in mind, here is the dream scenario for MSU:

- MSU beats Ark, AC, OM, & gets bowl eligible. That would give Moorhead 6 wins & heavily unlikely to get fired unless a "can't miss" candidate became available.

- Auburn loses on their home field to UGA & Bama. Auburn fans get pissed, feel stuck with their rivals getting better, & pulls the trigger.

- Since Malzahn's personality & scheme are a perfect match at MSU & with Shrader, both sides realize it's a great fit.

- MSU fires Joe Moorhead at 6-6 & hires Gus Malzahn 2 days later for $6 mil per year while at the same time preserving our recruiting class & flipping a few Auburn croots

- Because Moorhead won 8 & 6 games, he still appears to be a solid coach & gets a job a week later as a head coach at a school he's a better fit at

This won't happen, but it's fun to dream.

[dawgday166]

Cohen calls PC today to announce Shoop interim.

Day after Egg Bowl calls another PC to announce Clawson HC with Shoop as DC.

[ShotgunDawg]

Cohen calls PC today to announce Shoop interim.

Day after Egg Bowl calls another PC to announce Clawson HC with Shoop as DC.

That would be fine as well. I'd still take Malzahn over Clawson though

[dawgday166]

Malzahn not bad but I'm not a huge fan.

ETA: To put it this way ... Mullen much better. I'm shooting for a chance at Mullen type or better. Someone who can do more with less and develop players. That's not Malzahn.

People may throw rocks at this but the more I think about it the more I appreciate Mullen. He coached when OM was cheating their ass off, the SECW was mega-tough, and took a class ranked 45th in the country recruiting wise to #1 and really, even tho the moment was too big for him and the team, went toe-to-toe with Bama in T-Town after spotting them a 19 pt lead. Maybe Saban could do something similar but he fled Mich. St. cause he couldn't out recruit Mich. Saban wins at places that have mega recruiting advantages. There's no comparison between him and Bear IMO.

[Jack Lambert]

I think 6-6 may not be good enough for him to keep his job. People just don't like him. I don't think he can ever win many back regardless. I am a believer in staying positive during the season so I am hesitant to say this but when the right people get unhappy then heads roll. I know a few of those people and they are not happy. I want to finish 6-6 and win the bowl game, get to 7-6 and if that means him staying another year then so be it. I want to win. If he can't get them to a bowl game then he needs to go. Our schedule, in fact all SEC schedule are set up to get bowl eligible. Most years all you have to do is win two SEC games and you go to a bowl. That is not the case this season.

[ShotgunDawg]

Malzahn not bad but I'm not a huge fan.

But he's a known quality in the SEC.

It would be incredibly unwise to hire Clawson over Malzahn. Incredibly and that's nothing against Clawson.

We got in this position in the first place by dreaming of what could be instead of seeing reality.

[CovertDawg]

People wanting Clawson is weird. He is 14-29 in conference at Wake Forest and they have had one good "half season". PLUS he was also the Head Coach at Fordham and I imagine word spreads fast among former Fordham Heach Coaches.

[ShotgunDawg]

People wanting Clawson is weird. He is 14-29 in conference at Wake Forest and they have had one good "half season". PLUS he was also the Head Coach at Fordham and I imagine word spreads fast among former Fordham Heach Coaches.

I think Clawson would be solid, but I just can't believe anyone would really hire him over Malzahn. That's exactly how ADs get fired.

[dawgday166]

But he's a known quality in the SEC.

It would be incredibly unwise to hire Clawson over Malzahn. Incredibly and that's nothing against Clawson.

We got in this position in the first place by dreaming of what could be instead of seeing reality.

Clawson has worked his way up thru the ranks, unlike Moorhead. He's progressed thru progressively tougher leagues. He's almost on the par with SEC in the ACC now. And doing more with less.

[Dolphus Raymond]

I was a huge Moorhead fan, and just two weeks ago, I thought running him off at seasons end was lunacy. Not now. Should we finish 6-6 (I think we will. ) it is time for a change.

[ShotgunDawg]

Clawson has worked his way up thru the ranks, unlike Moorhead. He's thru progressively tougher leagues. He's almost on the par with SEC in the ACC now. And doing more with less.

All that's great. You still can't consider hiring him over Malzahn, if that were an actual choice.

[ShotgunDawg]

I was a huge Moorhead fan, and just two weeks ago, I thought running him off at seasons end was lunacy. Not now. Should we finish 6-6 (I think we will. ) it is time for a change.

6-6 is just delaying the inevitable. He's bad coach & a terrible fit at MSU

[Jack Lambert]

6-6 is just delaying the inevitable. He's bad coach & a terrible fit at MSU

I don't think any coach should be out of the picture. JWS was black listed and no one was going to hire him but State took a chance and had some really good football teams with him until the end when the NCAA camped out on campus.

[MetEdDawg]

Auburn's problem is they are a cyclical program even though their fans don't think that's true. And geographically they are situated in the most competitive geographical location in the country. So they constantly have to compete against Bama, Florida, and Georgia for top recruits and they lose out sometimes.

Auburn is in the 2nd tier of the SEC. They can recruit nationally but they aren't as big a draw as some of the other programs they are surrounded by.

Malzahn would be able to sustain some pretty solid success at MSU because he's got recruiting connections in our area, has SEC experience, and has an offense that can work in the SEC against quality competition

[dawgday166]

All that's great. You still can't consider hiring him over Malzahn, if that were an actual choice.

Malzahn does less with more, even taking out his losses to Bama. And talk about recruiting gaps ... he always has major holes that hold him back IMO. And he can't develop QB worth a crap.

[ShotgunDawg]

Malzahn does less with more, even taking out his losses to Bama. And talk about recruiting gaps ... he always has major holes that hold him back IMO. And he can't develop QB worth a crap.

I don't agree with that. If he wins 8 games this year, he will have averaged 8.7 games per year at Auburn with Bama, UGA, & LSU on the schedule every year.

Which QBs has Clawson developed?

[bluelightstar]

Auburn fans hate Malzahn because they think they're on the same level as Alabama and Georgia. Malzahn would do great here because he would be a 7-5/8-4 coach and could stay forever. Bonus points if he brings that Auburn magic horseshoe over with him.

[dawgday166]

I don't agree with that. If he wins 8 games this year, he will have averaged 8.7 games per year at Auburn with Bama, UGA, & LSU on the schedule every year.

Which QBs has Clawson developed?

UGA has had Smart for 4 seasons now and 3 where they were really good. Malzahn started coaching after LSU started slipping a little and they just now getting back. I dunno ... Malzahn just has too many WTF moments to me.

[ShotgunDawg]

UGA has had Smart for 4 seasons now and 3 where they were really good. Malzahn started coaching after LSU started slipping a little and they just now getting back. I dunno ... Malzahn just has too many WTF moments to me.

I'm not disagreeing, but you just can't ignore the full body of SEC work to hire an unknown. That's a completely fireable offense & would be completely irresponsible.

[Todd4State]

I agree. That would be a dream situation. Which is why it won’t happen.

[ShotgunDawg]

Auburn fans hate Malzahn because they think they're on the same level as Alabama and Georgia. Malzahn would do great here because he would be a 7-5/8-4 coach and could stay forever. Bonus points if he brings that Auburn magic horseshoe over with him.

Malzahn would be a great fit for us. 7-5 to 8- most years but has experience & offensive style to carry us to some 10 wins seasons every 3-5 years

[dawgday166]

I'm not disagreeing, but you just can't ignore the full body of SEC work to hire an unknown. That's a completely fireable offense & would be completely irresponsible.

The question is: Can he do that at MSU? I'm not sure he has it in him for here. At AU he has more built in advantages.

[ShotgunDawg]

The question is: Can he do that at MSU? I'm not sure he has it in him for here. At AU he has more built in advantages.

Yes, Malzahn could absolutely do what he does at Auburn at MSU.

Auburn usually has a slightly more complete roster & better WRs. As for QB, RB, & OL, I think we're fairly close.

Malzahn's offense fits us perfectly both in style & what we can consistently recruit.

Plus MSU's schedule is easier because we don't play UGA

[Homedawg]

Ok back to reality......

[Johnson85]

Malzahn would be a great fit for us. 7-5 to 8- most years but has experience & offensive style to carry us to some 10 wins seasons every 3-5 years

I think Malzahn has a relatively low ceiling for us. Not that'd I'd be against hiring him. Some of the ups and downs he has suffered are probably caused in part by the type of personalities that being super aggressive in dirty cheating get you. It's the same thing as Ole MIss had to deal with, just not as bad because they didn't have to reach as much. And what we probably need now is a high floor more so than a high ceiling. Non-blue bloods can't miss on two coaches in a row without it being devastating.

[Gutter Cobreh]

I think 6-6 may not be good enough for him to keep his job. People just don't like him. I don't think he can ever win many back regardless. I am a believer in staying positive during the season so I am hesitant to say this but when the right people get unhappy then heads roll. I know a few of those people and they are not happy. I want to finish 6-6 and win the bowl game, get to 7-6 and if that means him staying another year then so be it. I want to win. If he can't get them to a bowl game then he needs to go. Our schedule, in fact all SEC schedule are set up to get bowl eligible. Most years all you have to do is win two SEC games and you go to a bowl. That is not the case this season.

Exactly where I'm at Jack! Couldn't have said it any better.


Auburn fans hate Malzahn because they think they're on the same level as Alabama and Georgia. Malzahn would do great here because he would be a 7-5/8-4 coach and could stay forever. Bonus points if he brings that Auburn magic horseshoe over with him.

That doesn't cut it around here anymore. Expectations within our program are higher than that. We don't have playoff expectations, but simply winning 7 or 8 games a year will get you run out of town.

[Gutter Cobreh]

You could take this thread and substitute Arkansas and Mississippi State. Malzahn is from Arky and they may be in the same situation as we are. I would think he'd choose them over us, if it came to that - but I don't think any of this scenario will occur.

[bluelightstar]

Exactly where I'm at Jack! Couldn't have said it any better.



That doesn't cut it around here anymore. Expectations within our program are higher than that. We don't have playoff expectations, but simply winning 7 or 8 games a year will get you run out of town.

Who has higher expectations for State than to routinely be a 7-5/8-4 team with some years better and some worse?

[R2Dawg]

I don't think any coach should be out of the picture. JWS was black listed and no one was going to hire him but State took a chance and had some really good football teams with him until the end when the NCAA camped out on campus.

Well at 6-6, Joe will be back so don't worry. Best hope at 6-6 is he takes another job. Maybe he should be but I just don't think he will change enough to be successful long term.

[War Machine Dawg]

Who has higher expectations for State than to routinely be a 7-5/8-4 team with some years better and some worse?

No shit, because they are delusional. Consistent 7-8 win seasons is what we're looking for. Basically, we just need a coach who isn't a net negative to the loss column. If Jughead were just average, then last season would've been 10-2 at worse and this season would be 7-5 at worst. But Jughead is apparently a negative 3 or 4 losses, so we're looking at 4-8 or 5-7. If we had a coach that was a plus 1 or 2 W coach, we're talking 8-9 wins a season.

[Quaoarsking]

As long as we're dreaming, why not "Urban decides to get back into coaching and we make him the most attractive offer" ?

[dantheman4248]

How soon we forget Auburn lost to JP led UT Knoxville last year.

[cujo]

How soon we forget Auburn lost to JP led UT Knoxville last year.
Would be that after defeating Ole Miss to finish 6-6, Joe leaves us for Rutgers or anywhere else, so that we don?t have to pay his buyout.
I?m ok with the rest of it.

[TUSK]

Auburn fans hate Malzahn because they think they're on the same level as Alabama and Georgia. Malzahn would do great here because he would be a 7-5/8-4 coach and could stay forever. Bonus points if he brings that Auburn magic horseshoe over with him.

This is correct... on all points.