Dan Mullen article from M&WNation

[Coach34]

http://maroonandwhitenation.com/?p=5610

[biscuit]

so true

[WeWillScrewItUp]

Good read.

[War Machine Dawg]

How the hell is it Mullen's fault that good teams he beats stumble to a finish? Hell, we were 1 midget QB away from beating LSU. We took out FL in the Swamp. How many teams can claim that in the last 20 years? This whole "Mullen can't win the big one" idea is just ridiculous to me. We've gotten beaten by the eventual National Champ 4 times - no shame in that. We barely lost to #1 FL led by one Tim Tebow. aTm was probably the best team in the nation by the time we played them last season. We're a much improved program, but we still aren't ready to compete against Top 10 teams. We're a solid top 15-20 program. I can live with that just 5 years removed from Crxxms.

[Ghost of Hank Flick]

Fancy article. I think the author (me) was trying to convey that even though beating Auburn, Tennessee, Georgia, etc. are indeed big wins, we need to grab an even bigger one to put us at the same recruiting table as some of the big boys; ya know, if we're not going to cheat and all....perception is reality sometimes.

[BeastMan]

I agree with the article 100%. I think we've had big wins already but maybe not the huge one. A "signature win" over a Bama could help push the upper end of the 6-9 win threshold. It's easy to get from 3-4 wins to 6-7 consistently. It's hard to get from 6-7 to 8-10 consistently. It takes those monster wins to do so

[biscuit]

We will get there. We've only had two really solid classes in 4 years. Yes we've gotten some good players, but as a whole we have to get the OL and DL players that Bama and LSU get.

[FlabLoser]

I don't care what anybody says - Tennessee was good at the time that we beat them last year.

[Pollodawg]

How the hell is it Mullen's fault that good teams he beats stumble to a finish? Hell, we were 1 midget QB away from beating LSU. We took out FL in the Swamp. How many teams can claim that in the last 20 years? This whole "Mullen can't win the big one" idea is just ridiculous to me. We've gotten beaten by the eventual National Champ 4 times - no shame in that. We barely lost to #1 FL led by one Tim Tebow. aTm was probably the best team in the nation by the time we played them last season. We're a much improved program, but we still aren't ready to compete against Top 10 teams. We're a solid top 15-20 program. I can live with that just 5 years removed from Crxxms.

This^^ All day every day.

[Political Hack]

We've beaten every team we've faced in the SEC except Bama, LSU, A&M (once), and SC (once). That includes beating Georgia, Florida, Tennessee, Auburn, & Arkansas. And we're 16-3 (I believe, off the top of my head) against non conference teams. Outside of knocking off Bama and LSU, we really couldn't have asked for much more at this point.

[M.Fillmore]

How the hell is it Mullen's fault that good teams he beats stumble to a finish? Hell, we were 1 midget QB away from beating LSU. We took out FL in the Swamp. How many teams can claim that in the last 20 years? This whole "Mullen can't win the big one" idea is just ridiculous to me. We've gotten beaten by the eventual National Champ 4 times - no shame in that. We barely lost to #1 FL led by one Tim Tebow. aTm was probably the best team in the nation by the time we played them last season. We're a much improved program, but we still aren't ready to compete against Top 10 teams. We're a solid top 15-20 program. I can live with that just 5 years removed from Crxxms.

Chisel this post in granite.

[Coach34]

Something people seem to just gloss over:

Mullen and State are 1 of only 6 SEC teams to play in 3 straight bowls. Let that sink in and marinate.

Now our opponents and some of our fans say:

"Mullen cant beat a good team"
"Mullen is terrible vs the top 25"
"Mullen has hit his ceiling"
"Mullen doesnt have a signature win"
"It's easy to make a bowl game these days"

Yet, only 6 of 14 SEC teams have made it to 3 straight bowl games. Some people need to learn to appreciate what they have

[Political Hack]

last year it was Mullen can't beat anyone in the West. Now it's he can't win big games. Next year it'll be he'll never beat Bama.

[War Machine Dawg]

Exactly, Hack. It's a moving goalpost with these people, all designed to makes us discontent with Mullen. He's already one of the 3-4 best coaches in school history. There are plenty of people outside MSU that scares the hell out of, so they talk shit about Mullen until some of our assclown fans actually start to believe it.

[Ghost of Hank Flick]

I don't think it's really MSU fans stirring the pot about Mullen not winning big games, it's the regional and national media/pundits. They are the ones bombarding TV and radio broadcasts about how he had never beat a SEC West team other than OM prior to 2012. They are the ones saying he doesn't have a signature win. That's why I put quotes on "signature win". People outside of the MSU community are the ones hollering because they are comparing him to his peers around the conference, not looking at it from a MSU historical perspective. But it still matters - if the perception among outsiders is that Mullen still hasn't beaten anyone, then those recruits we're trying to get are thinking, 'Mullen hasn't beaten anyone in 4-5 years, seems like there is a ceiling for him at 7-8 wins'. We need to find a way to beat a team that finishes in the top 10 or 15 to erase that stigma. There will surely be something else come up after that, but this is the next dragon to slay.

[bluelightstar]

It's young MSU fans who trumpet that too.

[Coach34]

It's young MSU fans who trumpet that too.

yep- there are State fans saying that crap also

[Ghost of Hank Flick]

yep- there are State fans saying that crap also

Undoubtedly plenty of State fans feel this way, however, they don't have much of a voice behind their desk at the office other than message boards that only 5-10% of the fan base reads, let alone MSU outsiders who could care less. The Paul Finebaums, Mark Schlabachs, Tony Barnharts, Rece Davis (just examples, I don't know if they've said anything), etc. of the world are the people who have a voice that creates a perception true or false...which is the point I'm trying to make.

[slickdawg]

Dan Mullen versus the SEC:

Alabama - 0-4 (2009, 2011, 2012 BCS champions)
Arkansas -1-3 (2011 Sugar Bowl, 2012 Cotton Bowl)
Auburn - 1-3 (2010 BCS champions, 2010 Outback Bowl, 2011 CFA Bowl)
Florida - 1-1 (2009 SEC East Champ, 2009 Sugar Bowl, 2010 Outback Bowl)
Georgia - 1-1 (2011 SEC East Champ, 2010 Independence Bowl, 2011 Outback Bowl)
Kentucky 4-0 (2009 Music City Bowl, 2010 BBVA Bowl)
LSU - 0-4 (2009 Capital One Bowl, 2010 Cotton Bowl, 2011 BCS Title Game runner up, 2012 CFA Bowl)
Missouri - 0-0 Have not played
Ole Miss - 3-1 (2009 Cotton Bowl, 2012 BBVA Bowl)
South Carolina - 0-1 (2010 SECCG, 2011 Cap One Bowl)
Tennessee - 1-0 (No bowl game)
Texas A&M - 0-1 (2012 Cotton Bowl)
Vanderbilt - 1-0 (No bowl game)

The bowl games listed are for the years we played these teams. For example, Vanderbilt did not go to a bowl in 2009.