To the "what has Dan Mullen ever done" crowd, I would like to present the evidence below in defense of my rankings yesterday – which will largely turn into a Mississippi State history lesson.

Mississippi State is the hardest place to win in the West. Dan Mullen is the best coach in school history and he did it during Saban’s reign. His 69 (nice) wins all-time is second only to Jackie Sherrill, who was under .500. Mullen was 23 games over .500.

State has had nine total seasons of at least nine wins in school history and Dan Mullen is responsible for four of them. Bob Tyler is the only other coach to reach nine wins more than once (’74, ’76).

Mullen took #HailState to eight consecutive bowl games in nine years. The previous record for any coach in in MSU history had been three. He’s currently riding a 10-year bowl streak and is 7-2 in those games (if that matters to you).

Mississippi State had never been ranked higher than 7th in any AP poll ever and Mullen got the Bulldogs to No. 1. Only 11 times in school history has MSU finished in the AP top 20 and Mullen did it three times - tied with Allyn McKeen for most all-time, who coached in the 40s.

Mullen posted a winning record in the most important game of the year: The Egg Bowl. He was 5-4 and two of those losses came to Hugh Freeze and the best Ole Miss teams of the modern era.

Mullen has two wins over top 10 Texas A&M teams and two wins over top 10 Auburn teams. His team murdered No. 12 LSU 37-7 in his only meeting with Coach O in the West. He has split with Coach O since being at Florida and has had clearly inferior talent all three times.

In two years at Florida, he’s 21-5 and is one of only six coaches in America to finish in the AP Top 10 each of the last two years. He’s beaten FSU 41-14 and 40-17. All with two different QBs and a questionable O-Line.

Does he need to break through against Georgia, win the East and compete for Playoff spots? Yes, this is the next logical step. He also needs to prove he can recruit at a top 10 level. But to suggest he’s “never won anything” seems just ignorant.

End of Rant.