I was talking more about the future than just this season. To me, the nuts and bolts of our future comes down to the fact that we aren't recruiting with the other top schools. There's only so much coaches can do when the other team has twice the talent and depth.
Also, do you really trust Mullen to coach a team to a championship? He's still making mistakes even the rookies coaches don't make. We all know he's going to get fired within a few years - might as well make it now and lock up Matt Viator.
Again, tough to argue that when we just went toe to toe with a 2* QB throwing TD's to a 3* athlete and a 5* transfer. No one is saying we don't need to improve in recruiting. I've called for a dismissal of at least 3 coaches on one side of the ball. So don't misconstrue this as, as BMF would say, whistling pass the graveyard. I'm not. Where I don't agree with some of the sentiment here is that we're light years away. I think we're recruiting well(not s**t as some characterize it), but just not well enough. But we beat uga with superior talent, and held our own with Alabama who is even better. So I think from a macro standpoint, we are still trending the right direction. Does it mean he's the guy? No, not necessarily. But I can be critical and optimistic at the same time.
As for the mistakes he made Saturday, I've said several times that the moment was obviously too big for him. It was his first championship setting and it showed. But generally speaking, I haven't seen a ton of mental mistakes from him this season. No more than any other coach. And as for the question on championships, the jury is still out to me. The biggest mistake he made is staying at MSu way past the point he should've left. If Foley isn't an abrasive jerk, and we get Mullen in 2014 instead of JM, who knows if we could've been having this conversation after a close loss in Atl in '15 or '16. I'm not judging the guy for what he was able to do, or unable to do in Starkville, and more than I'm judging Spurrier for what his time in Columbia. You're not winning a title at either. So this was his third legit opportunity to win a ring in my view. We didn't. Maybe we do going forward, maybe we don't.
Also, I have no idea who this Matt Viator is. But I looked up his record and I can tell you with absolute certainty that I could've done the same job as he did this season.