What's the Fuss?

Florida offensive coordinator Dan Mullen will be Mississippi State’s next head coach, according to media reports.

He is expected to be introduced Thursday at 10 a.m. in the Templeton Athletic Academic Center on the campus of Mississippi State. According to an e-mail sent by MSU’s athletic department, “The fan event will feature the new head coach, interim president Dr. Roy Ruby and director of athletics Greg Byrne, and will be followed by a press conference.”

Mullen and Byrne are then scheduled to travel around Mississippi, attending various Bulldog events.

It is unsure if Mullen, who has coached with Urban Meyer since 1999 at Notre Dame, would could Florida’s offense in the FedEx BCS National Championship Game on Jan. 9, 2009.

Mullen has been widely recognized as the mastermind behind Meyer’s spread offense, tutoring the quarterbacks to fit their role. He coached Alex Smith at Utah and was part of Tim Tebow’s recruiting to and then grooming at Florida.

Sylvester Croom resigned as the Bulldogs coach on Nov. 29, ending his five-year rein as the Southeastern Conference’s first black head coach.

While the rumors swirled about Mullen interviewing with MSU. In the meantime, the Bulldogs reached out to South Carolina defensive coordinator Ellis Johnson, Gamecocks coach Steve Spurrier said.

Early candidates to replace Mullen as offensive coordinator are assistant head coach and offensive line coach Steve Addazio, and wide receivers coach Billy Gonzales.

Here’s the docket for this week’s SEC games. My picks for Games of the Week are bolded.

All Times Central

Saturday, Sept. 13
UAB at Tennessee, 11:30 a.m., Raycom - The Volunteers are coming off an upset by UCLA, with a bye week to boot. They have something to prove. Watch out Blazers.

Georgia at South Carolina, 2:30 p.m., CBS - The Bulldogs’ first real test this season. The Gamecocks can’t find a rhythm at quarterback. Georgia is going to try to prove why it should still be No. 1.

Arkansas at Texas, 2:30 p.m., ABC - Postponed until Sept. 27. Thanks, Ike.

Auburn at Mississippi State, 6 p.m., ESPN2 - National title talk is going through Auburn and Mississippi State is already considered a fluke from after last season’s bowl appearance. This could be make or break for the Bulldogs, while the Tigers continue to run a new spread offense to near domination.

Middle Tennessee at Kentucky, 6 p.m. - The Blue Raiders are coming off an upset of Maryland, but the Wildcats’ defense — the only one in the SEC to not allow a TD this season — will quiet all suspects of a BCS crasher.

Samford at Ole Miss, 6 p.m. - The Rebels are mad after losing to Wake Forest Sat-urday in a game they should have won.

Rice at Vanderbilt, 6 p.m. - The Commodores are riding high at 2-0 and an upset of then-No. 24 South Carolina. Let’s just hope they don’t play down to their opponent this week.

Western Kentucky at Alabama, 6:07 p.m., PPV - The Crimson Tide keep on rolling up the polls and will give the Hilltoppers a true welcome to the Bowl Subdivision.

North Texas at LSU, 7 p.m. - The Tigers haven’t played in two weeks and this week’s game nearly got postponed too because of Hurricane Ike. They’re hungry.

These three quotes stood out to me as the best during today’s SEC football coaches’ conference call.

Florida coach Urban Meyer on if the Gators would ever play at Hawaii…“No chance the University of Florida will ever go to Hawaii while I’m here. I’ll go visit Hawaii, go look around and hangout there. But we won’t play up there.

“Because there’s no reason for us to. We don’t recruit there. I know what they’re like over on that island and I know what those fans are like.”

New Arkansas coach Bobby Petrino on freshmen playing…
“We had a good fall. We’re excited with the way we practiced in the fall. A lot of freshmen will be playing and a couple of them are starting, so that makes you nervous.”

Mississippi State coach Sylvester Croom on expectations levied on the Bulldogs after an eight-win season…“The fans expect us to win the national championship now. I think that’s a little unrealistic at this point.”