Dan Mullen Disrespects Former Schools With Latest SEC Football Predictions

ESPN analyst and former college football head coach Dan Mullen has released his preseason SEC predictions and certainly didn't give his former schools the benefit of the doubt.

At the SEC level, Mullen was a stalwart of the league in the 2010s, making his name at Mississippi State, particularly when the Bulldogs reached the No. 1 spot in the AP Poll in 2014 with Dak Prescott at quarterback. To end his stint in Starkville, Mullen accepted a job with Florida ahead of 2018.

He led the Gators to some high peaks with terrific top-10 finishes in both 2018 and 2020. However, things fell apart soon after that 2020 season and Mullen was oustered by the end of 2021, with Billy Napier stepping in.

A few seasons later and now it's Napier on the hot seat with Mullen predicting a grizzly year on the field for the Gators. In his official SEC preseason rankings , he had Florida all the way down at 12th out of 16, barely avoiding the bottom quarter-percentile of the league.

Mississippi State's fate isn't much better in Mullen's eyes, as he rates them at 15th and second-to-last in the SEC in 2024, only clearing Vanderbilt. But that's a more understandable ranking with a brand new coach at the helm, Jeff Lebby, on the heels of a pretty tough calendar year all the way around, from Mike Leach's tragic passing through two different coaching changes.

So, the Gators and Bulldogs don't have optimistic predictions from their former head coach in 2024. But hey, Mullen's rankings will only make a great season that much sweeter if either team does upset expectations.

Related: Dan Mullen Predicts Championship Matchup For Wide-Open Big Ten

Related: Washington State Legend Wants Ol’ Crimson Flag Removed From ESPN 'College GameDay'