Mississippi State struck gold when it hired Dan Mullen to take over following the disastrous Sylvester Croom era. While it could easily be argued Mullen is the greatest coach in school history, all the heavy lifting he did sets up Joe Moorhead to build upon the solid foundation in place in Starkville and elevate the program to new heights.

ESPN college football writer Mark Schlabach certainly seems to think that’s a real possibility, as he has Moorhead’s Mississippi State team ranked No. 16 in his post-spring top 25 over at ESPN.com.

Following the posting of those rankings, Schlabach joined Birmingham-based radio station JOX 94.5 FM program The Roundtable to discuss his thoughts on the Bulldogs. Here’s what Schlabach had to say regarding MSU during his appearance.

“Mississippi State, if they can get back Nick Fitzgerald from the dislocated ankle — and all indications are that he will be ready, they have a good tailback, need to find a receiver but I think a lot of it is just based on schedule, he said on the air. “Auburn has to stay healthy and they got to get some guys back. I think both of those teams are about neck and neck but I think Alabama is neck and shoulders above both of them at this point.”

The radio conversation soon turned to the Big Ten and the potential Playoff contenders in that league. At that point, Schlabach was asked how important is it that Joe Moorhead is no longer at Penn State? His answer should bring a smile to the face of every Mississippi State fan.

“I think if Joe Moorhead hadn’t coached at Penn State, James Franklin wouldn’t still be the head coach at Penn State. He saved James Franklin’s job,” Schlabach answered.

That’s a bold statement but one that may not be far off. In the two seasons before Moorhead arrived at Penn State, Franklin’s record was 14-13 with the program. Following the hire of the offensive coordinator, Penn State went 22-5 with three of those losses coming in incredibly close contests (52-49 loss against USC in the Rose Bowl, 39-38 loss at Ohio State and a 27-24 loss at Michigan State).

While Mullen may currently hold the title of best MSU coach ever, if Moorhead manages to elevate the program under his watch, there will be another name atop that leaderboard in Starkville in the near future.