Who knows? Had Devon Bell made a last-second field goal against LSU in Mississippi State’s second game of the season, it’s possible that the Bulldogs could have been playing for control of the SEC West in Saturday’s home matchup against Alabama.

As it turns out, Mississippi State could still win the division if it runs the table, but the fact remains that it doesn’t control its own destiny. However, the Bulldogs are in control of something else. They still have a chance to do something they’ve never done: win 10 games two years in a row.

Of course, beating the Crimson Tide would go a long way toward achieving that goal, but even with a loss, Dan Mullen and Mississippi State can still accomplish it if they beat Arkansas and Ole Miss and win their bowl game.

That obviously would be no easy feat, but behind Mullen, the Bulldogs are experiencing a period of prosperity they haven’t seen in a long time.

Entering Saturday’s game, Mullen’s winning percentage with Mississippi State sits at .616, which is the school’s 3rd-best for coaches who have spent at least five seasons in Starkville. Mullen trails only Allyn McKeen (.764) and William Chadwick (.698) in that category. McKeen coached the Bulldogs from 1939-48. Chadwick’s stint was from 1909-1913.

With 53 victories, Mullen is moving up Mississippi State’s leaderboard. He trails only Jackie Sherrill (74) and McKeen (65) in that department. Sherrill, who led the Bulldogs from 1991-2003, needed 13 seasons to get to that total, so if Mullen stays in Starkville for another six seasons, he will more than likely shatter that mark.

But his most recent contract extension has him signed through 2018, so how long the Mullen era lasts remains to be seen. In case you were wondering, Sherrill’s winning percentage with the Bulldogs was .493.

To put Mullen’s 53-33 mark with Mississippi State in perspective, consider this: before hiring Mullen, the Bulldogs were 21-42 in their previous 63 games.

Plus, let’s not forget the high points of last season. The Bulldogs went from unranked to No. 1 in a record five weeks. They beat three straight AP top 10 teams. They also spent five weeks at the top of the polls before eventually suffering their first loss — coincidentally to Alabama — in last year’s trip to Tuscaloosa.

But even with a 49-34 loss to Georgia Tech in the Orange Bowl, Mississippi State finished 10-3, a record they still have a chance to duplicate, or improve upon, this year.

Mullen obviously has Dak Prescott to thank for much of his success with the Bulldogs. The senior quarterback is arguably the best Mississippi State player of all-time and one of the best in SEC history.

But he is just one of many players recruited by Mullen and his staff who have helped the Bulldogs enjoy this recent run, which will include a sixth straight bowl game. Before Mullen’s arrival, the Bulldogs’ best bowl-qualifying stretch was three years in a row.

Mullen will be hard-pressed to eclipse McKeen’s winning percentage, but it’s safe to say that Mullen will pass both Sherrill and McKeen atop Mississippi State’s wins list before too long.

Considering everything he’s accomplished, and what he may still accomplish, Mullen has positioning himself to be regarded as the best Mississippi State football coach of all-time.

That’s very impressive when you consider the fact that it has taken him only seven seasons to do it.