Dan Mullen told the media last week that preparing for Mississippi State’s Orange Bowl showdown with Georgia Tech on Dec. 31 is his top priority this month.

He added that negotiations for a new contract extension to keep him Starkville are not.

That may be the case — Mullen has been nothing but loyal to Mississippi State through the best and worst of his six-year run — but that doesn’t mean those negotiations aren’t weighing on his mind at least a little.

The same can be said for Arkansas coach Bret Bielema, the only one of the SEC’s four second-year head coaches to not receive a raise since joining the conference.

Bielema said he wants to be “proactive” in retaining his assistants this offseason, and retaining his staff would likely involve pay raises all around, beginning at the top with the head coach himself (although Bielema never extended that “proactive” statement to his own deal).

So how do the coaches of two of the SEC’s fast-emerging programs balance their attention between upcoming bowl games and potential contract negotiations? How can they focus on the present with such an uncertain future ahead of them?

In Mullen’s case, the balancing act is not as difficult as it seems. Mullen asserted that aside from Mississippi State athletic director Scott Stricklin, no other A.D.’s have contacted his agent to discuss a job opening.

He’s been adamant for months that he has no desire to leave Mississippi State, and if the lack of outreach from other schools to his agent is true, it appears both Mullen and MSU can take their time with these negotiations.

Mullen isn’t nervous a deal will fall through with Mississippi State, and the Bulldogs don’t appear to have reason to worry he may leave for greener pastures the way defensive coordinator Geoff Collins did earlier this month.

Thus, Mullen truly can make Orange Bowl preparation his top priority. In fact, if that preparation leads to a victory, it could actually serve as a bargaining chip in upcoming negotiations.

Unfortunately for Bielema, his situation is not as simple.

The Hogs’ head coach would like a raise, and he likely deserves one after snapping the Razorbacks 17-game SEC losing skid and earning bowl eligibility. But more importantly, Bielema wants a raise for his staff to ensure offensive coordinator Jim Chaney and defensive coordinator Robb Smith stay in Fayetteville for the next handful of years.

This could be tricky. Schools have come knocking on a guy like Chaney’s door before, and they likely will again. With only the ninth-biggest pool from which to pay assistants out of 14 SEC teams, Bielema must remain money-conscious all offseason if he hopes to keep his staff in tact.

And yes, that could mean keeping an eye on other schools and their potential pursuit of Chaney, Smith and others, even as Arkansas prepares for its Texas Bowl appearance next week.

It’s never easy to balance responsibilities in the present with speculation over an uncertain future. Mullen admitted he has a “full plate” in worrying about Georgia Tech, worrying about his own contract and now worrying about finding a replacement for Collins on his staff.

Bielema must worry about the Texas Longhorns, about other schools poaching his assistants and about earning his own pay raise after two seasons of growth at Arkansas.

Both coaches are expected to be back at their current schools next year, but that doesn’t mean their futures aren’t on their minds.

How much has it impacted their bowl prep? For the Hogs, we’ll find out on Monday; for the Dawgs, we’ll find out on the 31st.