Could Tommy Tuberville Be Headed to Mississippi State?

There are strong rumors coming from Starkville that Mississippi State is willing to pay the money to snag Tommy Tuberville and attain a "Mississippi Miracle," just like Houston Nutt did for Ole Miss.

Certainly Tuberville has shown he can coach in the SEC and compete with the best. The question is whether he's willing to leave Auburn.

Nutt jumped from a frying pan to the waiting arms of Ole Miss and proved that one school's reject is another's savior. In this, just his first, season, Nutt has guided a team that doesn't have a player on its roster who's ever played in the postseason to a bowl game.

Mississippi State feels Tuberville could jump start it the same way. Like Nutt, he knows the area, has recruiting contacts and the hire could likewise generate some excitement.

Should Tommy take the job, he would be doing the same thing for the Bulldogs he would have been doing for the Tigers. Take a team with a good fundamentally solid defense and inject a little offensive firepower to the team.

I don't think you should look for Tony Franklin to be on Tuberville's team, however, should he take the job. Tuberville could take a good part of Auburn's coaches with him, though, and this could help with quicker results.

And don't think that gutting the Auburn coaching staff (and a few recruits) wouldn't be a dig that Tuberville wouldn't mind giving to the folks he feels didn't appreciate all he had accomplished while he was there.

Some say an announcement could be made as soon as Monday. Personally, I think Tuberville may wait 30 days, get the first $3 million check, then sign. But in this crazy season, who's to say what will happen?

Stay tuned, sports fans, it's going to be an interesting ride for a little while longer.