Mississippi State HC Dan Mullen Latest to Benefit in Salary Arms Race

It wasn't a matter of "if," it was a matter of "when" Mississippi State head coach Dan Mullen would receive a raise and contract extension.

"When" came on Thursday, when the school announced that Mullen would receive $4.275 million over the next four years—four years being the maximum duration allowed under state law.

"It’s a privilege to represent our university, our program and our fans here at Mississippi State," said Mullen in a release from the school. "I appreciate Scott Stricklin and our administration who have given us the tools and resources to be successful and develop Bulldog football into a national brand over the last six years."

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Is it appropriate? You bet it is, given the current landscape of college football.

It may seem like Mullen is being rewarded for one good season—one in which his Bulldogs were ranked No. 1 for the first time ever, won 10 or more games for just the third time in history and earned an Orange Bowl bid for the first time since 1941.

To a point, that's accurate, but everything is relative. Relatively speaking, the fact that Mullen can say the program is even in the ballpark of becoming a "national brand" is nothing short of a miracle.

Year	Record	SEC Record	SEC West Finish	Bowl
2009	5-7	3-5	T4	N/A
2010	9-4	4-4	5	Gator (W)
2011	7-6	2-6	5	Music City (W)
2012	8-5	4-4	4	Gator (L)
2013	7-6	3-5	T5	Liberty (W)
2014	10-3	6-2	2	Orange (L)

Prior to Mullen's arrival, Mississippi State had gone to just 13 bowl games in its existence (1895-2008). Since his arrival, it's gone to five straight bowl games (2010-2014) for the first time in program history.

Up until his arrival, Mississippi State being an average SEC football team was the college football equivalent of the Washington Generals beating the Harlem Globetrotters twice in a row. It was mythical.

Not only did Mullen make it reality, he built on the foundation he constructed with 2014's magical run.

Mullen said in the release:

"

We spent five weeks ranked No. 1 last season for the first time, but we have only scratched the surface on what we can accomplish here. We have created a winning culture both on and off the field and built a program that has sustained success in the nation’s toughest conference. I’ve always said we are going to win a championship here, and I firmly believe that.

"

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Stability helps sustain success, and Mullen's new contract announces to the college football world that Mississippi State is stable.

Is that a mirage, or is that reality?

Nobody knows until the Bulldogs go out and prove it, but the college football's newest $4 million man furthers that perception, and perception is reality in every aspect of college football.

From the way teams are perceived by the College Football Playoff selection committee, to the things coaches say to prospects in living rooms around the country, to the Heisman Trophy, everything is about public relations, and that's why Mullen's extension is important.

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This is nothing new.

"It’s a salary race," former Georgia head coach and athletics director Vince Dooley told Bleacher Report. "I don’t know where it’s going to stop. It’s always been a race. When we came to Georgia, we had the worst facilities in the world. We changed that, but before we knew it, we were getting passed again. It’s constant, and you have that with salaries now."

Is Mississippi State athletics director Scott Stricklin taking a chance by backing up the Brinks truck to Mullen's house based on "one good season?"

Maybe.

But not doing it is much more of a risk, because it would signal to the rest of the world that the administration felt that 2014 was just one good season.

That's far more detrimental than a few million bucks.

Barrett Sallee is the lead SEC college football writer and college football video analyst for Bleacher Report, as well as a host on Bleacher Report Radio on Sirius 93, XM 208.

Quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. All stats are courtesy of CFBStats.com unless otherwise noted, and all recruiting information is courtesy of 247Sports' composite rankings. Follow Barrett on Twitter @BarrettSallee.