Dan Mullen: Is He a Good Backup Plan for Miami Hurricanes?

It is the worst-kept secret in the college football world that ESPN analyst Jon Gruden sits atop the Miami wish list for a new head football coach.

But every plan A usually needs a plan B, you know, just in case.

Who is the best plan B for the Miami Hurricanes?

The names of Stanford's Jim Harbaugh, Arizona's Mike Stoops and Utah's Kyle Whittingham have been bantered about, and Donald Trump has personally recommended former Texas Tech coach Mike Leach to Miami president Donna Shalala.

But a name that has come up in the Minnesota vacancy, the name that makes a lot of sense, is Mississippi State's Dan Mullen.

Is he a good backup plan?

No, he's a great backup plan.

Mullen is making $1.2 million at Mississippi State, the same number Randy Shannon was paid at Miami.

But if Miami doesn't get Gruden, it would need to move fast on Mullen. After Mullen's name came up for the Minnesota job, MSU athletic director Scott Stricklin got the wheels turning to negotiate a new four-year extension for the Bulldogs' second-year coach.

Those negotiations are a work in progress, nothing has been signed.

While Gruden may clearly be Miami athletic director Kirby Hocutt's 1-A and 1-B, some Miami boosters are concerned that the former Tampa Bay Buccaneer coach could easily be lured back to the NFL, leaving Miami high and dry after a year or two.

Which brings us back to Mullen. He went 8-4 at Mississippi State this year, and is 2-0 against its main rival, Ole Miss. Then there's the SEC vs. the ACC.

Every coach wants that BCS title shot, and the ACC Coastal looks a lot more enticing then the SEC West.

Mullen is looking at Alabama, Auburn, LSU, Arkansas and Ole Miss. What are his chances year in and year out at Mississippi State?

If Mullen were looking at Duke, Georgia Tech, North Carolina, Virginia and Virginia Tech, suddenly the task at hand looks a lot easier.

He's turned around the program at Mississippi State and put more fans in the seats.

And isn't that what they're looking for in Miami?