It’s been a whirlwind of a year for Mississippi State Football as the program has undergone several massive changes, with Coach Arnett’s firing being the latest thorn in the side of Bulldogs football. Mississippi State faces a familiar challenge in finding the next Head Coach for the Mississippi State Bulldogs Football program. Last fall, when Coach Leach passed away, Mississippi State didn’t have an athletic director, and they were navigating something that no athletic department should ever have to deal with. Mississippi State did what they had to keep the program alive by promoting Zach Arnett as the Head Coach of the Bulldogs.

Coach Arnett did what he had to do, and now Mississippi State must change the course for future generations of Bulldog Football. Coach Arnett had a chance at turning Mississippi State into a long-term career move but failed from an operations standpoint, leading to his firing this week as Head Coach of the Mississippi State Bulldogs.

So, where does Mississippi State turn?

Sure, some people have strongly voiced a wild fantasy to bring former Head Football Coach of the Mississippi State Bulldogs, Dan Mullen, back to Starkville, Mississippi, but those who want that don’t understand the baggage it will bring. Dan Mullen and Mississippi State had a lot of success together for several years, but he left Mississippi State for a program that didn’t work out. Bringing him back would be like getting back with an ex after she remarried your cousin or something like that. As tempting as it is, bringing Dan Mullen back to Starkville isn’t the move.

What Mississippi State needs is a fresh start. They need somebody with no background with the school who will come to Starkville with a clean and exciting slate to blaze a trail of their own as the Head Coach of the Mississippi State Bulldogs.

Names like Jamey Chadwell, Lance Leipold, Mike Elko, Rhett Lashlee, and Jeff Lebby, among others, are on the shortlist to replace Zach Arnett as Head Coach of the Mississippi State Bulldogs. Any number of those guys would be considered home run hires for Mississippi State Athletic Director Zac Selmon for the future of Bulldogs Football.

As far as a front-runner goes, talk has been minimal from inside the program; as Zac Selmon stated, “The last we’ll hear from him will be when he takes the podium to announce the new Head Coach of the Mississippi State Bulldogs.” According to the Las Vegas oddsmakers, Liberty Head Coach Jamey Chadwell is the betting favorite to land the next Head Coach position at Mississippi State.

There is no timetable for the decision; it could come as early as the weekend or as late as after the Egg Bowl.

Mississippi State will return to action on Saturday morning as the Bulldogs welcome the Southern Miss Golden Eagles to Davis Wade Stadium for an in-state showdown as the final primer before the Egg Bowl on Thanksgiving night.