The Dan Mullen era began in 2009 with an emphasis on winning the state. Keeping the Golden Egg at home in Starkville. He began calling his new rival That School Up North. He reinvigorated a rivalry back to its boiling point by rolling three consecutive wins from 2009 to 2011 with a combined margin of 103 to 53 points over the three years.
He gave Mississippi State fans hope that the Bulldogs would continue to grow and compete in the SEC west all while owning the rivalry at home. And that all went well until 2012, when first year Ole Miss head coach Hugh Freeze gave Dan a challenge and turned things around a bit.