What a difference a year makes.

Or does it? The cliché applies in some ways to the war of words between Ole Miss coach Houston Nutt and Mississippi State coach Dan Mullen (Dan Miller on an ESPN graphic not so recently).

Last year, Mullen continued his psyops (psychological operations to those not familiar with military jargon) against “the school up north” with an impromptu pep rally blasted through Wade-Davis Stadium’s monstrous speakers after the 5-7 Bulldogs steamrolled over the Rebels. The Bulldogs and their fans took the momentum this year from the 41-27 rout of the Cotton Bowl-bound Rebels and rolled with it to an 8-4 record, likely all the way to the Chick-fil-A Bowl in Atlanta.

Mullen was right that his program was on the rise. While Nutt and the Rebel fans took it personally, it was a true statement, especially as evidenced by this season and the gem of a recruiting class Mullen is putting together in Starkville. The Bullies already have 22 commitments for this year’s signing class, and the class is ranked 23rd by recruiting website Scout.com. Of the top 15 recruits in the state, the Bulldogs have commitments from eight of them. For those keeping score at home, Ole Miss has two.

While the Rebels have nearly as many (19) commitments and are ranked one spot lower in what are highly subjective rankings, perception often is reality. And the reality for those in the Grove is a real kick in the head.

The mystifying defeat suffered by the Rebels in Starkville in 2009 was, unknown to Rebel fans, a sign of things to come.

Quarterback Jevan Snead, the Texas transfer and poster boy of the Rebel revival in 2008, decided to strike while the iron was cold and declared for the NFL Draft despite a junior year he’d probably like to forget, when he threw 20 interceptions. In his two years in Oxford, he never completed more than 56 percent of his passes. Good for a college signal tosser is 60 percent or above. Then Raymond Cotton transferred, leaving the Rebels with Snead’s understudy, Nathan Stanley, pocket lint, a couple of old pennies and an old business card for a quarterback depth chart.

While many Rebel fans thought Oregon transfer Jeremiah Masoli, despite his checkered past, could be a replacement for Snead’s alleged star power, but it was the veteran defense that put Ole Miss up on bricks.

The opener, a stunning loss to lower-division foe Jacksonville State, showed the script that played out week after week for the Rebels. Defense can’t get stops and digs a deep hole for the offense.

Offense rallies valiantly, but can’t seal the deal in the end.

As for the future, the crystal ball in Oxford has never looked cloudier. Changes in the coaching staff haven’t been ruled out. Offensively, Nutt has never been a developer of quarterbacks as a coach and he’ll finally be forced to go to Stanley or junior college transfer Randall Mackey.

The defense could lose Jerrell Powe to the NFL Draft.

For now, the pendulum of momentum has turned toward Starkville despite the Bulldogs losing Derek Sherrod, Chris White and Pernell McPhee to graduation this year and playing in a very sturdy SEC West.

But as this past year proves, a year can make a big difference.

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Steve Wilson is sports editor of The Vicksburg Post. You can follow him on Twitter at vpsportseditor. He can be reached at 601-636-4545, ext. 142 or at swilson@vicksburgpost.com.