It says a lot about how bad Tennessee has been this year that simply losing to the Volunteers prompts emotional, soul-searching press conferences from the opposing coach.

Thats what Mississippi State head coach Joe Moorhead delivered Monday after his Bulldogs lost to Tennessee, 20-10, in a game that infuriated the MSU faithful. In a more than six-minute opening statement, a defeated-looking Moorhead admitted that coaching in the Southeastern Conference hasnt been a breeze.

Coaching in the SEC for about a year-and-a-half now in a lot of ways has been a humbling experience, Moorhead said. I dont think you get to this point where I am without a certain level of success, and of confidence, but this game and the SEC, it has a way of keeping you honest.

Nineteen games.

Thats all it took for Moorhead to sound like a man in over his head and a fanbase to want to turn to the page to someone new. Its not like Moorhead had never coached big-time football before arriving at Mississippi State, either. He was a very successful offensive coordinator under James Franklin at Penn State, rejuvenating a program to back-to-back 11 win seasons in the competitive Big Ten. He was a hot name after that 2017 season and could have been a player in multiple job openings before taking the Mississippi State job.

But theres something different about coaching in the SEC especially the SEC West. Every coach in the SEC West makes at least $3 million with three of the seven making upwards of $6.5 million. Those kinds of salaries come with big expectations regardless of whether they are realistic or not. In order to move up in the pecking order someone has to move down which isnt easy in a division that includes Alabama, Auburn, LSU and Texas A&M.

Moorhead walked into a particularly difficult situation in Starkville having to replace a coach who raised the bar on fan expectations. Mullen guided the Bulldogs to their first-ever No. 1 ranking in 2014, eight bowl games in nine seasons and a reputation for always being ready to compete even against good opponents. Mullen wasnt perfect at MSU and could never completely get the Bulldogs over the hump but he let fans dream bigger. They could let their imaginations wander about all the great things they could achieve with the right coach and right players.

Its why Saturdays loss to a downtrodden Tennessee program feels like such a nightmare in Starkville. Fans thought they were past embarrassing losses like that and rightfully feel the program is trending in the wrong direction under Moorhead. There are now real concerns about MSU missing a bowl game for the first time since 2009, with the Bulldogs needing at least one win against LSU, Texas A&M, Alabama or in-state rival Ole Miss.

Nothing means more to me than to bring a consistently successful championship-level program at Mississippi State, Moorhead said. Every waking moment of my life not spent with my family, is utilized in an effort to make it happen.

It makes losing games so difficult because of the investment. Its not just a loss, it crushes your soul and you never get over it, but you learn to live with it.

Moorhead might one day decide he doesnt want to live with the pressure and expectations that come with coaching in the SEC West. He knows not everywhere around the country will an 11-8 record through 19 games prompt fan pushback and calls for a coaching change. Moorhead is a well-liked coach who is down-to-Earth and remarkably normal in an industry full of ego and paranoia. Hed get another job, whether as a head coach or coordinator, even if Mississippi State kept trending downward.

Football Scoop had a long piece earlier this month detailing why it could make sense for Moorhead to leave MSU to go to Rutgers. Moorhead, a born and bred Pennsylvanian, had never coached below the Mason-Dixon line before heading to Mississippi State and could presumably, the theory goes, want to return to his Northeast roots. Rutgers has interest in the former Penn State coordinator replacing Chris Ash, according to NJ.com, and Moorhead danced around the possibility when asked about it.

It would be a massive step down for Moorhead even if it meant going to a Big 10 program. There isnt a worse Power 5 job in the country than Rutgers which doesnt get 1/100th of the in-state attention and support that Mississippi State does. Greg Schiano was mostly beloved at Rutgers and he was all of one game above .500 during his 11 seasons there. Its only gotten harder to win since then with Rutgers now in the dreaded Big Ten East division with Ohio State, Penn State, Michigan and Michigan State.

But itd represent possibly a good change in the quality of life. Moorhead told a story Monday about his 18-year old daughter Kyra coming up to him after the game crying and saying MSU fans at Neyland Stadium told her how much her dad sucked.

At Rutgers, losing to Tennessee by 10 would prompt tears of joy not sorrow.

John Talty is an SEC Insider for Alabama Media Group. You can follow him on Twitter @JTalty.

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Coaching in the SEC is soul-crushing. Just ask Joe Moorhead - PennLive