So we have an interesting long on-going debate that when simplified down, is the Classic "Jimmys and Joes are more important than X's and O's". 

That said, we all know it's more complicated than that - It's Coaching, Recruiting, Discipline, Team Leadership, Strength and Conditioning,  Staying Healthy, Luck, we could make the list go on and on. I'm open to ideas but if we just start with these:

Coaching (C) - The staff as a whole in their ability to identify talent that fits their system and coach them up to get them to perform at their very best. It goes beyond that too in keeping them motivated, limiting outside distractions, keeping them focused on the next game, dealing with Parents, Uncles, Girlfriends, NFL dreams, Agents, Handlers, all that. Also, how hard they work, how well they work together, how they keep themselves motivated to put in the long hours away from their families, gameplanning, breaking down film, etc.

Recruiting (R) - Convincing an 17-year old kid and thier extended decision making infleuncing sphere to pick UF over UGA, FSU, UM, BAMA, LSU, OSU, TN, TX, USC (not the Chump one), PSU, OU, ND, Clemson, AU, etc.

Team Leadership (TL) - This is the team policing itself, leaders on the team in the locker room who get the rest of the team to tow the line, work hard, study film, eat right, go to class, get sleep, limit clubs and parties, not slap the pregnant GF. It can't avoid everything but the better the leadership in the locker room the better the team will be at reaching it's full potential and performing it's best on the field.

Strength and Conditioning (S&C) - This is kind of a catch all, because we also know the S&C staff are the only guys during the summer who get to "coach" the players. But this category is somewhat self explanatory. If our guys are weak and fat and out of shape, it shows on the field.

Luck/Other (L/O) - Some I'm guessing will say I missed something that others will think is important. So this is a last catch all. Would be interested in hearing what you think is important in the "Other" category. Luck too is somewhat staying healthy, or when you play an opponent who's star QB is hurt, etc.

So, you have 100 points to distribute. What do YOU think is IDEAL - certainly you can win with any mixture or disribution. Here's mine:

(C) 30% (R) 40% (TL) 15% (S&C) 10% (L/O) 5% 

People like John Wooden, Phil Jackson, Vince Lombardi all seem to agree on certain things. A champion player must have a certain amount of athletic skill. Speed and strength and agility. This is what recruiting is mainly about. But it is not enough by itself

But a champion player has other attributes. First the work ethic. He works to identify his strengths and weaknesses, and how to use the strengths and improve the weaknesses. He strives to get his individual performance at a high level and toughen himself up to overcome his own body's weaknesses. This is largely S&C, a bit coaching.

Coaches like John Wooden would stress the teamwork, the discipline. Bobby Knight was another. Teams that play together tio maximize the team's strengths succeeded. Think of the 04's at UF. Talent that blended so well. Part coaching, part Discipline, part S&C.

Maybe the biggest factor is Mental. Phil Jackson believed championship athletes succeed in big situations because they can visualize themselves succeeding and believe in themselves. Some coaches hire mental health professionals to help players visualize, boost their self esteem, gain confidence on themselves. Players with extreme self belief are the ones who, on 4th down, refuse to be stopped, who are the toughest SOB's on the field. I think anyone from Vince Lombardi on will tell you this is an absolute key factor separating champions from also-rans. Once again, part Coaching, part S&C, to some extent Leadership as a great leader can inspire this belief in others, like Tebow did at Florida.

And leadership is the elusive something. Some are born to it, others learn it. Packers had Bart Starr, Bulls had Jordan, Celtics had Bird. Champion teams have the one guy that takes the team on his back and brings out the best in them, refuses to let them take the easy route and gets them to perform at their absolute best even in the most adverse conditions and situations. Tebows, Wuerffels, Noahs all fit in here. They just seem to make the guys around them better.

I would say the ideal mix does not exist. But any champion team has to have some from each column. A weakness in any area can be compensated for by input from other areas.  The current Saban model is the same as used by Bryant at Bama, Recruit overwhelming talent, instill extreme toughness, give minimal coaching and let the players win the game. They seem lazy to me in that they identify known winners and recruit them, instead of working to help a player develop self belief.

Other coaches have succeeded with other mixes, such as SOS who overcompensated with coaching brilliance and scheme. Urban Meyer succeeded by having the toughest S&C and an innovative scheme. Others just stress the discipline and teamwork such as Clemson. When they do this and then find a superstar player such as Watson at QB, they can win it all.

I think Mullen has a shot at a championship program. He seems to believe in most of the above. I see nothing he has done that is contrary to any of this and he has learned from the best. Time will tell what he does but I like what I see so far.