As a fanbase, we are entirely too fickle
I get the disappointment and that people are upset. But to me, as long as Dan keeps getting us to bowl games, I don't think he needs to be let go. You can call it "settling" or thinking we are just "poor MSU" or whatever you want, but I don't see it that way. They way I see it, we are 5 years removed from what by any account was a decade of complete misery on the gridiron (end of Sherrill and Croom). That was ONLY 5 years ago, and during that stretch we were all DYING to simply get a coach who would take us to a bowl game every year.
Now, will I be satisfied with 6-6 or 7-5 forever? Maybe not. In my opinion, starting where we were/are, MSU needs to string together a decade of bowl games that includes 2, maybe 3, 8-10 win seasons where we look like we had a punchers chance at the division or league. Once we get to that level, THEN we can say we have made the jump to the next level and start demanding more. We are fighting for our 4th straight bowl appearance. We have NEVER in this history of our program been to 4 straight bowls, and have ONLY been to 3 straight bowls ONCE before (coinciding with our West championship). Hell, we have only been to 17 bowls in the history of our program. Get to one this year, and we have a streak that exceeds 20% of our entire bowl history.