It is the most wonderful time of the year. It’s bowl season! Oh, and it is Christmas time.

With all of the teams around the SEC telling Saban Claus what they want for Christmas, the Dawgs will also be wishing for a couple things this Christmas. Here is a few things that will be great gifts for the program going forward:

#1: The Music City Bowl

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After an up-and-down season in back to back years, most of the negative noise can be silenced with a bowl win. With an Outback Bowl win over Iowa back in 2018, maybe some of the scrutiny isn’t there for Joe Moorhead. With momentum trending high after a crazy Egg Bowl victory on Thanksgiving, the Dawgs will looks to end 2019 with an exclamation point. More than momentum, it will be some much needed extra practices for a youthful Mississippi State team. For a team that has had Louisville’s number in multiple big games over the last few years, maybe this is a sure gift for the Dawgs this year.

#2: A real offensive coordinator

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Even the great head coaches do not call their own plays. Dan Mullen, who calls his own plays, even had an offensive coordinator. If Joe wants to call his own plays, then that is up to him, but can we please just have an actual offensive coordinator? He has proven himself as a great identifier of assistant coaches, so I’m sure that he can make the right hire. This could be the difference between a repeat of this season next year or winning 8 or 9 games.

#3: An 8 or 9 win season

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Looking at next year’s schedule, there are some pretty favorable match-ups. The non- conference schedule has a tough trip to North Carolina State, but they are coming off a 4-8 year. The other games include New Mexico, Tulane, and Alabama A&M. Arkansas, Texas A&M, Missouri, and Auburn all come to Davis Wade Stadium and make those games much more winnable. If the Dawgs could win all four of their non-conference, which is do-able, and they can win 4 of their 8 conference games (with Kentucky and Arkansas on the schedule), then an 8 win season is more than possible. If Joe Moorhead can right the ship and Garrett Shrader can develop as a passer, the season can be a good one next year. It is just a matter of Mississippi State not pulling a Mississippi State, but maybe Santa can do something about that. Here is to hoping for a bigger and better 2020.