I think we should petition the SEC to let Nick Saban and Lane Kiffin face off like 5 times a year.

This week has been so much fun as Alabama prepares to take on Ole Miss. From Kiffin’s comment about Saban being “elderly,” to Saban’s great response, the back-and-forth between the former Alabama assistant and his ex-boss has been awesome.

I won’t say they should face each other every week, though, because the Egg Bowl rivalry week with Kiffin and Mike Leach going back and forth should be amazing, too.

Anyway, here are your questions for this week’s SDS Mailbag:

@SChinni12:

Through 2 weeks of the season, which SEC team has been the biggest surprise — good or bad — in your mind?

It’d be really easy to go with 0-2 Kentucky here, and the Wildcats have for sure been surprising, but I think they’ve had a tougher schedule than it seems. Auburn is a solid team (Week 2 beatdown at the hands of Georgia aside) and Ole Miss’s offense is incredible.

So, that said, I’m going to go with Tennessee. Yes, the Vols were expected by many to win against both South Carolina and Mizzou, but it’s important that they actually, you know, won. Based on how the Vols started last year (losses to Georgia State and BYU), this year’s 2-0 start is exactly what the doctor ordered.

The defense is playing well, RB Eric Gray is a problem for defenses and QB Jarrett Guarantano is playing some of the best football of his career. Oh, and Jeremy Pruitt is proving he’s a heck of a coach.

No, I don’t think the Vols will beat No. 3 Georgia on Saturday, but I do think this is a team on the right track to competing for an SEC East title sooner rather than later.

Robert:

Strictly for sports watching, what is the best time zone to live in?

Well, you’ve come to the right person for this advice. I have lived in all 4 time zones in the contiguous United States. I was born and raised in Illinois and went to school at Mizzou (Central), moved to Utah (Mountain), then to Philadelphia (Eastern) and California (Pacific).

Honestly, I don’t mind getting up early on Saturdays and Sundays in Pacific time to watch games, but without Pac-12 After Dark, things wrap up too early this year. Here’s how I’d rank the 4 time zones in terms of sports watching:

  1. Mountain — games start early, but not too early, and finish late, but not too late
  2. Central
  3. Pacific
  4. Eastern — Staying up until 2 a.m. to watch the end of college football games or Monday Night Football or whatever is brutal.

There you have it. Those are the definitive rankings of best time zones to watch sports in. Head to the Mountain time zone, sports fans!

Joe:

Now that college basketball has a start date, who do you think will be the SEC Player of the Year this year?

Well, there’s one big name out there who isn’t cleared to play yet who I would like to wait for — Kentucky big man Olivier Sarr, who transferred from Wake Forest this offseason. If he plays, he could be a game-changer for the otherwise young Wildcats.

That said, I don’t know if I’d pick him as the SEC Player of the Year anyway, as there are a few decent options. Kentucky freshman BJ Boston is a player I really like. Florida’s Scottie Lewis could work his way in the mix. Sharife Cooper should be a lot of fun at Auburn. John Petty Jr. is going to light up the scoreboard at Alabama.

But, if I were to make a pick right now, I’d go with LSU forward Trendon Watford. I was really glad he came back to school, as I think he’ll be great this year and rocket up NBA Draft boards. He should be a bigger part of the LSU offense this season and I think that gives him the edge right now.

@Dobbe8:

If you could only eat one kind of potato chips for the rest of your life, what would you pick?

My favorite flavors are BBQ and jalapeño. And, every now and then, salt and vinegar chips hit the spot. But, I wouldn’t be able to choose either of those. They’re just not versatile enough.

The answer I’d go with is Wavy Lay’s. The original flavor. You can do anything with those chips — dip them, make nachos, eat them plain, put them on your sandwiches for some extra crunch, etc.

I also considered tortilla chips, but with Wavy Lay’s, you can dip those in guacamole and salsa just fine. Thus, they get the slight edge for me.

Have a question for next week’s Mailbag? Tweet at us using #SDSMailbag or email me at ASpencer@SaturdayDownSouth.com.