SDS Mailbag: SEC/Big 12 Challenge picks, SEC on CBS replacements and why Vols are struggling

The coaching carousel has settled down. The season is over. It might finally be time to shift our attention from football to basketball! Though football continues to dominate headlines, the hoops season continues to chug along.

Now, we approach a big weekend on the hoops calendar. This weekend, the SEC will have a chance to make a statement as a conference in the SEC/Big 12 Challenge. If the SEC plays well, it’ll be great come March, as the SEC will have more respect in the eyes of the NCAA Tournament Selection Committee.

Struggle, and the conference could find it difficult to get more than 4 teams in the field of 68. So, let’s dive into this week’s Mailbag. The first question, conveniently enough, features the SEC/Big 12 Challenge:

@SChinni12:

There are some fun games in Saturday’s SEC/Big 12 Challenge. The Big 12 is loaded this year, though — does the SEC have a chance to win?

As things stand right now, my predictions would have the challenge ending in a 5-5 tie. I think these SEC teams will win:

• No. 9 Alabama (at No. 24 Oklahoma)
• No. 18 Tennessee (vs. No. 15 Kansas)
• No. 12 Mizzou (vs. TCU)
• Mississippi State (vs. Iowa State)
• Texas A&M (at Kansas State)

And I think these Big 12 teams will win:

• No. 2 Baylor (vs. Auburn)
• No. 5 Texas (at Kentucky)
• No. 10 Texas Tech (at LSU)
• No. 11 West Virginia (vs. Florida)
• Oklahoma State (vs. Arkansas)

But, if I had to pick the 2 games that will decide this challenge, I’d say to keep an eye on Alabama-Oklahoma and Arkansas-Oklahoma State. The Razorbacks, in particular, are a wildcard. This will be their toughest nonconference game of the year. And, superstar Oklahoma State freshman Cade Cunningham hasn’t played since Jan. 12 due to COVID-19 protocols. If he’s not back, Arkansas can absolutely steal this game — and perhaps an SEC/Big 12 Challenge victory — for the SEC.

@JhypenM65:

With CBS losing the SEC in a few years, should the Pac-12 try to become the replacement? That 3:30 p.m. ET time slot would be a boon for the conference. For CBS, it would be a bit of a “bargain” compared to what the other P5 conferences could demand.

Based on what I’ve seen from my cursory research, it seems the Pac-12’s TV contract doesn’t expire until 2024. But, it would be interesting to see a Pac-12 game in that 3:30 time slot on a major network. The problem? CBS is going to have to pay whatever conference a lot more money than it was paying the SEC. Airing the SEC on CBS game of the week was one of the biggest bargains in sports media history, in my opinion.

Even if CBS does want to save money by going after the Pac-12, it’ll cost more than the deal with the SEC did. Will CBS want to pay that? Or, will it bow out of Power 5 football? That’s seemingly a question that won’t be answered for a few years yet.

Still, if I’m the new commissioner of the Pac-12 (fingers crossed!), I want any possible national exposure I can get for my conference. Pac-12 football has fallen way behind, and it’s going to take a lot to dig out of the hole.

@Hughes_BHughes:

What’s your take on the Vols’ recent poor play? Bad shooting, missing Jaden Springer last week, John Fulkerson’s recent diminished role (all the above)? Can they fix it in time for Kansas?

Here’s a fun stat for you. This season, the Vols are 11-0 when 5-star freshman Jaden Springer plays and 0-3 when he doesn’t. There’s your answer. Clearly, there are other issues at play, but this team really misses what the talented guard brings to the table when he can’t go.

Now, there are other things that have hampered the Vols — defensive breakdowns vs. Mizzou, the inexplicable offensive struggles of Yves Pons, Fulkerson’s up-and-down play, etc. But, Springer seems to be the key. He only had 9 points against Mississippi State, but he added 5 assists, 4 rebounds and a block.

I think the bigger issue overall is the offense. When the Vols’ defense doesn’t bring its A+ game, the team struggles. That’s because there’s no consistency on offense.

But, as I already hinted at above, I think the Vols will indeed get it together to beat Kansas on Saturday. Springer is playing. And, more importantly, I think the Jayhawks are vastly overrated this year. I promise I’m not just saying that as a Mizzou graduate predisposed to hating all things KU.

Robert:

The Big Ten won the Big Ten/ACC Challenge. This weekend, we’ll find out who wins the SEC/Big 12 Challenge. Who would win a theoretical Pac-12-Mountain West/WCC combo challenge?

In a follow-up message, Robert mentioned that these would be the matchups he’d have as part of this hypothetical challenge:

• UCLA-Gonzaga
• USC-BYU
• Arizona-Boise State
• Colorado-Colorado State
• Oregon-Utah State
• Stanford-Saint Mary’s
• Oregon State-San Diego State
• Washington State-Wyoming
• Utah-Nevada
• Cal-UNLV
• Arizona State-Santa Clara
• Washington-San Francisco

Gonzaga obviously wins. The Bulldogs are the No. 1 team in the country for a reason. If they were in the Pac-12, they’d absolutely win the conference title. They might even go undefeated in conference play. They’re that good.

After that, I think the Pac-12 goes on a run. I have USC, Arizona, Colorado, Oregon and Stanford all winning in this hypothetical matchup. I also have Washington State, Utah and Cal winning those games. That leaves us with a final score of Pac-12 8, WCC/Mountain West 4.

San Francisco has a win over Virginia already this season, so maybe the Dons should be slotted into a better matchup. Either way, the Pac-12 wins the challenge, but the mid-majors put up a good fight.

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

Adam Spencer

Adam is a daily fantasy sports (DFS) and sports betting expert. A 2012 graduate of the University of Missouri, Adam now covers all 16 SEC football teams. He is the director of DFS, evergreen and newsletter content across all Saturday Football brands.