I personally love how angry the College Football Playoff rankings make people every single week. People lose their minds every Tuesday when the rankings come out, and it’s beautiful.

People are too caught up in expecting perfection out of an imperfect system. There’s no unbiased formula to decide the rankings. That’s why they CFP committee is made up of people. People are inherently biased. There’s no way to “objectively” rank these teams. We tried that with the BCS and everyone hated it.

We spent last week debating Alabama vs. Michigan State for the No. 2 spot. Guess what? Michigan State promptly went out and lost.

I’m not sold on Oregon. The Ducks are in the top 4, despite what I feel is the worst loss of any contender (vs. Stanford). But, you know what? There are still a handful of games left for each team. I expect the Ducks to show their true colors down the stretch.

But, no matter what happens, I won’t be losing my mind on Tuesday nights. The only rankings that matter are the final rankings on Sunday, Dec. 5. If we want to collectively be upset on that day, I’m on board!

Now, let’s dive into your questions for this week’s Mailbag, starting with (of course) a Playoff question:

Robert:

Can Alabama really make the Playoff with 2 losses like some analysts are saying?

Yes.

But, and this is a giant “but,” the Tide would need a massive amount of help. I personally don’t see it happening.

This would assume Alabama wins out and goes to the SEC Championship Game, where it loses to Georgia. That would have to be the Tide’s second loss. Losing to Arkansas or Auburn (or, gasp, New Mexico State) would eliminate the Tide.

Georgia is the No. 1 seed in this scenario. Ohio State would also need to win out, knocking out Michigan State and Michigan in the process. Oregon has to lose again, which isn’t out of the question considering the Ducks lost to a mediocre (at best) Stanford team. Then, either Oklahoma or Cincinnati has to lose.

If Oklahoma wins out, they’d slide into 1 of those top 3 seeds alongside Georgia and Ohio State. If Cincinnati loses, it is out. Simple as that.

It would also help the Tide’s case if Notre Dame lost again, but that might not happen. So, it’s a slim chance, but there’s still a chance Alabama could make the Playoff with 2 losses.

Joe:

Which men’s basketball player, non-freshman edition, is the guy you’re most excited to watch this season?

Well, when you take freshmen out of the equation, that definitely thins the herd a bit. But, I’ll give you a position group to watch.

The Big Ten is absolutely loaded with experienced big men this year. Kofi Cockburn at Illinois is my personal favorite, but the B1G also has Hunter Dickinson at Michigan, Trayce Jackson-Davis at Indiana, EJ Liddell at Ohio State, Trevion Williams at Purdue and more. That’s an absolutely stacked league, and all of them have B1G experience.

Elsewhere around the country, there are also some experienced bigs to keep an eye on — Drew Timme at Gonzaga is one and Oscar Tshiebwe at Kentucky certainly burst onto the scene in his first game with the Wildcats on Tuesday night. Then there’s Colin Castleton at Florida, John Fulkerson at Tennessee and some other talented bigs across the country.

The year of the big man is here, folks! Enjoy it while you can.

@SChinni12:

Is the Thiccer Kicker burger thick enough for its namesake?

The burger in question is the “Thiccer Kicker” burger at Campus Bar & Grill in Columbia, Missouri, named after Mizzou kicker Harrison Mevis.

Look at this absolute beauty of a burger:

If you’re not hungry after looking at that picture, you might not have a pulse. Two patties, bacon, 2 slices of cheese? We’re just getting started. Then you’ve got an onion ring and special sauce. Sign me up for that monster!

That absolutely lives up to the legend of the Thiccer Kicker. Harrison Mevis should be proud.

@Dobbe8:

Plenty of SEC players have NIL food deals. Who has the best?

Oh great. Another food question. Why do I always write this column before lunch?

That Harrison Mevis deal above is a pretty sweet one. I don’t want to do too much legwork on this, but off the top of my head, I know Texas A&M RB Isaiah Spiller has a deal with Raising Cane’s, JT Daniels has one with Zaxby’s, Alontae Taylor has a cookie deal with Moonshine Mountain Cookies, and the Arkansas offensive line has a deal with Wright’s Barbecue.

Of all those, the BBQ and the Raising Cane’s deals stick out. I’m going to have to go with Spiller’s deal with Raising Cane’s as my favorite. I absolutely love me some fried chicken. I would definitely make the most of that NIL opportunity.

Now, off to get some lunch!

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