We made it! The season is finally upon us. Miami-Florida and Arizona-Hawaii get us started on Saturday night for Week 0.

Talkin’ season is over and playin’ season is here. Of course, here in the SDS Mailbag, it’s always talkin’ season.

Here are your questions for this week’s Mailbag:

Robert:

Would you rather watch a Big Ten/ACC early game at 9 a.m. Pacific time or a Pac-12 late game at 11 p.m. Eastern time?

If you had asked College Adam this question, it would have been an easy win for the 11 p.m. Eastern game. Pac-12 After Dark all day for College Adam, baby!

Now that I’m 29 (not exactly old, I know), I’m all about early games. My dog has me awake by 7 a.m. most days, anyway.

Also, NFL games in London are never high-quality contests, but I love waking up and having football on. That’s a luxury out West, in my opinion.

Heck, even Pac-12 commissioner Larry Scott wants in on that noon Eastern time slot. The Pac-12 is exploring starting a few games per season at 9 a.m. Pacific just to get a slice of that viewership. They recently announced that they won’t have 9 a.m. kickoffs in 2019, but whenever they happen, I’m all for it.

@Dobbe8:

If you had to buy a ticket today to an SEC homecoming game, which game are you going to?

Well, first of all, I’m a Mizzou grad (as are you), so we know that the Tigers invented Homecoming. It’s an incredible atmosphere and a great party. However, this year’s Mizzou-Ole Miss homecoming matchup isn’t exactly the most exciting game.

The answer to this question is LSU-Florida in Death Valley on Oct. 12. The rivalry between the Tigers and Gators has really heated up over the past few years, and they both enter the season as top 10 teams.

It’s very possible both enter the game 6-0. LSU will have to get past Texas in Austin in Week 2 and Florida will have to survive its own big homecoming matchup against No. 16 Auburn the week before heading to LSU, but that is certainly doable.

I can’t wait for that LSU-Florida game, though. It’s going to be awesome.

BONUS: Dobbe’s Locks of the Week are back! After a hot start last season, Dobbe cooled off a bit toward the end of the year. He’s looking to start hot again with these Week 0 picks:

  • Miami vs. Florida (Over 50.5 points) — Is it wishful thinking to think this game is going to kick off the season in an exciting way? Probably. But Florida’s offense has big-time weapons.
  • Arizona at Hawaii (+11) — This happens every year. You’ll stay in on a Saturday night watching a random Hawaii game just because football is back. Kevin Sumlin’s Wildcats will pull out a win, but not by 11.

Dobbe’s Locks of the Week record: 0-0

@Jared_Ball3:

Do we want to see more marquee Week 0 games in the future?

This weekend, Florida and Miami kick off the season and Arizona travels to Hawaii for the late game. It’s great to have football back, and I do like the appetizer Week 0 offers.

Should that Week 0 slate be expanded? That’s a different question. I actually would like to see a couple of games added to the schedule, but I wouldn’t want it to be crazy. Maybe get a noon game and a mid-afternoon game in there.

For example, looking at the Week 1 schedule, here’s how I would have lined up this year’s Week 0 slate (all times Eastern):

  • Noon: Ole Miss at Memphis
  • 3:30 p.m.: Boise State at Florida State
  • 7 p.m.: Miami vs. Florida in Orlando
  • 10:30 p.m.: Arizona at Hawaii

Those are some good games to satisfy our need for football, but also keeps the best Week 1 games in Week 1. That’s the sort of schedule I’d like to see for Week 0 moving forward.

@SChinni12:

Who is an underrated player on each team that I should be rooting for?

This is an interesting question. Obviously, my picks for who is underrated and who you should root for are going to be different than if you asked anyone else, but that’s OK.

With that qualifier out of the way, here are my picks for players you should root for:

  • Alabama: Terrell Lewis, LB — Back after two major injuries. Hopefully he stays healthy.
  • Arkansas: Trey Knox, WR — Already one of the most exciting freshman receivers in the SEC.
  • Auburn: Will Hastings, WR — Like Lewis, Hastings is returning from a torn ACL.
  • Florida: David Reese II, LB — Overlooked part of the Florida defense.
  • Georgia: Charlie Woerner, TE — Finally his time to shine at tight end.
  • Kentucky: Josh Paschal, DL — Battled a malignant melanoma and is returning to the field.
  • LSU: Lloyd Cushenberry, OL — Awarded the special No. 18 jersey for LSU. (He’ll wear a patch since he’s an offensive lineman.)
  • Mississippi State: Farrod Green, TE — A blocking tight end who will take on a bigger role in the passing game.
  • Mizzou: Johnathon Johnson, WR — He doesn’t get many headlines, but keeps plugging along. He’s less than 900 yards away from Mizzou’s all-time receiving yards record.
  • Ole Miss: Eli Moore, WR — Took over for D.K. Metcalf last year. Now has to help the Ole Miss receiving corps rebuild.
  • South Carolina: Jaycee Horn, CB — Get on the bandwagon now before he becomes a household name.
  • Tennessee: Trey Smith, OL — One of the best linemen in the SEC, if he’s healthy. He’s dealing with blood clots in his lungs, though, and might not be cleared to play this year.
  • Texas A&M: Jashaun Corbin, RB — Following Trayveon Williams won’t be easy. Corbin has the talent to have a huge season.
  • Vanderbilt: Frank Coppet, S — The Commodores don’t have many big names on their defense, but Coppet could step up as a leader in the secondary.

So there you have it. Feel free to share some more players with cool stories that we should root for down in the comments section!

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