I cannot even begin to describe to y’all how excited I am for the start of the college hoops season on Tuesday.

I love this time of year when there are college football games on the weekends and impactful college hoops games during the week. The sports schedule is loaded these days, and I’m absolutely here for it.

I plan on watching an obscene amount of sports these next few weeks. Won’t you all join me?

While we wait for tipoff on Tuesday night, let’s dive into your questions for this week’s Mailbag:

@SChinni12:

Now that we know the first College Football Playoff rankings, did the committee get the top 4 right? If not, how should the top 4 have looked?

Would it surprise you if I said no, I don’t think the CFP committee got the top 4 right? They were close, though!

Georgia is No. 1. Duh. We all agree on that. If you don’t, you’re wrong, and that’s all there is to it.

Alabama is not No. 2. The Tide are close, and certainly deserve to be mentioned in the argument for No. 2, but I would have had Michigan State at No. 2 with the Tide at No. 3. Michigan State is fresh off a huge win against top-10 Michigan. I just don’t think it hurts to give the Spartans the No. 2 spot at this point.

Then, at No. 4, I’d have Ohio State. I know the committee valued head-to-head wins to a comical degree on Tuesday night, but Ohio State has 1 loss to a talented Oregon team. Oregon’s loss? To an unranked Stanford team. The Buckeyes have looked a lot better in recent weeks, too, now that QB CJ Stroud seems fully healthy again.

Then, I’d have Cincinnati at No. 5 and Oregon at No. 6. That’s the proper way to seed the top 6 teams currently.

My heart wants Wake Forest in the top 4, but my head knows anything above No. 7 would simply be too high for the Demon Deacons at this point. But, with a final 4 games of at North Carolina, vs. No. 19 NC State, at Clemson and at Boston College, Dave Clawson’s crew has plenty of opportunities remaining to impress the CFP committee. Come on, Wake Forest!

Jeff:

Which SEC team has the toughest remaining schedule now that we’ve hit the stretch run?

The answer, and it isn’t particularly close, in my opinion, is Auburn. We’re going to find out a lot about the Tigers during the last 4 weeks of the year, starting on Saturday afternoon at Texas A&M.

From there, Bryan Harsin’s squad hosts Mississippi State before heading to South Carolina. Then, as usual, the regular-season ends with the Iron Bowl against Alabama. There’s a chance that game decides the SEC West title.

But, of course, Auburn needs to navigate its way through those other 3 games first. There’s not an easy win in the bunch, even with South Carolina’s struggles in 2021.

The award for second-toughest remaining schedule goes to Arkansas. But, with LSU and Mizzou having down years, that slate of Mississippi State, LSU, Alabama and Mizzou doesn’t look as daunting as it did in the beginning of the year. There should be at least 2 wins there for the Hogs.

Joe:

Which of the men’s basketball games in the first week of the season are you most excited to watch?

To me, there are 2 answers to this question, and they’re both games y’all East Coasters are going to have to stay up extra late for. First, on Friday, Nov. 12, the No. 2 UCLA Bruins host No. 4 Villanova. That should be a great game. I picked UCLA to win the title this year.

That game tips off on Friday night at 11:30 p.m. Eastern time on ESPN2.

Then, there’s another potential Final Four preview matchup on Saturday night, when No. 1 Gonzaga plays host to No. 5 Texas. I predicted UCLA to beat Texas for the title this year. I also think I’ll have the Bulldogs in my Final Four (but I haven’t gotten that far with my projections just yet).

That game between the Bulldogs and Longhorns tips off on Saturday, Nov. 13 at 10:30 p.m. Eastern time on ESPN2.

Like I said, a couple of late tipoff times on the West Coast, but hey, it’s the weekend! Stay up late and enjoy some great college hoops action.

@Dobbe8:

When is the appropriate time to start playing Christmas music? Some people are playing it now, some wait until after Thanksgiving, some wait until Dec. 1. What’s your take?

My (100% correct) take is that you wait until the day after Thanksgiving. If you’re playing Christmas music right now, you’re doing it wrong. Don’t disrespect Thanksgiving like that!

I love Christmas music as much as the next person, but it doesn’t belong before Thanksgiving. I also don’t begrudge anyone who waits until Dec. 1 to play the Christmas tunes.

That’s my ideal time to put up a Christmas tree — the first full weekend in December. That allows 3-plus weeks of festiveness in the house before the actual holiday. Right now, it’s all about Thanksgiving, though.

Football, food, family, fun. That holiday deserves its own month of celebration.

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