National Signing Day is over, and that means we’re in the dreaded dead zone when it comes to college football.

There are no more games, not much recruiting news, and spring ball is still three or so weeks away. Never fear, though — basketball is here to pick up the slack!

Even if you’re only a casual fan, now is the time to invest in the action on the hardwood. Tennessee is the No. 1 team in the country, Kentucky is up to No. 5 and looks like a juggernaut, too, and several other squads are fighting for their NCAA Tournament lives as the season hits the stretch run.

We’ve also got a loaded Mailbag for you this week, too, so that should help you get through some of these long, cold, football-less nights. Here are this week’s questions:

Robert:

The Big 12 obviously (narrowly) won this year’s SEC/Big 12 Challenge, but it got me thinking — who would win in some of the other remaining sports? Let’s say they met up in football, baseball and softball.

Since we’re primarily a football site, I’m going to spend a bulk of my time imagining an SEC/Big 12 Football Challenge, which I think is a great idea. Let’s take a look at how some of those matchups could play out (based on the 2018 standings):

  • Alabama vs. Oklahoma
  • Georgia vs. Texas
  • LSU vs. West Virginia
  • Florida vs. Iowa State
  • Kentucky vs. Baylor
  • Texas A&M vs. TCU
  • Mississippi State vs. Oklahoma State
  • Mizzou vs. Texas Tech
  • South Carolina vs. Kansas State
  • Auburn vs. Kansas

By finishing in the last four spots in the SEC standings, Vanderbilt, Tennessee, Ole Miss and Arkansas are out. Obviously, Alabama beat Oklahoma last season in the College Football Playoff, while Georgia lost to Texas in the Sugar Bowl, so we’ll start by calling it a 1-1 split.

I could see Baylor upsetting Kentucky this year, and potentially Texas Tech outgunning Mizzou, but other than that, I think the SEC cruises to a win in this hypothetical challenge.

As far as baseball goes, the SEC has 8 teams in the preseason Top 25 poll, while the Big 12 only has 5. I’ll give the edge to the SEC there, too. In softball, 11 SEC teams crack the preseason Top 25 poll, while only 4 Big 12 teams make the list.

Come to think of it, men’s basketball might be one of the only sports where the Big 12 has the edge. Let’s get some SEC dominance showing in other sports — paging Greg Sankey!

@HReside:

If you had to sign with any fictional team from a movie, which would it be? Mine would be Air Bud’s team, because I’d have to do the least amount of work.

The “Air Bud” team is a fine choice, but I really question those kids’ talent if a dog that can’t dribble is by far the best player on the team. Also, he’s pretty short, so defenses should be able to stop him much easier than they’re actually able to. A real embarrassment all around.

My first instinct was to say the Tune Squad from “Space Jam,” because playing alongside Michael Jordan and Bill Murray has always been a dream of mine. However, the more I started thinking about it, I don’t think that would be a good idea. I mean, did you see how bad the Monstars beat up the poor Looney Tunes?

I don’t want to end up as a part of this montage where the entire Tune Squad bench is nursing what appear to be pretty severe injuries.

I’m also going to assume that I have to be about the same age as whatever team I sign up to play for — so no beating up on kids in “Little Giants” or “Bad News Bears” or anything like that.

Therefore, give me the Dillon Panthers from “Friday Night Lights” (either the TV show or the movie, I don’t care which). As an ex-high school football player, my team was not nearly as popular (or as good) as the Panthers, so it’d be fun to experience what big-time high school football was like. Plus, I actually enjoyed high school, so I’d sign up for four more years, even with all the drama that comes with it.

Honorable mention to the Flint Tropics from “Semi-Pro,” starring Will Ferrell.

@Wilkerson99:

Of all the SEC recruits who signed, who are you the most excited to see play?

Defensively, it’s going to be a lot of fun to see how No. 1 overall recruit (per the 247Sports composite) Nolan Smith fares at Georgia. The 5-star defensive end should have plenty of opportunities to make an impact for a team that struggled to get after the quarterback last season.

Sticking with Georgia, 5-star WR George Pickens ruffled a lot of feathers when he chose the Bulldogs over Auburn, so we’ll see if he can make a quick impact in Georgia’s high-octane offensive attack.

Elsewhere, I’ll be interested in seeing how 5-star RBs Trey Sanders (Alabama), Jerrion Ealy (Ole Miss) and John Emery Jr. (LSU) do as true freshmen. I expect Emery and Ealy to put up better numbers, as Sanders will have to split carries with Najee Harris and others, but we should be able to tell by the end of the year who the more-promising back is.

@AuburnTigers100:

Do you think Bo Nix will start for Auburn?

Auburn’s quarterback battle will certainly be one of the most-scrutinized position battles in all of college football this spring/summer, with 4-star 2019 signee Bo Nix, Joey Gatewood, Malik Willis and former minor league baseball player Cord Sandberg all battling for the job.

Nix made a name for himself in his senior season and in all the camps and showcases he’s participated in ever since. It’s possible he could take the Tigers by storm and force Gus Malzahn to start him, but I wouldn’t bet on it.

Malzahn has never had a freshman as his primary starting quarterback since taking over the Auburn coaching gig in 2013. Don’t be surprised to see him opt for the more-experienced Willis this fall, even if it seems like other players should be starting ahead of him.

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