Thanksgiving may be over, but now it’s time for another great season – Thanksgiving leftover season!

Thanksgiving leftovers – turkey, mashed potatoes, etc. – are the best. Making turkey sandwiches for the next week is going to be amazing, and I can’t wait for my next several lunches.

Yes, I just ate more than my body weight in food, but I am also already excited about leftovers. That’s how good they are.

Anyway, here are your questions for this week’s SDS Mailbag:

@Dobbe8:

Rank the SEC rivalry games this weekend.

Well, it’s obviously the Battle Line Rivalry between Arkansas and Mizzou. That game is way better than the Border War ever was. Nah, I’m just kidding.

Here are the real rankings of this weekend’s games involving SEC teams:

  1. Iron Bowl (Alabama vs. Auburn) – This is a no-brainer, especially this year, as Alabama needs to win big to stay alive in the Playoff hunt. Meanwhile, the Tigers would love nothing more than to ruin the Tide’s hopes.
  2. Egg Bowl (Mississippi State vs. Ole Miss) – These two fan bases hate each other more than any others on this list. It just doesn’t have the national cache that the Iron Bowl has, so we’ll put it at No. 2 on this list.
  3. Texas A&M vs. LSU – This game got a big boost based on what happened last year (a 7OT A&M win). This year should be even more intense as the Tigers try to avenge that loss.
  4. Florida vs. Florida State – No, the Seminoles haven’t been any good the past couple of years, but these two teams really hate each other. Historically, this game has been very important. We’ll see if FSU can get it back to that level.
  5. Georgia vs. Georgia Tech – Georgia has controlled this rivalry since 2000, but the Yellow Jackets manage to spoil the Bulldogs’ season just enough to keep things interesting.
  6. South Carolina vs. Clemson – This hasn’t been too close historically, either, as Clemson leads 70-42-4, but this rivalry doesn’t have the basketball intensity a rivalry later on this list has.
  7. Mizzou vs. Arkansas – Both fan bases try to claim this isn’t a rivalry, so that actually makes it a bit more intense.
  8. Kentucky vs. Louisville – This is the top basketball rivalry on the list, but when it comes to football, it hasn’t exactly been noticed on the national stage.
  9. Tennessee vs. Vanderbilt – This game has been competitive the past couple of years, but the Vols lead the all-time series 75-33-5, so it hasn’t exactly been close historically.

BONUS: Dobbe’s Locks of the Week went 2-1 last week, continuing his long climb back to .500. Can he put together a perfect 3-0 week this time around? Here are this week’s locks:

  • Alabama (-3.5) at Auburn – Bama has too much on the line here. The Playoff wouldn’t be the Playoff without Alabama drama. It’ll be close, but the Tide cover 3.5 points.
  • Ohio State (-9) at Michigan – Everyone seems to want this to be a close game after a season of domination by the Buckeyes. Ohio State blows out the Wolverines.
  • Clemson at South Carolina (+27) – Roughly 80 percent of public money is on Clemson. Clemson hasn’t won by less than 30 since September. But there’s no such thing as free money, and the Gamecocks are wearing all-black uniforms at home. They cover.

Dobbe’s Locks of the Week 2019 record: 17-23-1

Robert:

What would it take for the 2019 Texas A&M-LSU game to outdo the 2018 seven-overtime game? An overtime upset plus Jimbo Fisher getting in a wrestling match with Ed Orgeron?

That would be a good start, but I’m not sure even that would outdo last year’s 74-72 game. The NCAA even went and changed the rules this offseason so that a 7-overtime game is much less likely (and would include fewer plays if it did happen).

Here’s how I’d make it even crazier. In the fourth quarter of a tie game, LSU QB (and Heisman front-runner) Joe Burrow throws an interception. As the A&M defender is running it back, Burrow makes the tackle, but, what’s this? There’s a flag on the field! Targeting on Burrow!

After a lengthy review, Burrow is ejected from the game. How insane would that make LSU fans? And, of course, that would also mean Burrow would miss the first half of the SEC Championship Game. If you thought the #FreeDevinWhite campaign (which included billboards in Birmingham) was crazy, LSU fans might actually drive to the SEC office and riot.

I don’t actually think this will happen, and I don’t want it to happen at all, but you asked how this game could be even crazier than last year’s. That’s definitely the answer.

You want to see LSU fans go ape? Imagine if quarterback Joe Burrow got ejected. Photo by: Vasha Hunt-USA TODAY Sports

@SChinni12:

Would it be good for college football to have a team like Utah in the Playoff instead of another southern team or blue-blood like Ohio State or Oklahoma?

That’s an interesting question considering the history of non-southern, non-Ohio State teams in the Playoff. Since Ohio State beat Oregon in the first CFP final, either Alabama or Clemson has won every title.

Oklahoma is 0-3 in semifinal games. Michigan State managed 0 points. Notre Dame scored 3. Washington outscored both of those schools, putting up 7 points.

So, to answer your question, I think it would be a good thing to have some fresh blood in the Playoff. But, the catch is this – that team has to do well. Oklahoma may be 0-3, but the Sooners have at least had some exciting games.

If Utah makes the Playoff field and gets blown out by LSU or Ohio State, it will make people wonder why Alabama didn’t get the nod. After all, Alabama has two CFP titles to its name.

However, if Utah gets in the field and at least outscores Michigan State, Notre Dame and Washington, combined, now we’re talking. Baylor and Minnesota are in that same boat. I’m happy to see teams like that in the field, but if they get shut out, then it will be tough for them to gain momentum to get back in future Playoff fields if they’re fringe candidates.

Cary:

If you could only attend one bowl game, based solely on location and not the teams that are playing in the game, where would you go and why?

I’ll give you two bowl games – the Bahamas Bowl or the Hawai’i Bowl. I don’t want to go to anywhere even remotely cold if I’m going bowling, so the Quick Lane Bowl in Detroit and the Pinstripe Bowl at Yankee Stadium are absolutely out.

Get me to a beach and a pool in December and I’ll be a happy camper. It doesn’t even matter what teams are playing (which is good, because those bowls don’t exactly draw the biggest names).

If I have to pick an SEC game (that’s not the national title game, hey-o!), I’ll go with next year’s Las Vegas Bowl, which will feature an SEC team for the first time. That would be a great time.

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