It's time for The Mailbag, presented by Whitney McNutt of Tommy Morgan Inc. Realtors, Edition 155.
I asked for your questions. You delivered. So here we go...
From Political_Commentator: do you think people in the college football industry have taken notice that two of the last three Ole Miss coaches have shown the program is capable of top 10 caliber teams? Point being it’s not about Freeze or Kiffin, individually, this type of success is available to the program with the right coaching staff.
I think the people that matter know it. Look, as I've said a bazillion times now, Kiffin chose Ole Miss over Arkansas for one reason and one reason only. It wasn't Oxford's charm or literary history or The Square or girls or any of the other idiotic things people came up with. They've got charm and shops and girls and restaurants in Fayetteville, too. He chose Ole Miss because he believed it would be easier to win there than it would be at Arkansas.
From Hill Rebs: how do you see UGA losing? Living in Atlanta is bad enough already, I may have to pickup and move if the dawgs finally get it done
I don't.
Prepare thyself. Georgia is winning the whole thing.
From Grovin1551: Did Matt’s performance at Tennessee get overshadowed by the insanity at the end of that game? I keep hearing people talking about waiting for someone to have a “Heisman moment” and I’m wondering what they thought that game was.
Yes. My field is so lazy. The last minute allowed so many to hop on their high horses and trumpet their virtue. Corral's game, in its entirety, was absolutely a Heisman moment.
It was great seeing you and your husband Friday. I hope you guys had a great weekend.
From wcrowlen: A lot has been made about the last 3 LSU coaches - O, Miles, Saban - winning national titles, and obviously it's a great job. But 2 of those 3 got fired, and going back to like the mid '80s they've all been fired or resigned with pretty average records outside of Saban. I don't really know what the question is other than what does this say about the job down there overall?
It's a great job. It's indisputably a top-10 job. However, people have failed there. It's not foolproof. But it's an exceptional job.
From Levi275: Despite a season of volatility, we are marching towards UGA, Bama, Ohio State, Oklahoma in the CFP. Can Michigan, Michigan St, Cincy, etc. crash the party? We had hoped that the CFP would “settle it on the field,” but it seems to have just provided the same programs margin for error (I.e. Ohio State is ranked ahead of Oregon, but Oregon literally beat them on the field).
My guess is there will be one party-crasher, for I see Georgia beating Alabama in Atlanta. If that happens, it's Georgia, Ohio State, Oklahoma and someone (maybe Cincy). It's the reason we need a 12-team playoff. At the end of the day, it's the same teams every year, and that redundancy is boring.
From um98rebl: Why do you think some of the national media clamor for parity in the sport but when it comes to individual trophies, such as the Heisman, players like Matt Corral are constantly discounted for lesser players from blue blood programs?
I don't know. I think it's still a little early. I'm a Heisman voter. I haven't even really given it much thought yet. It's forced content. Corral has three huge opportunities left, starting Saturday night. He has plenty of time to win -- or lose -- the award.
From North Tampa Rebel: Top 5 Halloween Candy.
1. Reese's Peanut Butter Cups
2. Butterfinger
3. Snickers
4. 100 Grand
5. Kit Kat
From Lane Train: Two Questions:1) Although the question was probably planted, Jimbo Fisher gave a pretty adament answer that he was happy at Texas A&M and that is where he wants to be. Sure, that could obviously be a bunch of BS, but he still said it and the A&M administration has run with it on social media and I am sure they are using it to their benefit in recruiting. Is it unreasonable for Ole Miss fans to expect the same from Kiffin?2) To an outsider, it appears Keith Carter is doing an extremely good job as an Athletic Director. I know Athletic Director career paths are different than football coaches, but if Keith continues to excel at his job and successfully pulls together this upcoming capital campaign, do you think Keith would ever bolt for a top-5 AD job? I know he played basketball at Ole Miss and this is "home," but Scott Stricklin went to Mississippi State and that didn't stop him from leaving for Florida. I know this is an incredibly speculative question and majorly putting the cart before the horse, but I'm just curious of your thoughts. For football coaches, there are 7-8 jobs that are top-tier where you have a reasonable chance to win a national championship.....for ADs, are there 7-8 top-tier jobs that every AD wants.....or is the pool much bigger?
Do you really believe Jimbo Fisher? Do you really believe he wouldn't take the job at LSU if it were offered? I don't. I don't think he'll get the job, but his heartfelt denial in October does nothing for me.
As for Kiffin, what's he going to say? Nothing he says changes the calculus. If LSU wants to make a run at him after the season, nothing he says changes that desire. For the record, I don't think Kiffin will be the next LSU coach, but I don't blame him for not making some emotional statement about his desire to be at Ole Miss forever. If he ever leaves, that gets used against him.
As for Keith, I don't know him well enough to answer that. My assumption is he'd love to stay here for a long time, but I have never had that conversation with him. Are there better AD jobs? Of course. Is that something he thinks about? I have no idea. I like and respect Keith a lot, but we don't really know each other on that personal of a level. I can't speak to his aspirations or dreams or whatnot.
From VibinReb45: Do you think the lack of eye popping touchdown numbers the last two weeks is hurting Matt’s Heisman candidacy. I know he played well against LSU but he didn’t have a lot of yards.
Yes. However, as I stated earlier, Corral is still in great shape. He's got to win, and frankly, if Ole Miss is going to beat Auburn and Texas A&M, he'll need huge numbers to do it.
From OT6: Why can’t Lane/Lebby figure out a way to get JRP... I kid, I kid. For realsies though, what’s your educated opinion/best guess on a transfer portal hot board for QBs? Besides the low hanging fruit like Rattler? Give us an intriguing, out of the blue name or two. I’ll hang up and listen
It's too early to say. I have to see the coaching carousel turn first. Rattler and Ole Miss is a real thing, however. I'm not saying he ends up in Oxford, but I'm saying it's real.
From walnutreb: 11-1 Kentucky 11-1 Ole Miss, there is one play off spot left and they are the two 1 loss teams trying to get it. Who gets it?
I would think Ole Miss, just because of quality wins. An 11-1 Ole Miss team would have wins over Arkansas, Tennessee, LSU, Auburn, Texas A&M and Mississippi State.
An 11-1 Kentucky's best win would be over Florida, which will likely finish 8-4. After that, it would be over either Tennessee or Mississippi State.
From Duce_Man_2000: How much is the buyout for Kiffin if he takes another coaching job?
I don't know. The rumor is around $6 million, but I don't know.
From Kylethehoss: With AK, Oats, and Pearl, does Alabama have the greatest collection of college basketball coaches in the nation?
Yes, and if you're doing radio/livestreaming there, it's a dream come true. Kennedy and Pearl are phenomenal with media, and when Oats wants to, he can be quite entertaining as well.
From LARebel83: You know the Auburn program about as well as anyone. How have they been able to generally sustain success all these years when the state is dominated by Bama (Bama fans vastly outnumber AU fans, even before Saban era)? Alabama is not a small state, but they’re not as big as Georgia, Florida, or Tennessee either. On paper Auburn should be an afterthought, much like the Louisiana schools are relative to LSU. Instead, they’re a top program when the right coach is in place. How have they accumulated the resources to do that in Bama’s shadow?
Auburn is in a talent-rich area. It has a passionate fanbase that is almost cultish in its support. The network there operates pretty smoothly. There is a ton of money. The facilities are excellent. Their fans really care and they really want to win.
From Screb1996: Who on this team is going to get drafted ?
My guess:
Matt Corral, Dontario Drummond, Nick Broeker, Ben Brown, Sam Williams, Chance Campbell and maybe Jerrion Ealy.
From OrangeBeachReb: What he said, what he meant: CLK Twitter edition. Watch from 1:20 and listen to Lanes answer about his “persona”, etc. It’s really not RBL but I think he was sending a signal to Blue Blood programs that he doesn’t have to be a carnival barker at those schools and he can be more Saban-like. Thoughts?
That's not what I took from that at all. I think he was just acknowledging that different places require different approaches.
From nyc_tup: Neal,I think your criticism of the Magnolia Bowl trophy is unwarranted. Why shouldn’t every game award a trophy to the winner, even if they don’t play regularly? The home team would be charged with creating a trophy. For example Auburn could make the “Senator Tommy Tubberville Pine Box” and the winning team could burn its name in the side every year. This seems like a free space. What would you recommend as a trophy for Ole Miss vs Liberty? What would it look like? What would the winner do with it etc?
The Pine Box Bowl would be funny. Auburn likely wouldn't play along with that, however.
I'll pass on the Liberty thing. I look forward to next week coming and going and becoming history. I'll write about Hugh Freeze on Sunday. I'll likely be more complimentary than you suspect.
From rpflynt13: With the way October has gone and with what could potentially be at stake in November, do you think Liberty and Vanderbilt will be effectively used as bye weeks for parts of the roster to get healthy?
Ole Miss just needs to win those games. There's no reason to go for blowouts or whatnot. The only exception would be, especially if Ole Miss beats Auburn, Corral's Heisman candidacy could use huge numbers. It will be a complicated approach in that scenario.
From Political_Commentator: We all accept that high level basketball recruiting has been and will be a challenge at Ole Miss. However, Kermit Davis was able to repeatedly put together nationally competitive teams at MTSU through evaluation, development and the transfer market. Why hasn’t he been able to replicate that success through similar methods at Ole Miss?
The SEC is a different league. It's harder to out-coach teams at this level. It's more of a players' league. I think Kermit Davis is an elite coach. However, getting the high-level talent has always been a challenge at Ole Miss.
From Rollrebel88: I know it’s extremely hard to get any information about players but any news on why Dannis Jackson only got 2 snaps seemed odd
My guess is they weren't happy with his struggles to be proficient with lining up quickly and grasping assignments. That's just a guess.
From larryjoe1979: Would you rather have to fight a chicken every time you got in your car or have to fight a baboon once a year but you get a sword
A guy named Alex Cooper was asked this question, only his question was about an orangutan and not a baboon. His answer was detailed and specific and I can't top it. Here's Alex:
This is a tough one.
On the one hand, frequent chicken-fighting sessions would be incredibly annoying. Time management would be an issue, and you’d have to factor in how quickly you could vanquish the mother cluckers before making any plans.
I’m assuming they’re female chickens and not roosters. That would be a slightly different proposition thanks to their spurs—I would not like to be in a confined space with an agitated cock. (Phrasing?)
If it’s female chickens, then I’m confident I could at least win without too much risk of harm.
As for the inconvenience, there’s always public transport, I guess, although it’s not great here in the countryside. I don’t drive that often, but a few times a week is still a few times too many to throw down with a feathered foe.
I suppose I might just do bigger and less frequent food shops to minimise bantam-bashing encounters. Maybe I’d even take up cycling for shorter trips.
And what does this fight entail? Can I just grab it and throw it out of the car? Knock it out by exposing it to the month-old protein shake in my glove box? Or am I not allowed to stop until it’s an ex-chicken?
So many questions.
If I opt for the annual orangutan-slicing encounter, on the other hand, I’d be able to live a normal life for the rest of the year.
That’s assuming I can actually defeat the orangutan. I certainly wouldn’t fancy my chances without a weapon, but the sword does change the game somewhat.
The thing is, I don’t want to lop off an orangutan’s limbs with a sword or filet a flange or two, and I don’t think I’m in the minority when I say that.
The PTSD from wanton hominid homicide would probably stick with me for the rest of the year. I’d dread that day on the calendar. As the simian slaughter approached, I’d grow ever more melancholy.
Once the deed was done, I’d have weeks, and perhaps months of regret. Maybe I’d have some relief occasionally as I careened down country roads at 27 mph in my Kia, the wind in my hair and the smell of manure in my nostrils, but it would be fleeting.
There might not be chicken shit on my seats, but I would feel like a chickenshit for my cowardice.
Every car ride would be a reminder that I chose fast and convenient locomotion over the plight of a fellow ape. I could have given up driving completely, or merely slapped around the occasional chicken, but instead I chose to mangle the old man of the forest.
From usp94: What was the strategy behind those 4th down trick plays that the back up qb #96 was throwing down the field with his foot?
Those were, back in the old days, called punts. Back in the old days, a team would often punt the football to the other team on the fourth down. The ball would be thrown with the foot, leading to a change of possession. Those were different times. I thought Kiffin's ode to the past against LSU was merely a tip of the cap to punters past.
From rebelpsychologist: I tend to think there are alot of roster issues coaches are facing with modern uptempo offenses. I mainly am focused on how important depth and roster management are in the face of fatigue and mounting injuries. What are some the challenges that you hear from coaches? Seems like you can't just have a 3rd string guy be some average player anymore. You actually need them to be competent enough to be in the game and yet quality players aren't going to stick around for long if they are on the bench and have feelers out from other programs looking for players in the transfer portal. How can coaches keep role players on campus if other schools can keep recruiting them?
You just nailed it. It's a delicate balancing act. If you ever master it, put it in writing and get yourself hired.
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