It's time for The Mailbag, presented by Whitney McNutt of Tommy Morgan Inc. Realtors: Edition 206.

I asked for your questions. You delivered. So here we go…

Absolutely.

How much? That, I don't know. Several flagship institutions in this part of the country had record freshman enrollment this fall, so one has to assume the dropping of the theatre -- Zoom classes to protect scared, woke professors, virtue masks to protect the feelings of the crazies, vaccine pressure, canceled clubs, etc. -- played a significant role as well.

But did Kiffin's success in making Ole Miss football fun again have a role in the rising enrollment? Certainly.

Not Chase but yes. Why? NIL. We've talked about this. As the rules change and the playing field gets leveled, Ole Miss will be one of about six programs that is nationally elite every season, joining LSU, Texas, Texas A&M, Arkansas and maybe Mississippi State. Those are the programs -- and I'm sure I'm leaving one or two out -- that are truly all-in on baseball and that will be reflected in their rosters.

No, I love Steel Magnolias. It's fantastic. Sure, it plays into some stereotypes and whatnot, but it's pretty realistic. The characters are believable. The fact that Shelby -- spoiler alert -- dies makes it even more relatable. If you watch that movie and don't shed a few, I question your humanity.

I honestly have no idea. No one there is going to share that information, nor should they. My guess is Ole Miss would be stretched to the limit at $10 million per year for Kiffin. My guess is that would eliminate all flexibility elsewhere. I mean, look, if you run it like a business, you cut stuff like women's basketball to the bare bones and pour your money into football, men's basketball and -- at places like Ole Miss -- baseball.

However, college athletics can't run like a business. I mean, it could, but it won't.

I have a degree from ULM. They never asked us these types of questions. I'm guessing it's for the ease of parking and backing out, but I feel overwhelmed right now and need a break.

As for kids and sports, this is simple. Let your kids decide. Do not live vicariously through their athletic endeavors. The odds are overwhelming their athletic careers will be as unsuccessful as yours. You're not playing Major League Baseball. Little Johnny isn't, either.

The travel stuff can be fun. It's expensive. If Little Johnny doesn't love it, it's not worth it. It's hard to make middle school and high school teams, unless it's football, at which point it's difficult to get playing time. Don't let your kids tie their self-worth to their athletic prowess. Remind them at the appropriate time that it will never matter in the real world if they were a good high school football/basketball/baseball player or not.

Mostly, be present. Coach their teams if it makes you happy, but be present. The other night, after Carson's Oxford High School soccer game, a 1-0 loss to Hernando, he was talking about adjusting to the speed of the game, finding the open halfback from midfield, playing quicker, etc. I have never played soccer. I have developed an understanding of the game but I can't pretend to be an expert. I have no idea what he's going through out there. It looks hard. I see the bruises and the shin-long scab from sliding on the turf to make a tackle. Like I said, it looks hard.

Anyway, I just listened. I said a couple of encouraging things, but mostly, I listened. When we got home, he thanked his mom and me for being there.

The game was fun but it was stressful. Losing was painful. There is pressure to play well. He doesn't want to lose his starting spot. He doesn't want to let his teammates down. He's competitive. He wants to win. He wants to excel. But he knew we were there. That provided some comfort and some fuel.

I can't control any of the other stuff. I can't promise him playing time or a starting assignment. He asked for personal training and I paid for that, but he put in the work, not me. When he asks us to take him to the field so he can kick on his own, we do it, but we never suggest it. Ever.

But I can be there. I ordered two new OHS soccer hoodies after that conversation. My takeaway is my job is to be his fan, his support. My job is to alleviate pressure, not add to it. Mostly, my job is to be there. Just be there. Be present.

I hope that helped.

I think it's the portal. Guys with a Covid year who stay for a sixth season might be good glue guys and good locker room guys, but they're likely not impactful (meaning: future professional) players at the SEC level.

I'm unwilling to say that about Saban at this point. He's 71, but look, his team isn't exactly getting blown out. I think Georgia and others have taken talent from him that he normally accrues.

I suspect he'll shake up the coordinators again. People have been upset with O'Brien for a bit and Golding has had his ups and downs. However, Golding is a strong recruiter, so when he lets him go, he's got to fix that on his staff, all in an ever-changing climate that doesn't appear to work in Alabama's favor.

Not a pet peeve, but the people who call in and think it's a screener crack me up. We just aren't that far along. It's just a small room in my house. Sometimes I think about buying space and converting it into a real studio, but the money that would take makes me reconsider.

To get the call-in shows to truly work, we have to be more consistent. I know that. However, we get a lot of pushback, for lack of a better word, about taking calls at all.

I'm riffing off your question, I suppose, but it's really interesting to me how different people have such completely different desires as it pertains to the product we produce.

Anyway, I don't really have any pet peeves with it. And I'd laugh at the Dusty Rhodes impression if it were any good.

They are an excellent team and there are things about them I like. I was happy for Trey Mancini and Martin Maldonado, for example. I'm a Justin Verlander fan and wish the Cubs had pulled the trigger back in 2018 or 2019 when they elected not to.

But no, I doubt I'll ever be a fan. I'm a Cubs fan. I don't really have the emotional capacity to cheer for another baseball team.

And if I'm completely honest, the way the Cubs basically punished Jake Arrieta for his conservative viewpoints turned me off a bit. I'm still cheering for them but I do so with a little less vigor, I suppose.

No clue. Obviously, Ole Miss is going to have to get out of its comfort zone and get creative, but the Foundation lets it do that. My guess is he's going to get very close to or right at $10 million per year. I would guess Ole Miss is comfortable at six or seven years, likely -- if we're being really honest here -- knowing he's not going to be in Oxford that long.

Yes, obviously, size matters. I think sometimes we can be told size doesn't matter, but in reality, we're just being told that to protect our feelings. In terms of results, bigger isn't always better but the big ones are always going to have a shot as opposed to the little ones that are always going to fighting an uphill battle just to compete. So sure, no matter how much you want to think size doesn't matter and no matter how unfair it is that there's not a lot you can do about lack of size, size clearly matters.

I suspect it's C.J. Stroud's to lose at this point. I think Oregon's Bo Nix has a real shot. Georgia's Stetson Bennett could end up winning it, though that's unlikely. USC's Caleb Williams probably has a shot. I'm probably not giving enough credit to Michigan's Blake Corum or LSU's Jayden Daniels, but right now, I'd bet on Stroud.

Well, two things happened Tuesday night:

1. Ron DeSantis captured a massive victory in Florida, turning Miami red in the process. His win was gigantic. Marco Rubio rode his coattails to a very easy win of his own in his Senate race.

2. The Big Red Wave pundits predicted didn't materialize. As of this writing (6:41 a.m. CST Wednesday), control of the House and the Senate are in the air. However, if the Republicans happen to win, it's by the slimmest of margins.

Look, Republicans have to get this message. Trump is a drag on the party. He won't win in 2024. That's just my opinion, of course, but I believe it strongly. DeSantis, meanwhile, very clearly can. The question is: Will Trump get out of the way? I suspect we all know that answer.

On the Democratic side, Tuesday had to be encouraging to President Biden and his inner circle. Had the Big Red Wave come to fruition, he would've paid for it. Instead, he gets to possibly continue to move the country far to the left and, without rebuke, feel as if he can win re-election.

So my guess is it's Biden vs. Trump in 2024. I feel sorry for our children. I feel sorry for my 401(k). I hate what's happened to our country.

I think so. I think he would resonate with recruits, but I do wonder about his ability to stay consistent and he's very prickly with media. He's a risky hire.

I haven't watched the Seminoles much at all, but it appears that he has indeed righted the ship. They're a solid program again. I'm not sure they're what they once were or that they can ever return to that level of prominence, but Norvell is a solid coach/program-builder and he appears to be getting the job done.

I simply don't know. The economics make no sense, but college football decisions are made emotionally, typically during emotional times, and making emotional decisions frequently leads to mistakes.

As for the second point, I'll just say yes. Look at the political and social climate today. I suspect you know where we're headed. And for the record, that's fine. It's a scoreboard business. If you can win games, it shouldn't matter what race or sex or any of that you are.

I think it can. I think it has been a university-driven decision to keep that stuff mostly private. I might be wrong, but I believe that to be the case.

I would push back regarding your commentary on Sexton. His job -- his only job -- is to get his clients the best deal possible. When his clients have leverage, it's his job to exercise that leverage. If athletics directors and presidents aren't savvy enough to negotiate a more favorable deal, that's on them, not Sexton.

And the offers to players on rosters are already happening. You're going to soon see established young players leave for other schools just because of money. It's going to happen.

As Kiffin says, right now, it's unrestrained free agency.

No one. I'm just not a violent person. Seriously, if you ever hear of me in a fight, I promise I didn't start it and I simply felt I had to protect myself.

Elite defensive linemen are really expensive. The linebacker market is a little more manageable, but guys like Perkins -- five-star guys who can't miss -- are getting top dollar as well.

As for the balance between renovations and facilities and player procurement, I'm glad that's not on my plate.

We're going to get a glimpse on Saturday of what this offense looks like against pretty elite players. Ole Miss doesn't have the burner on the outside or in the slot, so they've had to rely on the running game. Wide receivers, by the way, are becoming very expensive, so that's something to watch moving forward. Running backs are more affordable, so what we're seeing now could be what Ole Miss must be moving forward.

Look, Ole Miss is now a top-20 job. It's paying at least $7 million per year. You conduct a national search. You reach out to Matt Campbell, Matt Rhule, Lance Leipold, Dave Clawson, Mike Gundy, Luke Fickell, Jamey Chadwell, Dave Aranda, Mike Elko -- those types of guys. You hire a proven, established winner.

Ault has been at Nevada forever, so no, they've never coached together. However, Kiffin is an offensive sponge, so it's possible he's picked Ault's brain. I'll ask him sometime.

It's likely I do a major renovation here in the next few months, but I'll always listen. Just keep in mind it can't be Ole Miss-related.

The short answer is yes, probably. What can be done about that? Well, keep winning and keep your coach and eventually the perception changes.