5-at-10: Friday mailbag

Great week gang. Thanks for all the give and take and taking all we could give.

From the "Talks too much" studios, this is handle your BID-ness week for college football, and don't you know the College Football Playoff committee would love some upsets and some easy choices Sunday.

From MocTastic

For the Friday Mailbag, discuss how moves such as this could effect high school sports: http://www.foxnews.com/us/2014/12/04/minnesota-high-school-league-votes-on-transgender-athletes-sport-policy/

MT -

Thanks for the link and for the interesting read about Minnesota's high school sports governing body (The MSHSL) passing a rule to allow transgender athletes to compete in with and against athletes of the gender they decide.

There are several layers and twists to that story and potential outliers that make this an issue that obviously has wide divide between conservatives and liberals.

Amazingly, though the second most important paragraph of the entire story - only bested by nut graph with the facts of the decision - was the absolutely last paragraph:

"It appears unlikely the policy will prompt a flood of gender-crossing among high school athletes. Helen Carroll, the sports project director for The National Center for Lesbian Rights, told MPRNews.com that only about five transgender students across the country make the sport transition each year."

So, we don't think there will be much of an effect at all on high school sports as a whole. And we were unaware that 32 other states had similar rules about transgender rules, and that the NCAA has them too.

That said, when a high-profile situation happens - and it will be it next year or next decade - then there will be noticeable fallout.

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Daily Listener

OK, I have to admit that I thought you newspaper guys would fall flat on the radio. I was wrong. Press Row is great, and I listen every chance I get.

Jadeveon Clowney

I love your Rushmores, and want to offer one:

With Jadeveon Clowney being done for the year and Ryan Leaf getting out of prison, which football players are on your biggest Rushmore of draft busts?

Thanks and I'll hang up and read.

DL -

It's too early to put Clowney on the all-time bust list, but his rookie season has been a disaster.

He does make the wondering left eye Rushmore with Shaq, Marty Feldman and Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes.

As for NFL draft busts, well, JaMarcus Russell is far left. He went No. 1 overall with a gaggle of future Hall of Famers on the board behind him. Ryan Leaf makes it, and his post-prison photos are the antithesis of Glam Shots. Then, we'd likyl go Ki-Jana Carter (No. 1 overall in 1995) and maybe Tim Couch (No. 1 overall in 1999).

Great question and thanks for listening to Press Row.

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From 'A Mocs Fan'

I just wanted to send you a note about how much I have enjoyed your paper's coverage of UTC football this year.

UTC Mocs logo

I have written you previously about what I thought was a lack of Mocs news and an obvious UT bias from you, but the last few weeks, I think you have done a much better job.

What's the difference now between before? Is it as simple as the Mocs are a playoff team?

Go Mocs --

AMF -

Thanks for the kind words, and we'll pass it along to the folks in the office, especially TFP UTC football ace Stephen Hargis, who has had a handful of very good stories the last few weeks on the Mocs.

That said, we likely have had a little more on the Mocs, but that's most likely because their season has lasted two weeks longer than it has in our time here. Yes, winning helps some because it creates more interest, and as always, the TFP sports section's job in our eyes is to reflect the sports interest in this community, not to generate it.

As for the Vols-Mocs comparison, UT is going to get more football coverage because there is simply more UT football interest around the 423.

(And as a side note to UTC fans everywhere: Ask the UTC coaches and administrators about the amount of coverage they get from the TFP compared to every other program of similar size and on comparable levels. If you doubt for a second that UTC gets so, So, SO much more than everyone else, just ask somebody within the athletic department.)

Thanks again for reading and for the feed back.

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SEC Southeastern Conference

From JMC

With the SEC playing the last of their regular season games, that means there shouldn't be any direct competition (read: lame excuses) for why Finley can't look like Neyland on a Saturday against Bama. That being said, does the paper have any plans for maximum exposure Saturday given the years we've waited to host a playoff.

I'll hang up and listen now.

JMC -

We've never been one to tell people what they should support or what events they should attend. If you want to go, great. If not, well OK.

And in my mind the "direct" competition that is other SEC games is not as much about people in the 423 attending those games. The biggest challenge for college sports in general in the fight to improve attendance is TV. That's still a bit of a hurdle Saturday.

The biggest hurdle is the weather forecast. If it clears up before the 1 p.m. kickoff, we think the re-set over/under of 6,500 will be passed easily. If it's raining, it will be really close to that in our view.

As for 'maximizing' exposure, well, we've kind of blown the doors off the last five or so weeks in our view, up to and including the A1 centerpiece treatment of the home win that secured the SoCon title and the playoff trip.

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From Joe

Man, you and Paschall have an awesome radio show. I have been listening all football season and wanted to tell you that.

UTC head coach Russ Huesman directs players on the sidelines.

Can I ask you a True or False question eventhough it's not Tuesday

True or False: Russ Huesman is going to be a hot name this offseason? I heard you guys mention something about his name being connected with a job this week but had to get out of the car and missed it.

Second -- and I have been surprised that this was not in the 5-at-10 this week - but did you see they are making a Guns 'N Roses movie? Who are you casting for Axl?

Thanks and keep up the great work.

Joe -

Thanks so much for the kind words and for listening and reading the 5-at-10.

As for the True or False, we'll say false as of right now, but that could change to a true with one or more playoff wins. And Paschall said he saw Russ's name on a "out of leftfield" list in regard to the Tulsa job. "Livin' on Tulsa Time."

Quick Rushmore of songs with a city in the title: Luckenbach Texas by Waylon, New York, New York by Sinatra, Statesboro Blues by Allman Brothers, Amarillo by Morning by George Strait.

As for the second one, wow, we're surprised we had not seen that either.

The first thought for Axl was David Spade, but then we remembered that David Spade would have a better chance pulling playing the lead in the Kareem Abdul Jabbar biography than being a believable Axl. Maybe go with Billy Crudup or even a Ryan Gosling. (We googled it and it looks like Christian Bale is the front-runner, and we'd be OK with that too.)

We'd definitely see if Joaquin Phoenix was interested in being Slash, though.

As for the smarmy, behind-the-scenes music exec, you have to get Paul Giamanti. This is not negotiable.

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From chas9

If Starkville had won the Egg Bowl, would the committee have dared to leave an unbeaten Seminole team out of the playoffs?

9er -

Great question and one we believe the committee is not prepared to answer.

We are expecting chaos this weekend, because if there's not some wild things happening in the conference championship games, there will be some wild moves in the rankings come Sunday afternoon.

We'll be back to break down the scenarios, but we are crunched on time and 10 a.m. waits for no man.

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Former University of Tennessee football coach Lane Kiffin

From Billy in Brainerd

Where will Lane Kiffin be coaching next year? College, NFL, CFL...head coach or OC?

BiB -

Great question.

We think he will be right where he is as the Alabama OC for a couple of reasons.

One he's likely going to win the Broyles Award as the nation's top assistant. Also, the Tide are likely going to play for the national title.

That means he will be unavailable for the most part until early January.

Also, the best likely will be filled by then (unless Michigan pulls the shocker and offers Kiffin the gig, which would give us Kiffin vs. Urban Meyer in the second-best rivalry in college football... yes please) and we can't see Kiffin going to Tulsa for a couple of years.

This time next year, though, his name will be a hot commodity again, so there's that.

Man, there are as many second-chances in coaching as there are in politics.