The 5-at-10 was part of the reason I believed I could do radio, and now the 5-at-10 proved to be what ended my time in radio.

On Thursday night, Eric Rivers celebrated McCallie's second straight football state championship. It was only last season he had to earn his way back onto the team after a serious disagreement with coach Ralph Potter over his splitting time between AAU basketball and Blue Tornado football.

There were several reminders that were clear and distinct from the Wednesday afternoon NFL scrimmage between Ravens and Steelers.

It was announced this week to nobody's surprise that "pandemic" is the word of 2020.

It is the first day of December as I write this, and all of a sudden it is wintertime!

OK, tough week in Knoxville. Scratch that. Tough couple of months in Knoxville.

OK, for maybe the first time in history of the 30-minute college football playoff announcement show, tonight's version will not be 26 minutes too long.

Assuming nothing has changed between the time I wrote this column late Monday afternoon and whenever you read it — and assuming anything in these coronavirus times is risky business - No. 7 Kansas and No. 20 Kentucky will face off at 9:30 Tuesday night on ESPN in the State Farm Champions Classic.

Sure, we all wanted her to get a chance to kick a PAT or attempt a field goal, but the directional kickoff to start the second half was ground-breaking nonetheless.

Hired with the unenviable task of replacing James Franklin, whose 2012 and 2013 Vanderbilt football teams went 9-4 consecutively, Derek Mason never had a winning season in Nashville but did lead 6-6 teams to bowl games twice and beat Tennessee three straight years.

Making history doesn't always mean walking on the moon, going fast enough to break the sound barrier or becoming the first female aviator to fly across the Atlantic Ocean.

No Matt Ryan hatred. Heck, he's on my fantasy team, and while I do not think he's a first-ballot guy, I do believe he's on a Hall of Fame career curve.

Chris Brown doesn't believe in the boogeyman. Now in his third year as Red Bank's coach, Brown believes in his players and the work they've put in to become one of the state's best football teams.

It's more difficult to be thankful this year. We're isolated more than ever, not just on this holiday, but in terms of our daily lives and normal activities.

The Southeastern Conference's decision in late July to implement a 10-game football schedule consisting solely of league games also included the requirement that all contests transpire on Saturdays.

How badly does junior quarterback Logan Carroll want to help his Meigs County teammates stay alive in the TSSAA Class 2A state playoffs by doing all he can to avoid the coronavirus?

At some point during his Monday afternoon press conference, Tennessee football coach Jeremy Pruitt made the following observation regarding his team's 30-17 loss at Auburn last Saturday night: "We played much better in this game than we did against Missouri."

As every other college football power finds ways to play competitive games, the Tide simply dominates.

Imagine telling your neighborhood Georgia football fans this past Friday that their beloved Bulldogs would rush for only 8 yards Saturday night against Mississippi State and would defeat their fellow Bulldogs just 31-24.

Howard School football coach John Starr could have been forgiven for not answering his cellphone Friday afternoon.

I think UT will beat Auburn, but this is not as much a pick for the Vols as it is against an Auburn team that has gone totally erratic.

I would not have a problem advising any of my buddies who call for picks and tips to look at the dudes atop the Heisman odds and expect huge numbers.

Mike Bobo grew up dreaming of playing quarterback in the Southeastern Conference and accomplished that goal at Georgia.