Holiday traffic, the transfer portal, and Christmas music sung by rappers has left me more irritable than usual during this joyous time of year.

That's my excuse for a segmented version of our weekly rendezvous.

PORTAL POOPER

I heard a lot of naysayers, including at least one on an Arkansas sports talk show, poking fun at Dabo Swinney months ago for his refusal to engage with the transfer portal.

Swinney explained his reason for not joining the rush to the transfer portal during an interview with Chris Low of ESPN.

"My transfer portal is right there in that locker room," Swinney said. "If I'm constantly going out every year and adding guys from the transfer portal, I'm telling all those guys in that locker room that I don't believe in them.