SEC Football Unfiltered: Recent Episodes
SEC Football Unfiltered
SEC Football Unfiltered features hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams of the USA TODAY Network serving opinion, debate and analysis on trending college football topics within the Southeastern Conference. No subject is off limits, and no one is above rebuke. Take off the filter and revel in the banter.
The SEC is mired in a national championship drought, but the conference still claims to have unmatched depth. That argument will gain steam after the release of the preseason US LBM Coaches Poll. Nine SEC teams are ranked in the Top 25, more than any other conference. That includes six teams in the top 11.
So, were Big Ten coaches in the wrong last week when they took a victory lap at the SEC's expense during the Big Ten's media days? As one Big Ten coach put it, the SEC would like to pretend it's still 2005. Ouch!
On today's episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams discuss the Big Ten's chest-thumping and explain why they're OK with it. They also react to the coaches poll and offer a few SEC teams that could be overrated and underrated.
Toppmeyer says one Big Ten team in particular got snubbed in the rankings, and Adams reveals who he'd have ranked No. 1. (Hint: It's an SEC team.)
The media must be skeptical of Lane Kiffin's ability to make Year 1 a smashing success at LSU. Also, Auburn is flying under the radar as a sleeper team.
That's our reaction here at "SEC Football Unfiltered" to the conference's predicted order of finish that came out last week. LSU ranked No. 5 in the pecking order, and Auburn was No. 12.
On today's episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams debate the reasons why the media poll is so hesitant toward LSU, and they make the case for Auburn being underrated, too.
They also offer a pair of overrated teams.
Toppmeyer and Adams disagree on which team is the SEC's frontrunner. Is it Georgia or Texas?
Toppmeyer also asks Adams an interesting question: If the Big Ten has three national championship contenders (Ohio State, Indiana and Oregon), does the SEC also have three?
Who are college football's top 25 coaches? USA TODAY recently released its rankings, and, in a bit of a stunning development, Tennessee's Josh Heupel was nearly left off the list entirely. He checked in at No. 24.
Hey, don't blame us.
On today's episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams examine the case for Heupel being the SEC's most underrated coach.
Toppmeyer had a ballot in USA TODAY's coach-ranking project. He discloses where he ranked Heupel and explains his surprise that his colleagues view Heupel so differently. He also offers another SEC coach he believes is underrated in the USA TODAY list.
Adams agrees with Toppmeyer that Heupel is vastly underrated in this USA TODAY pecking order, but Adams lightly pushes back on where Toppmeyer ranked Lane Kiffin. Adams would've voted Kiffin a little bit higher than his cohost did, but Adams didn't get a vote. Adams tasks Toppmeyer with securing him a ballot for the vote in 2027.
We've got the College Football Playoff all figured out. Well, we'll give it our best guess, anyway.
The dog days of summer are the perfect time to cook up our first CFP bracket predictions, but here on "SEC Football Unfiltered," we arrive at our picks a little differently: It's a team effort.
Hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams are each responsible for supplying six teams. No overlapping picks. No overriding the other host's choices. Keep going 'til we hit 12 qualifiers.
The selections begin in a chalky manner, before Adams sprints to pick a Big 12 qualifier so that Toppmeyer won't pick BYU.
The final count looks like this: four playoff qualifiers from the SEC, plus a final Big Ten pick from Adams that makes Toppmeyer come unglued.
Georgia no longer rules college football, but Kirby Smart still lords over his peers within the SEC. Georgia owns back-to-back SEC titles. With Gunner Stockton back, can Georgia make it three straight? The schedule sets up nicely.
On today's episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams play a round of fact or fiction as they examine eight scenarios within the SEC.
Georgia's chance for an SEC three-peat is among their debates.
They also examine the playoff case for LSU and Alabama, consider Arch Manning's Heisman Trophy prospects and highlight a first-year coach poised for a breakout season.
Shane Beamer's rump roasts on the hot seat. Even he admits it.
South Carolina's coach acknowledged his hot-seat status in a recent interview with the Greenville News. He's not the only SEC coach on the hot seat, although the coaching carousel projects to be quieter this season, after six SEC schools hired a new coach last year.
On today's episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams list five SEC coaches on the hot seat.
Beamer tops the list, but another coach coming off a losing season isn't far behind. Two coaches at premier SEC jobs claim spots on the hot-seat list, too, despite the fact that they have playoff appearances on their resume.
Toppmeyer and Adams also each offer a wild-card contender for the hot seat.
And with the first pick of the "SEC Football Unfiltered" quarterbacks draft ...
Yes, it's that time of the offseason. We're going head-to-head drafting SEC quarterbacks in an effort to build the best four-deep collection of QBs.
You know the top names. Trinidad Chambliss. Arch Manning. Gunner Stockton. And more.
But, who's first off the board?
On today's episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams each draft four SEC quarterbacks as they try to outduel the other. Once a player comes off the board, the other host cannot select him.
With the first pick, Adams eyes a proven starter with playoff experience.
All of Toppmeyer's picks are returning starters in the SEC, while Adams reaches for a couple of transfers, and he twists the knife with his final pick.
Tennessee gave Brendan Sorsby a sniff. LSU heavily courted the Cincinnati transfer.
Sorsby chose Texas Tech, as one of the most premier transfers of the winter shopping season. Then, the floor fell out. The NCAA learned Sorsby placed thousands of bets on sports and declared him ineligible.
Now, a Texas judge has granted Sorsby an injunction that’ll block the NCAA from enforcing its gambling rules and allow Sorsby to play this season.
Will SEC teams regret missing out on Sorsby, or did they dodge a troublesome situation?
On today’s episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams weigh in on the Sorsby saga and the reverberations of the judge’s ruling.
They also debate whether LSU or Tennessee would be better served with Sorsby than their current quarterback situations.
Later in the episode, the hosts react to Athlon’s top-25 rankings. Eight SEC teams are ranked, and Toppmeyer and Adams earmark a few as being overrated, while they highlight one unranked SEC team as being worth a top-25 look.
Used to be, the SEC bragged about its national championships. Rightfully so. During one 17-year span, the SEC won 13 titles.
Now, the Big Ten has won three straight national titles, and no SEC team has beaten a Big Ten opponent in a playoff game since 2022. SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey denies a problem exists or that the Big Ten has pulled ahead. He says the SEC remains the best conference "by far," and he attributes the Big Ten's success to the ball bouncing "a couple of times the wrong way."
Sankey also said if the SEC was winning, nobody would ask him about losing. Well, no kidding.
Has Sankey lost the plot?
On today's episode, Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams discuss Sankey's insistence that the SEC remains the nation's best conference "by far," even as the Big Ten racks up national titles and asserts dominance of the 12-team playoff.
The hosts disagree with Sankey's assessment of the situation, but they also say the SEC's commissioner isn't singularly responsible for fixing the problem. The SEC's coaches need to step up and deliver, too.
Speaking of coaches, what's up with Texas' Steve Sarkisian this offseason? He's slinging mud at Mississippi and riling up Texas Tech. Is this evidence of Sark feeling the pressure at Texas?
Lane Kiffin spent more than a decade rebuilding his career and his image after Southern Cal fired him. By last season, his career was soaring, and his likability had reached an all-time high. He was thriving at Mississippi.
Then, he became the hottest name in the college coaching carousel. You know the rest. He left Ole Miss on the playoff’s doorstep and became the coach at rival LSU. Now, he’s a college football villain again. How’s he handling that? We’ll hear from Kiffin on that very subject during today's episode with host Blake Toppmeyer.
Two weeks ago, Toppmeyer sat down with Kiffin for an extensive interview in his office at LSU. This interview was right after the Vanity Fair piece published.
Kiffin admitted that the impact his exit had on his image has "really started to bother" him.
The scrutiny, though, has only just begin. He'll face daunting expectations in his first season at LSU.
Toppmeyer discusses with Kiffin how he plans to handle being in the villain role once again, a role he’s held previously but then pivoted away from at Ole Miss before taking the LSU job and shifting his character arc once again.
All is quiet on the Alabama front. It’s been a sleepy offseason in Tuscaloosa, ahead of what’s a bellwether season for Kalen DeBoer’s tenure.
Alabama’s got one of the SEC’s few quarterback competitions between Keelon Russell and Austin Mack, but perhaps the biggest story came in April, when Alabama announced a two-year contract extension for DeBoer. His deal now runs through the 2032 season.
Good deal, bad deal, or otherwise?
On today's episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams dive into DeBoer's extension, what it means, and why anyone talking hot seat with DeBoer is not living in reality. We also hear directly from DeBoer, after Toppmeyer sat down with the Alabama coach for an interview earlier this offseason to discuss his interest (or lack thereof) in the Michigan job and his unflinching commitment to the Tide.
Alabama is doubling down on DeBoer, and he's doubling down on Alabama. But, about that Rose Bowl loss ...
Later in the episode, a closer look at how the Big Ten is stealing a page from the SEC's playbook as it pushes for a 24-team playoff.
There goes that man, back in the headlines.
Lane Kiffin typically basks in the spotlight and attention he generates, but is he ready for the level of scrutiny and pressure that'll center on him during his first season at LSU?
Already, Kiffin is stirring the pot with his recent comments in a Vanity Fair profile that rekindled Mississippi fans' ire for him, after he left the Rebels on the doorstep of the playoff.
Kiffin spent more than a decade rebuilding his personal and professional image after he got fired at Southern Cal. Then, he burned it all down for the LSU job. Worth it?
On today's episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams discuss Kiffin's comments to Vanity Fair and debate how he'll handle a level of expectation he's not faced in more than a decade.
Also in this episode, Toppmeyer reveals some details of his recent trip to Baton Rouge, where he interviewed Kiffin and LSU athletic director Verge Ausberry. Adams weighs in on Kiffin's comment comparing the blowback he's dealing with now, compared to what he experienced after leaving Tennessee.
Toppmeyer explains why Kiffin's first season will be particularly important, and the hosts predict whether LSU will make the playoff.
Later, Toppmeyer and Adams react to the AFCA coming out in favor of a 24-team playoff, as coaches lean into participation ribbons. Can anyone stop a 24-team playoff now?
Don’t go to Auburn for a taste of fruit punch.
“We don’t even have red Gatorade," Auburn center Cole Best told USA TODAY Sports.
That's the Iron Bowl rivalry for you.
No red Gatorade (or red ink pens), as Auburn emphasizes its rivalry with Alabama.
Whatever it takes to reverse Auburn's fortunes. The last five seasons were pretty miserable on the Plains. Auburn hasn't beaten either Alabama or Georgia, its top rivals, since Gus Malzahn was its coach.
On today's episode, host Blake Toppmeyer of USA TODAY is joined by the Montgomery Advertiser's Adam Cole as they examine the start of Alex Golesh's tenure and whether this new hire can spark an Auburn upswing. Toppmeyer shares some details of his offseason visit to Auburn, and Cole explains why quarterback Byrum Brown's ability couldn't be judged properly from Auburn's spring game.
They finish by weighing in on whether they're buying, selling or holding stock in Auburn under Golesh.
The Big Ten rules college sports.
That's the brass tacks. The SEC no longer can hide from reality.
The Big Ten won the last three college football championships. The SEC hasn't reached the national championship game since 2023 Georgia won it all. Now, as insult to injury, the Big Ten sent two teams to the Final Four of the NCAA Tournament, while the SEC sits at home.
On today's episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams address the SEC's reality and just how dire the situation is. They also suggest a new motto for the SEC, now that the Big Ten is on top.
Also in this episode, the hosts react to Tennessee being the last SEC team standing in March Madness, and they weigh in on Will Wade's hire at LSU.
Alabama's Nate Oats and Florida's Todd Golden established themselves as top-tier SEC basketball coaches. Oats has Alabama in the Sweet 16 for the fourth straight season. Golden's stock remains red hot despite Florida's surprising second-round loss to Iowa.
So, what happens if the North Carolina job opens? UNC's Hubert Davis is on the hot seat. Golden and Oats have proven they can win at the highest level. They enjoy ultimate job security and high favorability ratings at their current school. Would they trade that in for the chance to coach a blue blood, where basketball reigns supreme?
On today's episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams debate the merits of leaving a stable SEC job for a premier opportunity like North Carolina, where the pressure is high but so is the ceiling. Adams thinks a coach with Golden's swagger or Oats' appetite for a national championship might trade in a secure situation for the ego stroke of a blue blood, but both hosts outline multiple reasons to stay put.
If Golden is open to leaving Florida, Adams thinks he'd be better off waiting for another SEC job to open.
Think Kentucky could use some of Golden's swagger if Mark Pope flames out in 2027?
Also in this episode, the hosts examine the four SEC teams remaining in March Madness and highlight one team they think could advance to the Elite Eight via an upset.
The SEC led all conferences with 10 NCAA Tournament bids. Perhaps, there was a case for 11 bids, although if any SEC team got snubbed, it wasn't Auburn — despite what you might have heard from Bruce Pearl.
Oklahoma had a better NCAA case than Auburn.
As for the SEC teams that made the bracket, which one faces the most pressure, and which will be the last SEC team standing?
On today's episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams weigh in on the bracket, offer first-round upset picks and highlight a sleeper team from the SEC that could reach the Elite Eight.
Plus, they offer their Final Four picks!
In a surprise twist, neither host picks an SEC team to reach the Final Four.
If Indiana can be a football school, then why can’t Florida be a basketball school? Todd Golden is looking to emulate Billy Donovan and coach the Gators to back-to-back national championships. As the SEC Tournament arrives, Florida has won 11 straight and is making a beeline for a No. 1 seed in March Madness.
In the meantime, can anyone stop Florida in Nashville?
On today’s basketball-themed episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams discuss top threats to Florida in the SEC Tournament and debate whether it’s hyperbolic to claim Florida is a basketball school, for the moment.
Later in the episode, they weigh in on Bruce Pearl’s vendetta against Miami (Ohio). To wrap up the upside, the hosts discuss the latest on March Madness expansion talk, and Adams explains why he likes the idea of a 76-team NCAA Tournament even less than he likes the idea of a 24-team playoff.
By now, you're quite familiar with the big names. Arch. Trinidad. Gunner.
The SEC is stocked with an impressive collection of quarterbacks for 2026. But, even as the headline stars suck up a lot of oxygen, we detect a handful of quarterbacks flying below the radar who could be poised for big seasons.
On today's episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams highlight four SEC quarterbacks who are not being talked about enough. Allow us to generate some hype.
The list includes three transfers, plus a young quarterback who became a starter toward the end of last season.
Later in the episode, the hosts react to Tennessee's Josh Heupel saying he'd support at 24-team playoff. Is that really a champion's mentality, or do coaches who like a 24-team playoff just crave extra job security?
The last round of SEC expansion re-established the Texas-Texas A&M rivalry, but conference realignment has taken more than it's given on the rivalry front. Not only that, but the SEC's elimination of divisions also will stop some rivalries from occurring annually. Both inside and outside of the SEC, games that were once part of the fabric of college football are no longer played every year.
On today's episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams highlight eight rivalry games that they'd wish to save on an annual basis. These are games that have either already gone away or series that will be interrupted in the near future. Several of the rivalries have SEC ties, but they also dip into Big Ten and Big 12 terrain to restore some lost rivalries.
Also on this episode, Toppmeyer and Adams react to Joey Aguilar losing his bid for another season as Tennessee's quarterback. One host takes up for the NCAA's quest to enforce its eligibility rules, while the other host has less sympathy for the NCAA.
Say this for the Big Ten’s quest to expand the College Football Playoff: It doesn’t become fixated with any particular idea.
While the SEC remains stuck on a 5+11 playoff plan the Big Ten refuses to accept, the B1G’s playoff think tank has devised yet another proposal.
This one centers on 24 teams.
On today's episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams play a round of fact or fiction and debate whether the SEC should embrace the Big Ten’s plan for a five-round, 24-team playoff.
They also weigh in on Trinidad Chambliss getting another season of eligibility and whether he’s the Heisman Trophy frontrunner — or is it Arch Manning?
Finally, they make a surprising prediction about Kirby Smart and Georgia.
Can the SEC put an end to the Big Ten's national championship streak? That quest begins with four SEC teams, although one ACC team might be the most dangerous threat to the Big Ten's string of dominance in 2026.
On today's episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams go head-to-head drafting their top six national championship contenders.
Adams, with the first pick in the draft, plucks a frontrunner from the SEC, but Toppmeyer ventures outside the SEC for his first two picks. Adams stealthily steals one team that Toppmeyer badly wanted on his lineup of national championship contenders.
In the end, they each select two SEC teams among their six-pack of national championship contenders.
When the Big Ten refused to compromise on the 16-team playoff that the SEC desired, that left the SEC with a choice: Go to 24 teams, or stay at 12? The SEC chose 12.
Did it make the right call?
On today’s episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams unpack the inability for the SEC and Big Ten to reach a compromise on playoff expansion.
Also, a debate of whether the SEC erred by adding a ninth conference game, in light of the playoff not expanding. Stiffening the schedule will make it more difficult for SEC teams to reach at least 10 victories, which appears to be a key number toward at-large playoff qualification.
Finally, the hosts consider this question: Will a team from the ACC or Big 12 win a national championship before the SEC gets its next one?
Dabo Swinney named names. The Clemson coach is blowing the whistle with allegations of tampering by an SEC school.
Swinney says he's decided to sic the feeble NCAA on Mississippi coach Pete Golding, after Swinney accused the Rebels coach of tampering to plunder a player off Clemson's roster.
Oh, boy.
On the one hand, kudos to Swinney for actually naming names. Many coaches bellyache of tampering, but few come with any evidence or firm accusations. Swinney broke the mold.
On the other hand, big whoop. Someone might need to inform Swinney that he'd have better luck getting justice from the Keystone Cops than NCAA enforcement.
While it's hard to fault Swinney for being frustrated, especially if it all went down like he claims, he better not get his hopes up. In case Swinney hadn't noticed, the NCAA hasn't effectively enforced its rules for many years now.
On today's episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams react to Swinney blowing the whistle on Ole Miss and what they expect to come of it. (Hint: Not much.)
Before they get to Swinney, the hosts weigh in on USA TODAY's "too early" top 25 rankings for the 2026 season. They highlight some SEC teams that are overrated and a couple that might be underrated.
Adams gets sucked into the hype machine for one SEC team, in particular. Toppmeyer is tempted to buy stock in an unranked SEC team with a new coach that's making noise in the transfer portal.
When Indiana won its first national championship in program history, the Hoosiers shattered college football's permission structure. Fans could always hope. Now, Indiana gave fans of lovable losers permission to believe.
Who cares about history? That matters less than ever.
That should be good news for a few programs inside the SEC.
On today's episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams debate whether the "next Indiana" could be located inside the SEC. They highlight a few contenders, but perhaps none fits the profile better than Kentucky. The Wildcats have a doormat's history, but they're cooking in the transfer portal behind new coach Will Stein. You don't get to where Indiana got on a wish and a prayer, though. Programs like Kentucky, Arkansas and South Carolina must study how Curt Cignetti built this undefeated squad.
Later in the episode, the hosts discuss why no SEC schools made a hire from the Cignetti mold. Would a program like Auburn or Florida have been better off hiring an older coach with a longer track record?
The mighty SEC has fallen off its perch. It no longer rules college football. For the third straight season, the SEC has been shut out of the national championship game. If Indiana beats Miami, that will mark three straight national titles for the Big Ten.
How does the SEC get the crown back?
Start in Texas. The Longhorns failed to live up to the hype in Arch Manning's first season as starter, but they finished the year in strong fashion. The conversation for 2026 SEC frontrunners starts in Austin. Just consider what Steve Sarkisian is doing in the transfer portal, where he secured a premier wide receiver to pair with Manning.
On today's episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams debate whether they're ready to buy in on more Texas hype after the Longhorns wilted in the spotlight this season. They also discuss why they're a bit hesitant to go all-in on LSU in Lane Kiffin's first season, even after the Tigers nabbed quarterback Sam Leavitt in the transfer portal.
Then, they pivot to Alabama. The Tide have a problem, but it's not Kalen DeBoer. Finally, they issue their picks for the national championship game.
The SEC's hopes rest on the shoulders of Trinidad Chambliss and Ole Miss. While most of the SEC flopped in the postseason, the Rebels have become the toast of college football, as they continue to win even after Lane Kiffin's exit.
Can the Rebels reach the finish line? If so, can the Heisman Trophy redirect its way into Chambliss' hands? The latter won't happen. The former? Maybe.
On today's episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams debate why the SEC has fallen off its throne as college football's almighty overlord. Toppmeyer says Alabama's whimpering finish under Indiana's fist at the Rose Bowl shows just how far the SEC has fallen. He compares the Tide to a Big Ten team that finished 9-4. The hosts discuss how much better, if at all, Alabama would be right now if Nick Saban still coached the Tide.
Adams assesses where he'd rank Ole Miss in the pecking order of playoff semifinalists, and the hosts make their Fiesta Bowl and Peach Bowl picks against the spread.
Also, Toppmeyer fesses up: He wishes he could make one change to his Heisman ballot, involving an SEC quarterback.
The Big Ten is thriving so far this postseason. With a couple of exceptions, the SEC is wilting.
And what of the coaching carousel? Did the Big Ten club the SEC there, too? You could make that case.
LSU scored the big fish by securing Lane Kiffin. Mostly, though, SEC schools hired promising but largely unproven up and comers, while Big Ten schools like Michigan and Penn State landed veteran winners with solid resumes.
On today's episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams evaluate which conference did it better in this hiring cycle. They also debate which conference has the more complete roster of coaches. And they discuss which SEC schools would have been well-served by hiring Kyle Whittingham, who wound up at Michigan.
Later in the episode, the hosts unpack the College Football Playoff quarterfinal matchups, including what's at stake for Kalen DeBoer in Alabama-Indiana and whether Mississippi plays with house money in a rematch with Georgia.
The College Football Playoff’s first round served two competitive games and two blowouts. The reaction to that: Many fans and media types are demanding a change to the CFP bracket format.
Is that an overreaction to two lopsided games, or a worthy response? Let’s remember, last year’s playoff served up four first-round duds. So, at least this year provided an upgrade. That doesn’t mean this system is perfect.
On today’s episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and Matt Hayes weigh in on the big CFP debate — just how badly does this format require revision?
Toppmeyer says we must face reality that there’s no escaping the possibility of blowouts. He’s unwilling to pin this squarely on the Group of Five. After all, no G5 teams were involved in playoff blowouts last season.
Even so, he’s open-minded to Hayes' ideas for playoff revision: Get rid of the automatic bids. Have the committee select the full field. But, first, fire athletic directors from the committee.
Later in the episode, the hosts preview the quarterfinals. They examine Miami’s potential to upset Ohio State and debate whether Alabama is for real or not.
Diego Pavia reacted to his second-place Heisman Trophy finish as only he would.
"F all the voters," Vanderbilt's quarterback wrote on social media.
Hey, he's talking about us! We're the voters.
On today's episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams reveal their Heisman Trophy ballots and sound off on Pavia's response to not winning.
We take no significant offense to Pavia criticizing sportswriters and their votes. After all, sportswriters are critics. We can handle the blowback (even if we voted for Pavia). But, Pavia's reaction took some of the spotlight away from Indiana's Fernando Mendoza. That's where he erred.
Also in this episode, a discussion of whether Kalen DeBoer is making the right move pledging allegiance to Alabamawhile the Michigan job sits open.
Finally, College Football Playoff picks against the spread!
Did the CFP committee get the playoff bracket right? Well, that depends on your perspective and your rooting interests. The bubble became awfully crowded, so not everyone was going to come away happy.
Overall, Alabama and Miami seem like fair choices, but the course the committee charted to reach that destination became an exercise of the absurd.
On today’s episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams offer their biggest grievances with this bracket – and with this committee – and propose a different way to approach the playoff.
Is this season cause for playoff expansion? Not necessarily. There’s an argument for 16 teams, but there’s also a case for staying at 12 and dumping automatic bids in favor of a bracket filled exclusively through at-large bids. Let’s reconsider who gets to be on the CFP committee.
Also in this episode, the hosts discuss potential playoff upsets, and they predict the national champion.
If you’d formed a list of candidates LSU should pursue after it fired Brian Kelly, it might have looked like this:
-
Lane Kiffin
-
Revert to option 1 and get it done.
LSU got it done. Lane has landed in Baton Rouge. Now, what does it all mean?
For Kiffin, leaving Ole Miss on the doorstep of the playoff marks a sharp pivot in his redemption story and revives his renegade past. At LSU, he'll enjoy every advantage to win a national championship.
Ole Miss opted for stability in a moment of turmoil and promoted coordinator Pete Golding to coach. How will the transition affect the Rebels in the playoff?
On today's episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams grade the hire for LSU and weigh in on whether Ole Miss made the right call in not allowing Kiffin to coach the playoff. Adams logs a prediction for whether Kiffin will win a national championship with LSU, while Toppmeyer shares thoughts on what Kiffin's career pivot will mean for his legacy.
Later in the episode, the hosts react to the other hires in the SEC in what's become a coaching carousel unlike any other. Finally, they predict national championship games against the spread.
Two SEC schools will lose the Lane Kiffin sweepstakes. To the victor goes Kiffin, and all that accompanies this mercurial renegade. To the losers go ... a coaching search.
In the meantime, Kiffin's current team pursues a playoff bid. Ole Miss must win the Egg Bowl to solidify its playoff footing. Never mind the Kiffin drama, says Rebels quarterback Trinidad Chambliss, because the team remains "locked in" on winning the Egg Bowl and reaching the playoff.
On today's episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams unpack the latest developments in the soap opera starring Kiffin, as his decision day nears, and they log their predictions for where he'll be coaching next season. They also weigh in on a few potential Florida candidates if the Gators lose the Kiffin sweepstakes. A couple of ACC coaches could fit the bill for UF.
The hosts also consider: If Tulane coach Jon Sumrall has his choice between Auburn and Ole Miss, which is the better option?
Later in the episode, they debate the playoff likelihood for three SEC teams that sit on a crowded bubble. Finally, Week 14 picks against the spread!
Greg Sankey once mused about the SEC staging its own College Football Playoff. He didn’t follow through, but his conference has an outside shot of claiming half the spots in a 12-team playoff.
Not bad, eh?
The bubble’s getting awfully crowded, so what’s the most realistic outcome for the SEC?
On today’s episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams consider the playoff fortunes of the SEC’s seven teams still in the hunt for a bid. They identify five SEC teams that will make the field, and the two playoff contenders that won’t.
Later in the episode, Toppmeyer declares Texas’ season a flop and questions whether Steve Sarkisian should be under more scrutiny. The hosts also sound off on the latest in the Lane Kiffin saga, and they grade Virginia Tech’s hire of James Franklin.
Finally, Week 13 picks against the spread!
The buyout gods rested. The money cannon ran out of gunpowder. The firing squad took a weekend off.
Folks, we just got through a Sunday with no college football coaches fired. Do you believe in miracles?
Are the firings finished for this season? Well, about that ...
On today's episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams discuss a few SEC coaches who might not be out of the woods yet. Kentucky's Mark Stoops and Oklahoma's Brent Venables are OK for now. There's work left to do. Also, with South Carolina imploding, should Shane Beamer consider an exit for Virginia Tech? And, what to make of Toppmeyer's idea that Tennessee's Josh Heupel turn his eye toward Penn State? Adams weighs in.
Later in the episode, the hosts disagree on how many SEC teams are national championship contenders. Is it two, or three? Finally, Week 12 picks against the spread!
The firings will continue until morale improves.
Auburn became the latest SEC school to succumb to misery, firing Hugh Freeze on Sunday to put an end to his awful tenure. This becomes Auburn’s third firing in six seasons at a program that once punched at the highest level.
As the Tigers limp toward what would be a fifth consecutive losing season, it begs the question: Is this still a good job?
On today’s episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams debate the merits of the Auburn job. They consider the candidacy of 10 potential targets, taking a particular shine to one coach who’s thriving at a nearby school in the ACC.
Later in the episode, a discussion of whether the SEC can qualify five teams for the College Football Playoff, and whether one of those five might be Texas. Finally, Week 11 picks against the spread!
Brian Kelly came to LSU talking like Nic Cage from "Con Air" and promising national championships. He left a fired coach, with no national titles but plenty of buyout money on the way.
LSU is hiring, adding an injection of rocket fuel into the coaching carousel. Of course Lane Kiffin will be attached to this search, but he's not the only brand name worthy of consideration.
On today's episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams debate Kiffin's candidacy and that of nine other potential options. Adams loves the idea of Kiffin to LSU, but Toppmeyer's still hung up on Kiffin to Florida.
That's if he leaves at all. He's got a playoff team on his hands at Ole Miss.
Later in the episode, Week 10 picks against the spread!
All Florida Gators fans want is the second coming of Steve Spurrier. Is that too much to ask? Not if Lane Kiffin wants the job.
Kiffin is a slam dunk choice for Florida, but it's not a slam dunk he'll say yes. He's found success and stability at Ole Miss, where his Rebels are a playoff contender.
What if Kiffin says no?
On today's episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams consider nine candidates for the Florida job with a round of love it, like it or no thanks.
They also take the temperature of the hot seats at Auburn and LSU. Finally, Week 9 picks against the spread!
James Franklin is on the market, kicked to the curb by Penn State. He's a proven program builder, and, within the SEC, there are programs that need rebuilt. He's shown he can win in the SEC, too, having succeeded at Vanderbilt.
True, he's got a history of flopping in big games, but he's a steady performer. Would any SEC programs be up for such steadiness?
On today's episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams consider a few SEC jobs where Franklin might be an upgrade on current or past coaches. Adams says he likes Franklin for Arkansas' opening, plus two other SEC jobs that aren't yet open but might come open soon. Toppmeyer isn't quite as sold on the idea of Franklin reviving his career in the SEC. How do you sell the hire of a guy who just lost to UCLA and Northwestern?
Also in this episode, the hosts update their 12-team playoff projection, choosing five SEC teams for the field. Finally, Week 8 picks against the spread!
College football’s 2025 season has become a fraud fest, and Texas auditioned for a starring role during a loss to Florida at The Swamp.
Was that enough to get Billy Napier off the hot seat? (No.)
But, the result pushed Texas closer to the brink of elimination from College Football Playoff contention, and it raised more questions about Arch Manning.
On today’s episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams debate who’s taken up the mantle as the SEC’s top national championship contender, with Texas underwater.
That’s difficult to answer. The SEC remains loaded with playoff contenders, but are any of them elite? One host points to Ole Miss as the SEC’s top national championship contender, while the other gives the nod to Alabama.
Also, a hot seat temperature reading, and Week 7 picks against the spread!
Hello darkness, my old friend. Let the 'Grumors' begin again. Where will they end? Very likely, in the same place they always do: With Jon Gruden not coaching college football.
Arkansas does need a coach, though, after firing Sam Pittman, so who if not Gruden? Bobby Petrino? No thanks. That’s another bad idea.
On today’s episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams consider potential candidates for the Arkansas job with a round of love it, like it or no thanks.
Adams likes a certain ACC coach for the job, while Toppmeyer floats the possibility of a former SEC coach getting back in the conference.
Later in the episode … is Alabama back? We’re not yet sure. The Crimson Tide showed more big-game potential in a takedown of Georgia, but this next game against Vanderbilt is a chance to prove consistency required to pursue a national championship. Also, LSU’s problems go beyond the Ole Miss loss.
Finally, Week 6 picks against the spread!
The SEC’s rivalries are set, at least for the next four years.
The nine-game conference schedule will preserve most premier rivalries, but there are some notable omissions. Alabama-LSU will not be kept annually. Neither will Florida-Tennessee.
On today's episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams sound off on the SEC’s assignment of annual opponents. They highlight the teams that received the stiffest rivals draw and the few teams that got off easy. They also identify the rivalries that will be left off the annual schedule that they’ll miss most.
Later in the episode, a discussion of LSU-Ole Miss and Alabama-Georgia, and Week 5 picks against the spread!
Oklahoma is back! OK, so that’s a bit premature, but programs have been declared resurrected based on less evidence.
Seriously, though, when evaluating SEC teams after three weeks, who’s playing better than Oklahoma? Combine the Sooners’ stout defense with cool-handed transfer quarterback John Mateer, and they’re playing like the SEC's most balanced team.
Speaking of good defenses, the way LSU’s is playing has Brian Kelly fired up – especially at reporters looking to throw stones at his team’s 3-0 start.
On today's episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams each rank their five-best teams in the SEC.
It’s a difficult exercise. More than half the conference remains undefeated, and Tennessee showed a punch despite losing in overtime to Georgia.
Later in the episode, an examination of just how dire the quarterback situation is at Texas with Arch Manning.
Finally, Week 4 picks against the spread!
It’s Billy Napier vs. The Field in the race within the SEC to claim the season’s first buyout check.
Florida’s embattled fourth-year coach coughed up the goodwill he built at the end of last season by losing at home to South Florida in Week 2. Gators fans exited The Swamp chanting for Napier’s firing.
On this edition of “SEC Football Unfiltered,” hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams reset the hot seat sweepstakes. Napier climbs to No. 1 on their SEC hot seat list.
Later in the episode, the hosts debate Oklahoma's playoff stock after a win against Michigan, and they weigh in on Arch Manning's latest performance and Steve Sarkisian's comments about media members on the toilet.
Also, Week 3 picks against the spread!
The Kalen DeBoer bandwagon has emptied out. It’s been left to rust. The Script A translated to awful in Alabama’s season opener, and if you're left holding stock in DeBoer, it's trading at a 52-week low.
Alabama has about 60 million reasons (aka DeBoer’s buyout) to stay the course with its beleaguered coach. Talk of the hot seat probably remains a wee premature, but there’s no denying this much: There’s trouble in Tuscaloosa.
DeBoer is swimming upstream against a strong current after Alabama got whipped by Florida State.
On today's episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams discuss whether this result puts DeBoer on the hot seat. They’re dumping the idea of Alabama making the playoff, while increasing their stock in two SEC teams that showed promise for a higher-than-expected ceiling.
Also, the hosts react to Arch Manning’s lackluster performance in Texas’ loss to Ohio State, and Adams stumps for a certain SEC team to be ranked No. 1 in the polls. Toppmeyer offers an underrated SEC road trip destination.
Finally, Week 2 picks against the spread!
Everyone’s cooking up their final College Football Playoff predictions before the season kicks off, but here on “SEC Football Unfiltered,” we’re serving something unique.
Why not put two heads together to create the ultimate playoff projection?
On today’s episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams team up to create a single bracket. Each host gets to select six teams to create the 12-team field, while adhering to the playoff parameters that five conferences must be represented.
The selections begin in a chalky manner, before Toppmeyer surprises Adams with one of his ACC selections. Then, Adams leaves Toppmeyer speechless with his sleeper pick from the Big Ten.
Later in the episode, they make their Week 1 picks against the spread.
For more from Toppmeyer and Adams, sign up for the SEC Unfiltered newsletter, delivered free to your email inbox.
College football is back. And its Week 1 lineup of games is as good as ever.
Arch Manning will try to deliver a road victory for No. 1 Texas at No. 2 Ohio State, and No. 9 LSU will aim to assert itself as a contender against No. 6 Clemson, in what will be a pivotal game for Brian Kelly. LSU has never won a season opener under Kelly, who’s entering a pressure-packed season. Hype and pressure surround Manning, too.
On today’s episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams debate whether Manning or Kelly faces more pressure in Week 1. The alarmists will be ready to pounce. In reality, either Manning or Kelly can recover from an opening loss, but Manning struggling or LSU losing would lay groundwork ripe for hot takes and overreaction.
Later in the episode, the hosts react to the SEC’s decision to add a ninth conference game beginning in 2026 and discuss why this decision helps the SEC in more ways than one, and why it might spur a scheduling change inside the Big Ten, too.
For more from Toppmeyer and Adams, sign up for the SEC Unfiltered newsletter, delivered free to your email inbox.
Auburn will retire Cam Newton's jersey number this season, an honor for a quarterback who delivered one of the greatest individual seasons in college football history, complete with a national championship.
Newton's got company in the conversation for single-season greatness.
On today's episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams reminisce about some of the most stellar individual seasons they've witnessed.
Adams dials up the wayback machine with memories of Archie Manning, Herschel Walker and Barry Sanders. Toppmeyer highlights seasons supplied by Newton, Tim Tebow, Johnny Manziel and Joe Burrow.
With hype for Texas quarterback Arch Manning at a crescendo, can he produce on par with some of those past greats? Adams knows this: He'd rather have Manning starting in Texas' season opener against Ohio State than Quinn Ewers.
Later in the episode, the hosts weigh in on Joey Aguilar winning Tennessee's starting quarterback job and what that means for the Vols.
For more from Toppmeyer and Adams, sign up for the SEC Unfiltered newsletter, delivered free to your email inbox.
Jon Gruden says he'd "die to coach in the SEC." We must assume he's being hyperbolic, but the former NFL coach sounds serious about wanting to coach again – and wanting to coach in college.
He's not the only former coach with an eye toward new opportunities. Former Texas A&M coach Jimbo Fisher says he's up for a return to the sideline, too. This projects as an active year for the hot seat, so would either Gruden or Fisher be a worthwhile consideration for an SEC athletic director?
That debate takes center stage on today's episode, featuring hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams. Their verdict: Neither Gruden nor Fisher would seem particularly appealing within the SEC, although Toppmeyer offers one SEC school that might make some sense, depending on its level of desperation.
Of the two possibilities, the hosts agree Gruden offers more intrigue than Fisher, who received everything a coach could want with the Aggies and couldn't make it work. Gruden would be the ultimate wild card.
Later in the episode, the hosts weigh in on Alabama naming Ty Simpson its starting quarterback and what that means for Kalen DeBoer's second season.
For more from Toppmeyer and Adams, sign up for the SEC Unfiltered newsletter, delivered free to your email inbox.
The SEC buried the Big Ten in the US LBM Coaches Poll. Fire up the preseason chants of superiority, but that will mean squat come College Football Playoff selection time.
In fact, the SEC's poll takeover could be a sign of a playoff path filled with landmines, while Big Ten frontrunners Ohio State, Penn State, Oregon and Illinois enjoy cleaner routes to the postseason.
On today's episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams react to the SEC's poll blitz and explain why this should be viewed cautiously for the conference's playoff contenders.
They also point to two overrated SEC teams, plus an unranked team that they'd place in the top 25. And they explain why one Big Ten team faces just as much pressure to produce a championship as No. 1 Texas.
For more from Toppmeyer and Adams, sign up for the SEC Unfiltered newsletter, delivered free to your email inbox.
Since the College Football Playoff’s inception, Alabama has never gone consecutive seasons without making the field. By missing the playoff last season, the Crimson Tide missed the program’s standard in Kalen DeBoer’s debut. He knows it. Now, Alabama has retooled with effective offseason maneuvering, but is it enough to make the playoff in the face of a tough schedule, with a new starting quarterback?
On today’s episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams engage in a fact-or-fiction debate regarding several possible scenarios this season, such as whether Alabama will make the playoff, and whether Arch Manning will win the Heisman Trophy.
They also rate the top six games involving SEC teams in Week 1. And they weigh in on the fizzled bromance between the SEC and Big Ten.
For more from Toppmeyer and Adams, sign up for the SEC Unfiltered newsletter, delivered free to your email inbox.
No SEC football coaches were fired a year ago. What's the encore to that? Well, buckle up for a particularly spicy hot seat this season.
Proud programs like Oklahoma, Auburn and Florida starve for success at a level their current coaches haven't proven they can supply. The hot seat doesn't stop there, either.
On today's episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams identify their top five SEC coaches on the hot seat. Their lists each feature the same quintet of coaches, although they differ on the ordering.
At the top of the list, though, they agree on the coach sitting on the SEC's hottest seat. That's Sam Pittman of Arkansas. And the firings realistically could begin as soon as October.
It was a matter of time before a media member introduced the rumor that Nick Saban wants to return to coaching. Greg McElroy did the honors this week, saying that someone "in the know" told him that Saban will coach again.
McElroy later denounced the rumor he started. By then, it was too late. The rumor had gained oxygen and made the rounds at SEC media days. Never mind the veracity of this speculation.
On today's episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams react to the rumor McElroy sparked – that Saban wants to coach again. Neither host gives much credence to the idea of Saban returning to college coaching. They suggest that, if he did return, Alabama would not be the likeliest landing spot.
Adams also considers this hypothetical: If Saban and Urban Meyer returned to college coaching, which would fare better?
Later in the episode, the hosts respond to Texas being named the overwhelming favorite in the USA TODAY Network's predicted order of finish for the SEC, and Toppmeyer points to a few teams that were underrated in the voting.
Auburn’s athletic director says the Tigers are determined to do things "the right way." Never mind that Auburn’s recruiting class ranks last in the SEC. Have patience. Athletic director John Cohen’s words echo the sentiments of coach Hugh Freeze, who admits Auburn's recent approach is "not really to our advantage."
Who cares about rules nowadays? Insisting on doing things "the right way" tends to be the battle cry from the basement.
On today's episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams examine the situation at Auburn, where Freeze's offseason golf handicap looks better than his recruiting class. Auburn's recruiting stall comes on the heels of four straight losing seasons. More than the losses from yesteryear, though, Adams says he's concerned about Freeze's recent rhetoric, and he compares Freeze to a former SEC coach who's since been fired.
Still, this is the kind of offseason storyline that can be smashed into irrelevance with a slew of August commitments, plus a Week 1 win against Baylor.
Later in the episode, the hosts explain why Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti keeps getting the College Football Playoff format debate wrong.
The SEC became the nation’s best conference because of its strength at the line of scrimmage, punishing running backs and perimeter speed. Somewhere along the way, though, this conference began attracting the best quarterback talent, too.
That’s especially reflected this season. The SEC's crop of quarterbacks includes a crowded top tier, resulting in a heated debate about who's the No. 1 man.
On today's episode, host Blake Toppmeyer of the USA TODAY Network and the Gainesville Sun's Kevin Brockwaydebate Toppmeyer's SEC quarterback rankings.
Toppmeyer pegged Arch Manning as the SEC's top quarterback, banking on the upside of a player who's poised to break out in his third season at Texas. Brockway, though, picks a different quarterback as his No. 1.
Later in the episode, Brockway updates the injury status of Florida quarterback DJ Lagway, and he takes the temperature of Billy Napier's hot seat. Finally, he projects Florida's record.
The company line within the SEC is that no other conference matches the gauntlet of its conference schedule. Perhaps, but it's also true that no other conference plays as many cupcake games as the SEC.
That's a sticking point for the Big Ten as the conferences try to reach an agreement on a College Football Playoff format for 2026 and beyond. The Big Ten wants the SEC to join it in playing nine conference games. The SEC, so far, keeps standing its ground at eight. That difference in conference scheduling remains a hurdle in playoff negotiations, according to multiple reports.
Can a compromise be struck to end this stalemate?
On today's episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams dig into the latest on the playoff format squabbling, the SEC's scheduling debate, and the battle of rhetoric between the SEC and the Big Ten.
Would the SEC be smart to stay at eight games, or should it give in to the Big Ten? Also, is the Big Ten's request reasonable?
Later in the episode, were we a little too quick to write off Dabo Swinney? Clemson looks loaded up for a run at national championship contention.
If the Tigers wore an SEC logo patch, would they be the preseason No. 1 team? Adams says yes.
Tennessee’s mid-April quarterback swap damaged the Vols’ chance of making the College Football Playoff, but did the Nico Iamaleava for Joey Aguilar swap make the Vols one of the SEC’s weakest teams? That’s what one preseason publication thinks.
Lindy’s magazine picked Tennessee 11th in the SEC in its conference picks. Might want to take a peek at that schedule, though, before predicting such a freefall for the Vols.
On today’s episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams wade through Lindy’s SEC hierarchy and identify a few underrated and overrated teams.
Several SEC coaches enter this season facing an inflection point in their tenures. That doesn't necessarily mean each of these coaches is on the hot seat (not yet, anyway), but this projects as a defining season for coaches like LSU's Brian Kelly, Florida's Billy Napier and Auburn's Hugh Freeze.
Kelly says he's got his best LSU roster to date. No argument here. Napier's Gators finished last season on a hot streak. Auburn hasn't shown much bite yet under Freeze, but he's got a new quarterback.
On today's episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams play a round of buy, hold or sell on 10 SEC coaches. They share an opinion on Kelly and Napier but take separate paths on Freeze.
They also consider the buy-or-sell case for other SEC coaches like Alabama's Kalen DeBoer and Kentucky's Mark Stoops.
Battle lines are forming in the ongoing debate for the College Football Playoff's future format. The Big Ten wants to rig the playoff. The Big 12 and ACC fight against that.
The SEC hangs out in the middle, unsure whether to side with the Big Ten or the other power conferences.
To rig, or not to rig? That is the question.
On today's episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams unpack the leading playoff formats under consideration.
The hosts reject one potential playoff format, while keeping an open mind to two others. And they explain why the SEC holds the trump cards in this negotiation.
The SEC's scheduling debate will renew when the conference's spring meetings begin later this month.
It's that age-old question of whether to stick with eight conference games or bump up to nine.
On today's episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams debate the merit of adding a ninth conference game versus sticking with the status quo. Retaining the eight-game format would sacrifice the annual nature of some secondary rivalries, like Auburn-Georgia and Alabama-Tennessee.
Is that worth it? Well, that depends.
Toppmeyer and Adams are intrigued by the idea of an SEC-Big Ten football challenge -- so intrigued, that they like the concept of an interconference clash better than a ninth SEC game.
If the SEC wants to prove its supremacy, what better way than to put it on the line throughout 16 non-conference games against the Big Ten?
Did Texas just assemble the best team money can buy? Maybe. Alternatively, it spent big for a playoff-caliber roster that will come up short of the national championship game once again, after two straight years bowing out in the semifinals.
This much we know: The Longhorns spent big. Just how big? Well, the Houston Chronicle recently reported that Texas’ budget for its 2025 squad is expected to be in the $35 to $40 million range.
On today's episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams debate whether that handsomely paid roster makes Texas the national championship frontrunner.
Later in the episode, they list eight teams that have at least a 5% chance of winning the national championship, and Adams highlights a couple of SEC coaches who were underrated in USA TODAY's list of the top 25 coaches.
Kirby Smart remains the No. 1 coach in the SEC. Any naysayers, consider the reigning SEC champion. It's Georgia.
When ranking SEC coaches, 1 through 16, the debate becomes lively after Smart, the obvious starting point.
On today's episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams reveal their lists, from first to last.
Auburn's Hugh Freeze becomes the subject of the biggest disagreement among the hosts.
Adams also goes just a bit against the grain with his No. 2 pick.
Tennessee slapped a tire patch in the gaping hole in the rubber of its quarterback situation. UCLA’s disposable goods became the Vols’ prize.
Tennessee is expected to add transfer quarterback Joey Aguilar from UCLA, after the Vols lost starter Nico Iamaleava to none other than UCLA.
In other words, UCLA decided it would rather anoint Iamaleava as its starter than Aguilar, who transferred in December after two seasons starting for Appalachian State. That caused Aguilar to re-evaluate his options. The best opportunity available just so happened to be at Tennessee. He’ll compete with a pair of young in-house options for the starting job.
On today’s episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams assign the winners and losers of this whole saga, and they pinpoint where Vols coach Josh Heupel flawed in his execution. Iamaleava’s missteps were numerous and obvious, but Heupel’s handling of the situation was not flawless. They also identify the favorite in Tennessee’s starting quarterback competition.
Later in the episode, they examine Oklahoma’s case for being a College Football Playoff sleeper on the heels of the Sooners’ marquee transfer acquisitions.
Nico Iamaleava reportedly wanted more money from Tennessee. The Vols wouldn’t meet his demands, so, Tennessee’s starting quarterback entered the transfer portal.
Iamaleava now needs a new school to pay him to be its starting quarterback, while Tennessee needs a transfer to stay in the playoff contender column for this season.
This public breakup between a quarterback and a school that had invested so much in him encapsulates the college football zeitgeist, as the April free agency period heats up. But, are there any winners in this situation?
On today’s episode, host Blake Toppmeyer of the USA TODAY Network is joined by GoVols247 senior writer Wes Rucker as they unpack how the Iamaleava-Tennessee union unraveled, and where each goes from here.
Iamaleava remains a talented quarterback with upside, but he would have enjoyed a hotter market for his talents if he had transferred in December.
Tennessee’s outlook becomes cloudy. A lot of starting quarterbacks might be wary of leaving their current situation, to have to learn a new offense with a new team in a short time period. Still, Vols coach Josh Heupel says his team will pursue a transfer. If they land a good one, the new arrival could polish Tennessee’s playoff prospects.
March Madness just does not miss.
This year’s tournament served fewer upsets but made up for it with an epic Final Four.
The 68-team tournament provided another reminder that this annually stands as one of the best postseason events in all of sports – not just college sports.
In contrast, college football supplies maybe the best regular season in sports, but its postseason often falls flat. Even College Football Playoff expansion didn’t totally solve the lackluster postseason finish.
Can college football’s postseason ever match the drama of March Madness?
That’s up for debate on today's episode. Hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams argue that while college football will maintain an advantage on college basketball’s regular season, it’s unlikely to ever produce a postseason that mimics the March Madness thrills.
Also in this episode, the hosts grade this March Madness, and each host offers the moment he won't forget from this year's tournament.
The nation's best basketball conference supplied half the teams in the Final Four. Bravo, SEC. The SEC lived up to the hype throughout March Madness, taking the Sweet 16, Elite Eight and now Final Four by storm.
Even so, oddsmakers point to Duke as having the best team, and if you've watched the Blue Devils throughout the tournament, you know that's a fair projection.
So, which SEC team is better positioned to upset Duke in the national championship, if it comes to that? Auburn, or Florida?
On today's episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams assess the Final Four and make their final predictions. They agree that Florida would be slightly better positioned than Auburn to tackle Duke. Neither host picks Duke to win the national championship.
Later in the episode, they dissect another Tennessee tournament run that ended before the Final Four. Have the Vols hit their ceiling under Rick Barnes?
Cinderella went home before curfew, and true madness never appeared this March. That’s fine by the SEC. The relative lack of chaos in this NCAA Tournament proved good for the conference that qualified the most teams.
The SEC advanced a record seven teams into the Sweet 16, and the conference retains an opportunity to sweep the Final Four spots.
In today’s basketball-themed episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams grade the SEC’s performance so far, and they project the winner of each region, plus refresh their national championship picks.
Toppmeyer offers a theory as to why Cinderellas took a downturn this season, and the hosts debate whether Arkansas or Kentucky won the coaching carousel last spring.
Finally, they revisit their initial Final Four picks and decide whether to buy or sell those holdings.
The SEC has taken March Madness by storm, and the conference enjoys a strong chance for multiple Final Four berths due to its sheer volume of qualifiers and the lofty seeding of several of its teams.
It’s not all that far-fetched to consider the possibility of the SEC claiming every spot in the Final Four. Among the SEC’s top teams, which faces the toughest path to San Antonio? That might be Auburn. The No. 1 overall seed received a brutal bracket draw.
On today’s episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams offer their bracket breakdown, including spotlighting a few SEC teams that might be in danger of suffering an early upset.
They also provide their Final Four picks. Adams picks a championship game featuring two SEC teams, while Toppmeyer only puts one SEC team in his Final Four, with a Big 12 team capturing the championship.
The conversation of best active coaches without a national championship begins with Gonzaga's Mark Few. You won't get very far down that list, though, before arriving at Auburn's Bruce Pearl and Tennessee's Rick Barnes.
They're career winners. They've been great for their respective universities. Each owns a Final Four appearance. But, they continually come up short of the top prize. This could be the year one of those two coaches gets off that list.
On today's basketball-themed episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams reveal their Mount Rushmore of best active coaches without a national championship.
They also make their picks to win this week's SEC Tournament. Neither host picks a sleeper team, but they disagree on which favorite will win the conference crown in Nashville.
We’re doing this again. SEC brass are debating whether to go to a nine-game conference schedule, up from eight, for the 2026 season. The SEC has considered adding a ninth conference game for more than a dozen years but never before made the move.
Commissioner Greg Sankey wants an additional conference game, but some within the league are hesitant, wondering if adding another tough game is worth the risk of a loss that could damage postseason hopes.
On today's episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams go inside the debate and offer the upsides and downsides of an additional conference game.
Toppmeyer offers a bold scheduling idea that involves the SEC staying at eight conference games.
Later in the episode, a ranking of the SEC's top four national championship contenders in men's basketball.
Pressure’s on the football coaches in the state of Alabama, but for different reasons.
Kalen DeBoer knows the Alabama standard creates a playoff-or-bust mentality. That means his debut season ranks as a bust and ratchets up the pressure on his second season.
At Auburn, the Tigers last tasted a winning season when Gus Malzahn coached the team. Hugh Freeze’s buyout offers insufficient protection. He’ll be in win-or-be-fired mode in his third season on the Plains.
On today’s episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams debate which of the two coaches in the Iron Bowl rivalry faces more pressure, with the hosts offering diverging opinions. Toppmeyer has questions about each team’s quarterback situation, while Adams believes in Auburn transfer Jackson Arnold, but he’s not sold on Alabama’s trigger man.
Earlier in the episode, the hosts examine the SEC’s basketball uprising, highlighted by Auburn, Florida, Alabama and Tennessee. Toppmeyer lists two of those four among his favorites to win the national championship.
A great annual offseason debate hinges on whether college football would benefit from an overarching commissioner – and whether Nick Saban would be the prime choice for the job, if ever created.
We agree that a college football commissioner could enact some meaningful, widely popular changes within the sport, but we're not ready to cede this responsibility to Saban, who likely would foremost look out for coaches. In fact, we're ready to accept the job ourselves.
On today's episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams share the role of college football commissioner, enacting sweeping change that includes forcing Notre Dame into a conference, expanding the College Football Playoff but stripping away automatic bids and restoring some old rivalries.
As many as 10 or more SEC football teams might be ranked in the preseason top 25, but the playoff chances of those teams are far from equal.
Take, for instance, Texas and South Carolina. While they might be about 10 spots apart in the rankings, their playoff outlooks are dramatically different. Some SEC teams enjoy schedules built for playoff qualification, while others face doomsday schedules.
On today's episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams evaluate the playoff chance of each SEC team, putting the teams into one of four buckets: great chance, good chance, some chance or no chance.
Only two teams earn "great chance" ratings, but many more are assigned some hope, while multiple teams that are expected to be ranked nonetheless fall into the "no chance" category.
Also in this episode, now that Jalen Hurts is a Super Bowl champion, who gets to claim him? Alabama, or Oklahoma?
No SEC quarterback is more proven than Garrett Nussmeier, but if you're building a depth chart, would you go with the LSU quarterback first, or gamble on the upside of Texas' Arch Manning or Florida's DJ Lagway?
Our annual SEC quarterback draft is back!
On today's episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams go head-to-head trying to build the best four-deep roster of SEC quarterbacks.
Adams makes a safe choice with his No. 1 pick, then gambles with a couple of quarterbacks who haven't yet proven themselves in the SEC. Toppmeyer counters with a barrage of sophomore quarterbacks, headlined by a new starter with his top pick.
Later in the episode, the hosts debate whether spring football games are on the verge of extinction.
The SEC endured a rough showing this season. Short-term problem? USA TODAY's too-early preseason top 25 suggests as much. The rankings are loaded with SEC teams, but is it too much love?
On today's episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams react to the rankings and offer verdicts of overrated, underrated or just right for each SEC team.
Mostly, they think SEC teams are being overrated, including teams like Alabama and Georgia that face quarterback transitions. But, they're especially bullish on a couple of SEC teams, and they identify two SEC teams that the rankings snubbed.
Kalen DeBoer needs a quarterback. Now, who's it going to be?
Alabama took a turn for the worse in DeBoer's first season, despite him inheriting a proven starter in Jalen Milroe. The position heads toward an uncertain future. Ominous or opportunity?
On today's episode, Blake Toppmeyer of the USA TODAY Network is joined by Chase Goodbread of the Tuscaloosa News to unpack Alabama's quarterback situation, one of the most interesting position battles of the SEC's offseason. Ty Simpson headlines the competition, but is that a good thing? Did DeBoer blunder by not securing a transfer?
Later in the episode, the hosts highlight what they'd change about the expanded College Football Playoff.
Let Arch-a-palooza begin.
The Quinn Ewers era at Texas sunsets after the Longhorns lost to Ohio State in the Cotton Bowl. Arch Manning takes the keys to the Texas engine now, and the hype for Manning leaps off the charts.
But, what are fair expectations for Manning in 2025?
On today's episode, host Blake Toppmeyer of the USA TODAY Network is joined by David Eckert of the Austin American-Statesman as they preview what we should expect from Manning.
They also offer their top tier of SEC quarterbacks for next season and project where Manning fits into that mix.
Later in the episode, Marc Weiszer of the Athens Banner-Herald joins to discuss the impact of Carson Beck's transfer from Georgia to Miami and previews the Bulldogs' quarterback situation for next season.
The SEC helped engineer the 12-team playoff. The powerhouse conference ruled the BCS. It dominated the four-team playoff. And, it planned to rule this format. Four bids? Five bids? More?
A mirage, the SEC's vision became.
The SEC regressed this season. The conference ain't what it used to be. As the College Football Playoff semifinals arrive, Texas stands as the SEC's lone representative. The Longhorns joined the conference a mere six months ago. They're an underdog against Ohio State in the Cotton Bowl.
For the second straight season, the SEC could produce no team in the national championship game. What gives?
On today's episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams examine the SEC's downfall and how extreme it is. They unpack the reasons for why it occurred – from Nick Saban's retirement to NIL to transfer movement – and they highlight a few teams that stand to fill the conference's power vacuum.
Finally, CFP semifinals picks against the spread!
More teams, more drama, more bellyaching.
The College Football Playoff's first round served a series of blowouts, resulting in blowback that the selection committee whiffed on its at-large picks.
But, is the committee really to blame for the first-round drubbings, and if so, which teams would have been better qualifiers?
Hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams debate that question on today's episode, offering diverging viewpoints.
They also discuss which team impressed them most in the first round and highlight a frontrunner to win the national championship.
Finally, they make their quarterfinal picks against the spread!
Georgia earned the bye, but which SEC team received the best College Football Playoff draw? That’s difficult to answer. The second-seeded Bulldogs are one step closer to the national championship game than either Texas (No. 5 seed) or Tennessee (No. 9 seed).
However, Texas will open at home against 12th-seeded Clemson, the playoff’s only three-loss team, before a potential quarterfinal against Arizona State, which is seeded No. 4 but ranked No. 12.
On today's episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams debate which SEC team received the best avenue to be the last team standing in the CFP.
They agree Tennessee received the toughest draw, but disagree on whether Georgia or Texas landed the better bracket position.
Later in the episode, they react to Oklahoma’s transfer exodus and weigh in on Auburn nabbing transfer quarterback Jackson Arnold.
Finally, first-round CFP picks against the spread!
Missing the inaugural 12-team playoff leaves Alabama feeling out of sorts - and evaluating its schedule.
In the wake of the College Football Playoff selection committee choosing SMU over Alabama for the final playoff bid, UA athletics director Greg Byrne indicated the football program will consider watering down its future non-conference schedules.
Never mind that Alabama's three losses came against conference opponents.
On today's episode, host Blake Toppmeyer of the USA TODAY Network is joined by Chase Goodbread of the Tuscaloosa News as they debate the committee's SMU selection and dissect whether Byrne's stance on scheduling makes sense.
Later in the episode, they discuss whether Carson Beck's injury affects Georgia's playoff outlook, and Goodbread stumps for eliminating the SEC championship game.
Will the College Football Playoff committee have the gall to deny the Script A and the allure that comes with Alabama a spot in the 12-team bracket?
More to the point, will the committee be more interested in Alabama’s lofty strength of schedule, or its miserable showing in a blowout loss at Oklahoma?
Miami’s loss to Syracuse left a playoff spot up for grabs. Top contenders for the bid include a trio of three-loss SEC teams(Alabama, Ole Miss and South Carolina), plus Miami.
Who gets the bid?
On today's episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams evaluate the bubble and assess how the selection committee will make heads or tails of this messy web of teams. The committee tends to salivate over Alabama.
Later, they preview the SEC championship game and make their picks against the spread!
In the SEC this season, it just means more losses, more parity, fewer elite teams and a struggle to qualify teams for the College Football Playoff.
Ole Miss got swallowed up in The Swamp. Alabama suffered malice at The Palace.
Kalen DeBoer and Lane Kiffin each possessed enough talent to field a playoff team, so why are they left needing more chaos to serve them up bids to their underachieving, three-loss teams?
On today’s episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams debate who endured a bigger faceplant this season, DeBoer or Kiffin?
They also assess this glob of five SEC teams that are 8-3 and try to identify whether a playoff contender lurks within that bunch.
Plus, Week 14 picks against the spread, as rivalry week takes hold!
Tennessee needs help. The Vols won't be in full control of their quest for the College Football Playoff after losing at Georgia, marking Tennessee's second loss.
And while Tennessee retains multiple avenues to receive an assist into the playoff, the most interesting one might be this: Lincoln Riley and his USC Trojans revive and beat Notre Dame in the regular-season finale, thereby spoiling the Irish's playoff hopes.
On today's episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams take stock of Tennessee's playoff chances. They also debate whether Texas should be a CFP qualifier if it suffers a second loss, and they consider whether Alabama should really want to play in the SEC championship game.
They also take the temperature of Brian Kelly's warming seat at LSU.
Finally, Week 13 picks against the spread!
The CFP picture gained no clarity Saturday. In fact, it became more opaque after No. 3 Georgia fell to Ole Miss and No. 4 Miami went down against unranked Georgia Tech.
Miami and Georgia remain in the mix, but make room for Ole Miss. It’s getting crowded on that playoff bubble, and you’d need a spreadsheet to tell you who’s best in line to make the SEC championship game.
On today's episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams engage with a few CFP hypothetical situations in which there are too many teams for too-few spots, and they determine who’s in and out in each situation.
The also explain why Kirby Smart will stick with struggling quarterback Carson Beck with Georgia's season on the line against Tennessee, and they unpack Florida's decision to retain Billy Napier,.
Lane Kiffin and Ole Miss have a chance to offset a loss to Kentucky from earlier this season when the Rebels face Georgia on Saturday. Oddsmakers put this game on a razor’s edge, and the Bulldogs suddenly look vulnerable.
And if Ole Miss pulls it off, then what?
The Rebels would re-enter the playoff picture and crowd the bubble, and Kiffin would remain a top choice for ravenous Florida fans who are ready to throw overboard floundering coach Billy Napier.
On today’s episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams examine this critical moment for Kiffin and Ole Miss. They discuss whether Florida could seriously pursue Kiffin if Ole Miss makes the playoff, and they weigh the candidacy of Indiana’s Curt Cignetti for Florida.
Also in this episode, a conversation on Alabama at LSU: Who needs this game more, Kalen DeBoer, or Brian Kelly? Plus, a surprising hot-seat candidate has emerged in recent weeks.
Finally, Week 11 picks against the spread!
Florida's Billy Napier still owns the hottest seat in the SEC.
The nation's most volatile conference had a quiet spin of the coaching carousel for two months. Arkansas' Sam Pittman inches his way off the hot seat. Auburn's Hugh Freeze bought himself a moment of calm by beating Kentucky.
Even the long-embattled Napier marches on in his third season with the improving Gators. Napier's about to launch into the murderer's row portion of the schedule when Florida faces Georgia on Saturday.
On today's episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams apply the true-or-false test to the SEC's hot seat before evaluating a few College Football Playoff scenarios.
Also in this episode, what's the verdict: Was Texas A&M's Mike Elko casting shade at Jimbo Fisher (or Brian Kelly) or not? Finally, Week 10 picks against the spread!
The College Football Playoff bubble is becoming awfully crowded.
As many as eight teams in the SEC could finish the regular season at 10-2. The Big Ten pushes for three or more bids. The ACC and Big 12 are shaping up as two-bid leagues. Notre Dame won't go away. How would the committee wade through that mess?
On today's episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams update their 12-team playoff projections. Within the SEC, they differ on one key team, while Adams boldly picks a Big Ten sleeper to claim the final at-large bid.
Also in this episode, an examination of Georgia's credentials to be labeled the "team to beat," plus an update on the race between Billy Napier and Hugh Freeze to be the first SEC coach fired. Finally, Week 9 picks against the spread!
They're starting to sweat in Tennessee. They're pulling their hair out in Alabama. They're wondering in Georgia when the mean machine broke down. And at Ole Miss? Oof. It's bleak.
Robust Texas looks like a near-lock for the College Football Playoff. Elsewhere in the SEC, it's hold on tight.
On today's episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams bust out the panic meter and take a reading of Alabama, Tennessee, Georgia and Ole Miss, and they're pounding the panic button for one of those four programs.
Later in the episode, a temperature check on Billy Napier's situation at Florida and a discussion of who could replace Napier, if not Lane Kiffin.
And, of course, Week 8 picks against the spread!
Alabama football suffered one of its most humiliating moments in the proud history of its blue-blooded program on Saturday when Vanderbilt stunned, shocked and embarrassed the Tide.
Tennessee, knowing misery loves company, provided rival Alabama a little comfort by losing to Arkansas.
And Missouri got unmasked as a fraud in College Station.
The SEC's playoff picture is topsy-turvy, and, on today's episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams offer a playoff reset for the conference. Only Texas looks safe, while Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee and others may continue to sweat their playoff chances.
Plus, Week 7 picks against the spread!
Georgia could get off the mat and win the national championship after losing to Alabama. The Bulldogs have that level of talent.
Or, alternatively, Georgia could miss the College Football Playoff entirely, in what would be a stunning way to begin the 12-team playoff era.
Meanwhile, Auburn’s Hugh Freeze has elbowed his way onto the hot seat to give Florida’s Billy Napier and Arkansas’ Sam Pittman company.
On today's episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams apply a true-or-false verdict to a number of situations unfolding around the conference.
Among topics of discussion: Will Hugh Freeze be fired? Is Georgia going to miss the playoff? Will Lane Kiffin be the next Florida coach? Would Mark Stoops be a better choice for the Gators?
Also, Week 6 picks against the spread!
It’s not the “Game of the Century,” but it is the Game of September.
No. 1 Georgia at No. 4 Alabama.
This is Kirby Smart’s latest opportunity to prove he rules college football in the absence of Nick Saban.
It’s Kalen DeBoer’s chance to show that the Alabama job is not too big for him, that the Tide selected the proper heir to Saban.
On today's episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams preview Saturday’s clash of titans in Tuscaloosa and debate which coach needs a win in this game more.
Later in the episode, a look at how Tennessee sizzles, and Hugh Freeze fizzles at Auburn. Finally, Week 5 picks against the spread!
It's not a college football coaching search if Urban Meyer's name doesn't appear atop a fan base's wish list.
'Hire Urb! Back up the Brinks truck. Make him say no!'
Great plan, but what's idea No. 2 when Urb's Audi doesn't come roaring down University Avenue?
Better yet, what's idea No. 3 if Lane Kiffin says no?
Where would Florida football turn then when the time comes to replace Billy Napier? (Don't say Nick Saban. Not happening.)
On today's episode, host Blake Toppmeyer serves up nine potential candidates whom the Gators might consider when they inevitably cut the check to move on from Napier. Co-host John Adams rejects most of Toppmeyer's ideas before offering a rebuttal candidate that might be the most intriguing option of all.
Plus, Week 4 picks against the spread!
Our preseason College Football Playoff projections missed the mark.
I mean, Iowa? Was that pick for real, or a bad dream?
In any case, we're making revisions. At least we don't have to eliminate Notre Dame from the field. We never had the Irish in our projections.
On today's episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams admit their mistakes and revise their playoff projections.
Later in the episode, they examine Texas' frontrunner credentials after the Longhorns smashed Michigan, and the bill comes due for Hugh Freeze's miscalculation at Auburn.
Also, Week 3 picks against the spread!
If Dabo Swinney wants to stand on principle and refuse to take transfers at Clemson, then he should follow Nick Saban into retirement.
Also, Billy Napier's Florida tenure is toast after the Gators' flop against Miami.
Are those Week 1 overreactions, or smart takes?
On today's episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams unpack those ideas and more after a tumultuous opening week.
The SEC's chance at five playoff teams took a hit after LSU and Texas A&M lost Top 25 nonconference clashes in their openers. Georgia deserves its frontrunner status, but did UGA show any vulnerability? Also, should Texas roll with Quinn Ewers or Arch Manning?
Those are topics under debate in this overreaction-or-smart take edition of the pod. Also, Week 2 picks against the spread!
Week 1 is loaded with marquee matchups involving SEC teams, but do season openers mean what they used to in this era of a 12-team College Football Playoff?
Florida State lost its opener against Georgia Tech, but the Seminoles retain a clear path to the playoff if they win the ACC Championship. However, that result still carried weight. It decreased the chances of the ACC qualifying multiple teams.
For SEC teams, these nonconference games could be the difference between earning an at-large playoff bid or not.
On today’s episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams discuss how the expanded playoff affects their perception of the regular season.
They also weigh in on Billy Napier’s job security and debate whether Georgia has earned “Alabama status.” The Bulldogs are heavily favored against Clemson.
The hosts finish by making their Week 1 picks against the spread.
No more whimsical predictions. It's time to get serious and lock in our playoff picks before the season begins.
Yes, we made previous predictions in the winter, spring and earlier this summer, but those were fanciful ideas that come when the season is months away. But, let the record show: These are our final playoff predictions of the preseason.
On today's episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams offer their 12 teams for the playoff. While they agree on some teams, they disagree on several. That includes multiple disagreements about SEC qualifiers.
Adams offers a sleeper from the SEC among his playoff picks, and he pulls a wild card for one of his final spots that leaves Toppmeyer speechless.
Meanwhile, Adams says one of Toppmeyer's playoff picks will be toast after Week 1.
Georgia is the runaway preseason No. 1 team, and it doesn't matter who's voting. The AP Poll matched the US LBM Coaches Poll in putting the Bulldogs atop the rankings, by a wide margin.
Georgia isn't the only loaded team, though. Ohio State bursts with All-America talent, too.
On today's episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams examine Georgia's credentials as preseason No. 1, and they unpack the idea of the SEC pushing for more than five playoff bids. Yes, more than five.
So, why is Georgia No. 1 and not Ohio State?
Two words: Kirby Smart.
Georgia's coach is one of three active coaches who have won a national championship, and he's got two. That inspires confidence and expectations. Also, two more words: Carson Beck. Georgia returned its star quarterback, while Ohio State will rely on transfer Will Howard.
Later in the episode, the hosts highlight a couple of SEC teams that might leave themselves on the playoff bubble even if they finish 10-2.
The SEC crowded out the competition in the preseason US LBM Coaches Poll. Nine SEC teams are ranked. That’s three more ranked teams than even the Big Ten.
Who’s overrated? Who’s underrated? And does the SEC possess a playoff sleeper team lurking under the radar?
On today’s episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams unpack the preseason Top 25 and what it means for the College Football Playoff.
They consider only two teams to be threats to the SEC reclaiming the national championship: Ohio State and Oregon. They also discuss why the Big Ten might be closer in strength to the ACC or Big 12 than it is to the SEC.
And they examine the preseason top 12 and rate each team as “IN” or “OUT” of the College Football Playoff. Adams boots five preseason top-12 teams from his list of playoff qualifiers, while Toppmeyer nixes three top-12 teams from his playoff field.
Georgia football navigates another offseason marred by player disciplinary issues.
The latest: Wide receiver Rara Thomas faces a felony charge of child cruelty and multiple counts of family violence after his arrest last week. Thomas also got cited for three traffic incidents this offseason, adding to Georgia’s string of dangerous driving. Georgia suspended Thomas from the team indefinitely.
But, is Smart doing enough to slow Georgia's off-the-field incidents that keep piling up? And, could these disciplinary issues affect Georgia’s on-field performance?
On today's episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams weigh in on the situation at Georgia.
The hosts say Smart should levy more discipline. Start by dismissing Thomas from the program. In reality, Smart probably won't do much. Coaches have little incentive to be heavy-handed with player discipline. If a coach dismisses an athlete, he can transfer to a conference rival in no time. Plus, there’s no evidence that Georgia's off-field issues hamper the on-field product.
Maybe college football would be better served by conferences handling player discipline, rather than coaches and institutions.
Later in the episode, a look at Mark Stoops' blistering comments about Kentucky football’s NIL efforts. To hear Stoops tell it, UK is a shoestring operation run by an exhausted coach.
The mercury is rising on the SEC’s hot seat before the season even begins.
Multiple SEC coaches face potential make-or-break seasons. Sam Pittman (Arkansas) and Billy Napier (Florida) are battling the most heat prior to their openers, but Clark Lea (Vanderbilt) and Shane Beamer (South Carolina) also will encounter critical seasons.
On today's episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams take the temperature of those four jobs.
Beamer is the only member of the quartet above .500 during his tenure, but the Gamecocks are coming off a season of regression. If Pittman’s record doesn’t rebound after last year’s tailspin, he could trigger a performance clause in his contract that would allow Arkansas to fire him for a discount. Napier’s Gators face one of the nation’s toughest schedules. Lea’s last SEC win came in 2022.
The hosts predict three of these four coaches will be fired, but they disagree on which three and debate the timing of the firings.
Greg Sankey says the SEC is 16 strong today and will remain at 16 strong tomorrow.
What about the day after that? How about next year? Sankey has less to say about that subject.
Meanwhile, fissures linger in the ACC. Florida State wants out of the ACC. The Seminoles and Clemson are both suing the ACC. That's not the sign of a league in harmony.
If FSU, Clemson and others defect, where would they go?
On today's episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams discuss the possibility of additional SEC expansion and whether the SEC's standing would be damaged if FSU and Clemson wound up in the Big Ten.
The SEC might be content at 16, but the risk of standing on the sideline amid further realignment would be the Big Ten growing stronger and narrowing the competitive gap. Adding FSU and Clemson would bring the B1G closer to the SEC. And, for the first time, the Big Ten would penetrate the South.
Later in the episode, Toppmeyer and Adams react to some of Nick Saban's spiciest quotes from SEC media days.
If Georgia is No. 1 in the SEC, then who's No. 2?
The media who cover the SEC will vote to predict the standings next week. The elimination of divisions adds intrigue to the vote. The Bulldogs likely will be picked to win the conference.
But, will the media go with newcomer Texas at No. 2? Or, maybe blue blood Alabama? Others like Ole Miss shouldn't be ignored, either.
On today's episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams weigh in on who they expect to be No. 2 in the media's vote. They also offer how they're predicting the top five spots in the SEC standings. They agree on Georgia at No. 1, but then the debate gets interesting. Alabama barely makes their top-five cut.
Later in the episode, Toppmeyer shares insights from his recent interview with Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer, who is embracing lofty Year 1 expectations.
The move that put the realignment carousel into motion three years ago finally is complete. Oklahoma and Texas are members of the SEC, and the nation's most powerful conference literally partied for days in celebration.
The realignment of this conference and these brands was enough to shake up college sports. This marks the third SEC expansion in the past four decades. Oklahoma and Texas are the SEC's best-ever expansion prize.
But, who's No. 1?
On today's episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams debate which of these two powers is the top plunder for the SEC. On this, they agree: Oklahoma and Texas outweigh any of the SEC's past additions, but they disagree whether the Sooners or Longhorns rank as the signature prize.
When the clock struck midnight on July 1, the SEC tweeted first to welcome Texas. Then, it welcomed Oklahoma. Also, the SEC Network visited Austin for a live broadcast before maneuvering to Norman a day later. Should we make anything of that? Is Texas the top add?
Perhaps not.
As a 16-team conference with Oklahoma and Texas on board, the SEC is an undeniable super league.
The SEC doesn't need to expand again. But, don't rule out the SEC wanting to, especially if the ACC fractures.
SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey says the conference is focused on its current membership, but he didn't entirely shut down the idea of further expansion, when asked directly.
On today's episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams unpack Sankey's comments and why they might point toward the possibility of the SEC becoming interested in ACC members, if the ACC's media rights deal doesn't hold.
Florida State and Clemson are suing the ACC, amid an ongoing battle with the ACC's contract that has, thus far, glued its membership in place.
Toppmeyer and Adams offer differing opinions on which four ACC schools the SEC should target, should those schools become available.
Later in the episode, an examination of the College Football Hall of Fame candidacies of Mike Leach and Les Miles.
You’ve heard of hot takes. You’re probably familiar with cold takes.
But, do you know of lukewarm takes?
They might be the truest predictions of all, and hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams are serving a helping of those lukewarm SEC football takes on today’s episode.
What constitutes a lukewarm take? It’s an against-the-grain prediction that doesn’t rise to the piping-hot level of a hot take.
A surprise SEC team will be ranked come October? Yep. We’ve got an idea about which one.
How many coaches will be fired? Several. More than the number who are on the hot seat right now.
A sleeper in the Heisman Trophy race? Certainly. Call your bookie with this bet.
Also, are Missouri and Ole Miss actually playoff teams? Thoughts on that, too.
Later in the episode, an examination of ESPN’s Football Power Index and some peculiarities within the teams it projects to be top playoff contenders.
The first 12-team College Football Playoff projects to be an SEC party. Nine SEC teams profile as playoff hopefuls, but not all of them can qualify.
Four playoff teams from the SEC seems reasonable. What about five? That’s a stretch, but doable if the SEC catches a few breaks.
On today's episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams unpack the SEC’s playoff outlook and handicap the hurdles standing in the way of the SEC qualifying as many as five teams.
Start with the Big Ten, which is the only conference that could threaten to qualify as many teams as the SEC. But, three qualifiers seems more likely for the Big Ten than five.
What about Notre Dame? The Irish snagging an at-large bid hurts the SEC’s chances for five, but Texas A&M might wreck Notre Dame in Week 1.
The Big 12 is the sleeper agent that could spoil the SEC’s five-qualifier quest.
Later in the episode, Toppmeyer and Adams highlight four sneaky-good nonconference games to watch this season.
Georgia's backup quarterback is suing an SEC coach. Welcome to college football in 2024.
In a lawsuit filed this week, Jaden Rashada is suing a top Florida booster, a former recruiting staffer and Gators coach Billy Napier after Rashada's NIL deal with Florida unraveled while the quarterback was a blue-chip prospect.
Rashada's attorney says the quarterback was defrauded. He's seeking millions in damages.
On this edition of "SEC Football Unfiltered," host Blake Toppmeyer is joined by the Gainesville Sun's Kevin Brockway to unpack the lawsuit and what it means for Florida and Napier, its already embattled coach.
This lawsuit might never see the inside of a courtroom, but, regardless, it's the latest blow for a coach who went 11-14 the past two seasons, and it's bad press for Napier's recruiting efforts. Already, Florida was off to a slow start to its 2025 recruiting class. The Gators also face a daunting schedule. Just how warm is the seat getting for Napier?
Later in the episode, Toppmeyer is joined by David Eckert of the Mississippi Clarion Ledger to preview a season of big expectations for Ole Miss and Lane Kiffin.
Stay connected on Twitter with Blake (@btoppmeyer) and John (@JohnAdamsKNS) and stay up to date on SEC football news by subscribing to KnoxNews: knoxnews.com/subscribe.
Either Georgia or Ohio State will be preseason No. 1. But just how heavily are those teams favored to win the national championship?
The SEC will be even more of a juggernaut than usual, following the arrival of Texas and Oklahoma. Georgia's schedule will include games against Clemson, Texas, Alabama, Ole Miss and Tennessee. That's a rugged road before the playoff arrives. Ohio State is loaded but will transition to a new starting quarterback.
On today's episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams consider this question: If you were predicting the national champion and could either take Georgia and Ohio State or the field, which would you choose?
It's a tough question, because Georgia and Ohio State are deserving frontrunners, but navigating a 12-team playoff presents more potential pitfalls.
Later in the episode, an examination of John Calipari's unusual strategy he says he's considering for Arkansas basketball.
Stay connected on Twitter with Blake (@btoppmeyer) and John (@JohnAdamsKNS) and stay up to date on SEC football news by subscribing to KnoxNews: knoxnews.com/subscribe.
The SEC is as strong as ever. That’s what a preseason top 25 from 247Sports suggests, anyway. The website updated its rankings while spring practice concluded. Nine SEC teams are ranked in the top 25, including eight inside the top 15.
Those rankings indicate that about half of the conference enjoys realistic aspirations of contending for the College Football Playoff. The SEC and Big Ten account for each of the top nine spots in the rankings. It really is a Power Two world.
On today's episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams consider these rankings and whether each SEC team is overrated, underrated or appropriately rated. They also discuss how many SEC teams realistically could qualify for the inaugural 12-team playoff.
Stay connected on Twitter with Blake (@btoppmeyer) and John (@JohnAdamsKNS) and stay up to date on SEC football news by subscribing to KnoxNews: knoxnews.com/subscribe.
Brian Kelly says there’s “no doubt” his 2024 LSU Tigers can contend for a national championship.
Pardon us, but we have some doubts.
Start with: How much better is LSU’s defense? LSU led the nation last season in scoring while finishing 10-3, but it lost three offensive stars to the NFL Draft's first round, including quarterback Jayden Daniels.
The offense is almost bound to regress. To become a true championship contender, the defense must not only be better, it must be substantially better.
On today's episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams discuss Kelly’s comments about the direction of LSU’s program during Toppmeyer’s wide-ranging in interview with Kelly.
Kelly’s tenure started impressively enough, and he thinks LSU is better positioned than at any point since his arrival. That includes better depth, more veterans, and less reliance on youth and newcomers.
So, when is that national championship coming? We take a closer look at the realistic timeline.
Later in the episode, which SEC quarterback will be the first selected in the 2025 NFL Draft? We examine three candidates.
Stay connected on Twitter with Blake (@btoppmeyer) and John (@JohnAdamsKNS) and stay up to date on SEC football news by subscribing to KnoxNews: knoxnews.com/subscribe.
Arch Manning stole the show at Texas' spring game, while Quinn Ewers played sparingly.
What does that mean? Well, for first up, let's slow the idea of any Texas quarterback controversy. Ewers didn't play much because he's got a grip on the starting job. This spring game became more focused on developing backup quarterbacks.
Manning's 355 passing yards were a sign of abilities and his growth and evidence that Texas possesses more than one talented quarterback. What a luxury. Not even Georgia or Alabama have a backup quarterback like Manning.
On today's episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams review Manning's spring game, what it means for Texas' season and whether the Longhorns are the top threat to Georgia in the SEC.
They also highlight the performance of another backup quarterback, Florida freshman DJ Lagway, and project whether Lagway can help dial down the heat on embattled coach Billy Napier.
Stay connected on Twitter with Blake (@btoppmeyer) and John (@JohnAdamsKNS) and stay up to date on SEC football news by subscribing to KnoxNews: knoxnews.com/subscribe.
Georgia's Carson Beck and Alabama's Jalen Milroe rank among preseason Heisman Trophy frontrunners.
But, forget awards for a moment. Does one of these quarterbacks have to battle to retain his starting job?
At Georgia, that's not the case. Beck remains Georgia's QB1. End of discussion.
What about Milroe? A new coaching staff adds uncertainty to the quarterback competition, but, to hear Milroe tell it, he's hitting it off with Kalen DeBoer, and he looked to have a handle on the offense in Alabama's spring game.
On today's episode, host Blake Toppmeyer of the USA TODAY Network is joined by Chase Goodbread of the Tuscaloosa News and the Athens-Banner Herald's Marc Weiszer to recap the spring games for Alabama and Georgia, discuss quarterbacks and set expectations for 2024.
What's a realistic bar for DeBoer's first season? What's Georgia's lingering question exiting spring practice?
A discussion of those topics and more.
Stay connected on Twitter with Blake (@btoppmeyer) and John (@JohnAdamsKNS) and stay up to date on SEC football news by subscribing to KnoxNews: knoxnews.com/subscribe.
John Calipari's whopper buyout saddled him to Kentucky. Not anymore, though, as Calipari prepares to exit out the side door to Arkansas.
This looks like a potential win-win-win for Arkansas, Kentucky and Calipari, and one of the nation's biggest basketball jobs is now on the market.
Where will Kentucky turn?
On today's episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams weigh in on Kentucky's search to replace Calipari. Each host offers two swing-for-the-fences candidates (Bruce Pearl!?!), plus a couple of fallback options.
They also touch on the candidacies of Alabama's Nate Oats and Baylor's Scott Drew.
Later in the episode, a discussion on the importance of Kalen DeBoer's first Alabama football spring game, and what LSU's Brian Kelly said about the Michigan job.
Stay connected on Twitter with Blake (@btoppmeyer) and John (@JohnAdamsKNS) and stay up to date on SEC football news by subscribing to KnoxNews: knoxnews.com/subscribe.
Can we agree Kirby Smart is the SEC's top football coach? A better debate: How to rank SEC schools by football coach plus their men’s basketball coach. Would Georgia remain No. 1 in such a ranking? What about Alabama? Where does Tennessee factor into the mix?
On today's episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams rank their top eight SEC schools in terms of football plus men’s basketball coaches.
In some instances, the school's football and basketball coach each rank near the top of the SEC. In other cases, one coach does the heavy lifting.
The hosts disagree on which school should be No. 1.
Stay connected on Twitter with Blake (@btoppmeyer) and John (@JohnAdamsKNS) and stay up to date on SEC football news by subscribing to KnoxNews: knoxnews.com/subscribe.
The ball tipped, and the upsets began.
Then the second round tipped, and chalk held strong. Each of the four No. 1 seeds remains in the NCAA Tournament in the Sweet 16, but does that mean we think it'll be all favorites in the Final Four? Nope.
On today's episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams revisit their March Madness predictions.
Three of Toppmeyer's Final Four picks remain in the tournament, while two of Adams' picks went down in the first round after he overvalued the SEC and went all in on Kentucky and Auburn. Clean the slate. Fresh picks ahead ... including a No. 5 seed to the Final Four?
Stay connected on Twitter with Blake (@btoppmeyer) and John (@JohnAdamsKNS) and stay up to date on SEC football news by subscribing to KnoxNews: knoxnews.com/subscribe.
Get your brackets finalized. Decide whether you want to lean into that No. 13 over a No. 4 upset pick. Lock in your Final Four.
The Madness is nearly here.
With eight SEC teams in the NCAA Tournament, including four that are either seeded No. 2, No. 3 or No. 4, could this be the year the conference produces a national champion for the first time since the 2012 Kentucky Wildcats?
On today's episode, Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams are putting the pigskin on the shelf in favor of hoops and America's favorite tournament.
They handicap the toughest region, make their Final Four and upset picks, and they agree on which team will be the last one standing from the SEC.
Stay connected on Twitter with Blake (@btoppmeyer) and John (@JohnAdamsKNS) and stay up to date on SEC football news by subscribing to KnoxNews: knoxnews.com/subscribe.
In the spirit of March Madness, we're ready to seed the SEC – but here's the twist. We're seeding for football.
Now, you might be thinking, "This sure sounds like an SEC football power ranking, doesn't it?" Well, yes. It's exactly that. But, this is the time of seeds, brackets and upsets, so why call this a power ranking? It's seeding, darn it!
On today's episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams offer their 2024 power rankings – or seeding, rather.
This pecking order is not necessarily reflective of how they see the conference standings. A team's schedule draw will affect the standings. Rather, this seeding is based more on a team's merits.
We can agree that Georgia should be the SEC's No. 1 seed and Vanderbilt is a deserving No. 16. In between, though, there are disagreements on the order.
Later in the episode, the hosts pivot to hoops with predictions for the SEC Tournament.
Stay connected on X with Blake (@btoppmeyer) and John (@JohnAdamsKNS) and stay up to date on SEC football news by subscribing to the free SEC Unfiltered newsletter: bit.ly/SECUnfiltered
Steve Spurrier weighed in on the state of Florida football under embattled coach Billy Napier, and the HBC's assessment came off as anything but a ringing endorsement.
Florida Times-Union columnist Gene Frenette quoted Spurrier questioning the direction of Napier's Gators in a recent column. The most biting quote?
“There’s a feeling around the Gators of, 'What the heck are we doing?'” Spurrier said.
Yes, indeed: What the heck is going on at Florida? By most appearances, in all kinds of weather, the Gators aren't sticking to together.
On today's episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams react to Spurrier's comments and assess Napier's standing at UF.
Their assessment: Napier faces turbulent times ahead.
Later in the episode, the hosts answer Hugh Freeze's question: Why not Auburn?
Also, the latest on College Football Playoff expansion talks.
Stay connected on Twitter with Blake (@btoppmeyer) and John (@JohnAdamsKNS) and stay up to date on SEC football news by subscribing to KnoxNews: knoxnews.com/subscribe.
The contract originates in the state of Texas, and the deal is a big one.
In those two ways, the contracts for Longhorns coach Steve Sarkisian and former Texas A&M coach Jimbo Fisher are similar. Maybe it's true that everything is just bigger in Texas – even the paychecks. Sarkisian's salary now jumps to $10.3 million, while Fisher enjoys his record-breaking $77 million buyout.
Peel back the layers, though, and you'll see several arguments against Sarkisian being a Fisher 2.0.
On today's episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and Nick Kelly weigh in on Sarkisian's payday and why it makes sense for Texas. The Longhorns are betting Sarkisian's elevator is still going up. There's evidence to support that.
Later in the episode, a status update on the situation at Alabama, where Kalen DeBoer prepares for his first spring practice in the SEC. The hosts identify the three biggest questions facing Alabama in 2024.
Stay connected on Twitter with Blake (@btoppmeyer) and John (@JohnAdamsKNS) and stay up to date on SEC football news by subscribing to KnoxNews: knoxnews.com/subscribe.
The 12-team College Football Playoff evolved before it ever debuted.
The expanded playoff that's set to launch this season originally had been devised as a 6+6 format. That is, automatic bids for the six-best conference champions, plus six at-large bids.
But, after that format got approved, realignment crippled the Pac-12.
So, on Tuesday, the CFP Board of Managers voted to change the playoff to a 5+7 format – automatic bids for the five-best conference champions, plus seven at-large bids. The CFP contract lasts another two seasons. For 2026 and beyond, no approved playoff format exists.
On today's episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams react to this modified 12-team playoff format and speculate as to what might be in store for the playoff beginning with the '26 season.
This much seems likely: SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey will have an influential voice in shaping the playoff's future, just as he swung a big stick in determining this 12-team playoff format.
Stay connected on Twitter with Blake (@btoppmeyer) and John (@JohnAdamsKNS) and stay up to date on SEC football news by subscribing to KnoxNews: knoxnews.com/subscribe.
The SEC teems with talented quarterbacks in 2024, ranging from proven veterans to ballyhooed freshmen. The quarterback talent only stands to improve with Texas and Oklahoma joining the SEC.
Eight of the SEC's soon-to-be 16 teams return their starting quarterbacks, and even a few of those breaking in new starters will be led by familiar faces.
On today's episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams draft SEC quarterbacks in an attempt to build the best four-quarterback depth chart.
Toppmeyer prefers proven talent, while Adams rolls the dice with freshmen.
Later in the episode, why the College Football Playoff's decision to keep ESPN as its exclusive TV partner works for the SEC. Plus, the latest on Tennessee's lawsuit against the NCAA.
Stay connected on Twitter with Blake (@btoppmeyer) and John (@JohnAdamsKNS) and stay up to date on SEC football news by subscribing to KnoxNews: knoxnews.com/subscribe.
The “Power 2” are super buddies all of a sudden after last week’s announcement that the Big Ten and SEC are forming an advisory group aimed at solving some issues facing college sports.
Will this alliance produce a breakaway, at least in football, of the NCAA’s two richest and most powerful conferences? Could the Big Ten and SEC say farewell to the College Football Playoff in a few years and launch their own postseason exclusive to the “Power 2?”
Sure, it's possible. Likely? Probably not. At least not in the short-term.
If it happened, though, what would be the upside and downside to an SEC/B1G playoff?
On today's episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams discuss the idea of a “Power 2” postseason and debate what they like about the possibility and what they dislike.
Later in the episode, they unveil their top five SEC quarterbacks for 2024. Their lists feature the same quarterbacks, but in a different order. Finally, a look at the Tennessee vs. NCAA court case.
Stay connected on Twitter with Blake (@btoppmeyer) and John (@JohnAdamsKNS) and stay up to date on SEC football news by subscribing to KnoxNews: knoxnews.com/subscribe.
If you couldn't have Kirby Smart coaching your team, which SEC coach would you want?
As of a month ago, the answer should have been obvious: Nick Saban. But, the retired GOAT is out of the equation, leaving Smart all alone on the top tier of college football coaches.
Within the SEC, who forms the second tier?
On today's episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams draft SEC coaches in an attempt to collect the best group of coaching talent.
It’s no mystery who’s going off the board first: Smart, the Georgia boss with two national championships to his name. Then, the debate gets interesting.
Later in the episode, a discussion of the NCAA investigations of Tennessee and Florida. Should either school be worried about the NCAA's wrath?
Stay connected on Twitter with Blake (@btoppmeyer) and John (@JohnAdamsKNS) and stay up to date on SEC football news by subscribing to KnoxNews: knoxnews.com/subscribe.
The SEC Championship Game stands to acquire some new flavor in 2024.
Three times in the past six years, the December clash in Atlanta featured Alabama vs. Georgia. And if Nick Saban had returned as coach in 2024, that theme may well have repeated.
But now, after Saban's retirement and the transfer of several prominent players? Eight or nine wins suddenly looks more realistic for Alabama in Kalen DeBoer's debut season than a return to Mercedes-Benz Stadium and another date with Kirby Smart.
On today's episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams highlight the teams best positioned to threaten Georgia for the SEC's top spot in 2024. Hint: The conversation doesn't begin with the Crimson Tide.
They also look toward the bottom of the conference, where Vanderbilt is camped out and showing no signs of vacating the basement. But, can a handful of woebegone SEC teams challenge the Commodores for the cellar?
Stay connected on Twitter with Blake (@btoppmeyer) and John (@JohnAdamsKNS) and stay up to date on SEC football news by subscribing to KnoxNews: knoxnews.com/subscribe.
New coach, meet the old coach – the one who’s not leaving, just changing duties.
Alabama introduced Kalen DeBoer on Saturday as Nick Saban’s successor, and during his introductory remarks, DeBoer addressed the GOAT in the room (seated in the front row) when he said Saban would retain “100% access” to the Alabama program.
Saban, after six national championship’s as the Crimson Tide’s coach, will remain employed by Alabama athletics in an advisory role.
On today's episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams discuss this uncommon situation and whether Saban’s continuing presence will be an asset or a hindrance for DeBoer.
That’s the first of several fact-or-fiction topics they discuss for Alabama’s new coach. They also project whether he'll win a national title with Alabama, and whether Alabama or Texas is better positioned for the future. Also, Saban's retirement calls for a revision of the 2024 SEC power rankings.
Stay connected on Twitter with Blake (@btoppmeyer) and John (@JohnAdamsKNS) and stay up to date on SEC football news by subscribing to KnoxNews: knoxnews.com/subscribe.
Who gets to be the man to replace The Man? Who even wants that assignment?
The greatest of all time has retired. Nick Saban announced Wednesday that he’s handing off the reins of Alabama football after six national championships with the Crimson Tide and seven overall.
Alabama fans mourned the news. Elsewhere in the SEC, there were probably grins. For nearly two decades, Saban and Alabama crushed everyone in their path. Who can continue such dominance?
On today's episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams reflect on Saban’s legacy, remember their favorite moments from the coach and handicap potential candidates for the job.
The hosts rate each suggested candidate as either love it, like it, or nah, don’t like it.
To be sure, some of the nine names considered here are more realistic than others, and the first name on the list – Oregon’s Dan Lanning – already announced Thursday that he’s staying with the Ducks.
The search continues. Let’s get to the names!
Stay connected on Twitter with Blake (@btoppmeyer) and John (@JohnAdamsKNS) and stay up to date on SEC football news by subscribing to KnoxNews: knoxnews.com/subscribe.
Michigan won the national championship without having to face Georgia, but would that have mattered?
The Wolverines rattled off wins against Ohio State, Alabama and Washington. Cheating allegations aside, they’re deserving champs.
And yet … we can’t help but wonder how a Michigan-Georgia national championship would have gone.
On today's episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams consider who would have won a matchup of those teams.
And, while we’re on the subject of hypotheticals, would the Wolverines have beaten a healthy Florida State, if Seminoles quarterback Jordan Travis had not gotten hurt?
Later in the episode, a look at Alabama's defensive coordinator vacancy and some 'too-early' 2024 Top 25 chatter.
Stay connected on Twitter with Blake (@btoppmeyer) and John (@JohnAdamsKNS) and stay up to date on SEC football news by subscribing to KnoxNews: knoxnews.com/subscribe.
Michigan is one victory away from winning a national championship while under separate NCAA investigations into allegations of recruiting violations and impermissible sign-stealing.
Hardly the scandals of the century, but enough to cast the Wolverines into the black-hat role. They remain unfazed.
The investigations, though, have some wondering whether a Michigan national championship would be deemed illegitimate. Nonsense.
The way we see it, if Michigan beats No. 2 Washington on Monday, then the Wolverines are the champs. No need for an asterisk.
The College Football Playoff and the AP determine college football’s national champion, not the NCAA.
On today's episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams reject the idea of Michigan being an illegitimate champion.
They also unpack Alabama’s failed final play in its 27-20 loss to Michigan in the Rose Bowl and examine the Crimson Tide’s path forward.
If there’s any asterisk necessary on a potential Michigan national championship, it’s that the Wolverines didn’t have to face Georgia. We’re supposed to believe that Georgia, winners of 30 of its last 31 games, isn’t one of the nation’s four-best teams?
Later in the episode, a look at the fork in the road facing LSU’s Brian Kelly, who must hire new coordinators and reload on offense, and Nico Mania takes shape at Tennessee.
Stay connected on Twitter with Blake (@btoppmeyer) and John (@JohnAdamsKNS) and stay up to date on SEC football news by subscribing to KnoxNews: knoxnews.com/subscribe.
Lane Kiffin is making us reconsider how we think about recruiting classes.
Entering Wednesday, the first day of the December signing period, Ole Miss’ 2024 recruiting class ranks No. 21 nationally. Not bad. Not great. And not all that relevant.
That’s because Kiffin’s roster-assembly strategy features a strong focus on transfers, which are not factored into recruiting rankings.
Ole Miss’ transfer haul ranks No. 1 in the nation. Give the “Portal King” his crown and scepter. He’s done it again.
On today's episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams examine the dividends of Kiffin’s transfer-focused strategy and what it means for the Rebels.
Stay connected on Twitter with Blake (@btoppmeyer) and John (@JohnAdamsKNS) and stay up to date on SEC football news by subscribing to KnoxNews: knoxnews.com/subscribe.
Joe Burrow and Billy Cannon, you have company. Jayden Daniels became the third player in LSU history to win the Heisman Trophy. The senior quarterback claimed college football's top honor Saturday by a comfortable margin.
Ask us, and we say voters got this right. As the nation's best player, Daniels was a deserving winner.
Now, we turn the page to 2024.
On today's episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams offer eight players to watch for the 2024 Heisman. Of course, quarterbacks dominate the list, including a few from the SEC, and they serve up a few sleeper candidates, too.
Later in the episode, they preview the College Football Playoff semifinals and unpack the possibility of an Alabama-Texas rematch in the national championship.
Stay connected on Twitter with Blake (@btoppmeyer) and John (@JohnAdamsKNS) and stay up to date on SEC football news by subscribing to KnoxNews: knoxnews.com/subscribe.
These aren’t the ‘four best teams.' Not by our count.
The College Football Playoff selection committee explained its decision to swap out Florida State, the undefeated ACC champion, from the playoff field in favor of Alabama, the SEC’s one-loss champion, as a mission to insert the “four best teams” into the field.
The committee also conjured up some other previously unheard of reasoning as justification for making the unprecedented move of rejecting an undefeated Power Five champion from the playoff.
On today's episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams opine that the committee erred in its field of No. 1 Michigan, No. 2 Washington, No. 3 Texas and No. 4 Alabama.
Stay connected on Twitter with Blake (@btoppmeyer) and John (@JohnAdamsKNS) and stay up to date on SEC football news by subscribing to KnoxNews: knoxnews.com/subscribe.
Seven teams will play in conference championship games this weekend with a realistic shot at College Football Playoff qualification, while an eighth (Ohio State) sits at home with a longshot avenue toward backdoor entry.
If the higher-ranked teams hold serve – Georgia, Michigan, Washington and Florida State – then it’s a tidy field of four undefeated teams from Power Five conferences.
If at least one of those undefeated teams fall, though, then the committee will face some hard choices.
On today's episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams unpack a series of hypothetical playoff scenarios in which Alabama upsets Georgia in the SEC Championship. Who's in, and who's out in each case? We explain the 2-step process for Alabama to earn playoff selection – and also how both Georgia and Alabama could qualify.
Stay connected on Twitter with Blake (@btoppmeyer) and John (@JohnAdamsKNS) and stay up to date on SEC football news by subscribing to KnoxNews: knoxnews.com/subscribe.
This isn't a banner season for the SEC. While Georgia and Alabama chase the College Football Playoff, two teams chase new coaches, and several teams are in danger of missing bowl games.
Welcome to rivalry week, which is a sideshow to the SEC's ongoing coaching searches before next week's clash between Alabama and Georgia.
On today's episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams provide one-sentence summaries of each SEC team's season or the state of the program.
From firings to flops, they summarize each SEC team in a handful of words.
Later in the episode, rivalry week picks against the spread!
Stay connected on Twitter with Blake (@btoppmeyer) and John (@JohnAdamsKNS) and stay up to date on SEC football news by subscribing to KnoxNews: knoxnews.com/subscribe.
Texas A&M is a top-20 college football job with top-five resources, and the job is vacant after the firing of Jimbo Fisher. Fire up the carousel, and bring on the big-name coaches!
The Aggies don't have a national championship pedigree, but they have the fertile recruiting terrain, financial support and facilities to make this a very appealing job.
Money is no object for Aggies boosters, either. Texas A&M is the best job on the market.
Is it good enough to attract Lane Kiffin, Dan Lanning or... maybe even Jim Harbaugh?!
On today's episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams assess the Aggies' opening and consider nine candidates.
Stay connected on Twitter with Blake (@btoppmeyer) and John (@JohnAdamsKNS) and stay up to date on SEC football news by subscribing to KnoxNews: knoxnews.com/subscribe.
Alabama and Georgia are on a collision course for Atlanta, while the hot seat smolders elsewhere in the South, and at least one SEC quarterback has a chance at the Heisman Trophy.
Buckle up! These next four weeks leading up to Selection Sunday are about to get really, really interesting.
No SEC coaches have been fired, but the coaching carousel is begging to begin its motion. On the playoff front, Georgia, Alabama and dark-horse Ole Miss remain in the mix.
LSU's Jayden Daniels for Heisman? Don't forget Georgia's Carson Beck. (A couple of Pac-12 quarterbacks, plus Florida State's Jordan Travis and Michigan's J.J. McCarthy, may have something to day about that.)
On today's episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams engage in some fact-or-fiction debates regarding some of the SEC's hottest topics. Among them: They project the firings of two SEC coaches.
Also in this episode, we examine the playoff credentials of Alabama and make Week 11 picks against the spread!
Stay connected on Twitter with Blake (@btoppmeyer) and John (@JohnAdamsKNS) and stay up to date on SEC football news by subscribing to KnoxNews: knoxnews.com/subscribe.
Go ahead, watch Tuesday’s CFP rankings reveal rankings reveal. Become miffed if you think your team gets snubbed by the committee’s pecking order. But, remember, how you’re ranked on Halloween isn’t a great predictor of which team will win the national championship.
On today's episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams examine the résumés for the five remaining undefeated teams from Power Five conferences. They agree on who should be ranked No. 1. They also agree that the committee will rank Ohio State No. 1, rewarding the Buckeyes’ wins at Notre Dame and against Penn State. They disagree on just about everything else.
Later in the episode, a preview of Alabama-LSU, including Jayden Daniels' Heisman chances. Plus, Week 10 picks against the spread!
Stay connected on Twitter with Blake (@btoppmeyer) and John (@JohnAdamsKNS) and stay up to date on SEC football news by subscribing to KnoxNews: knoxnews.com/subscribe.
Texas A&M faces two bad choices: Swallow Jimbo Fisher's monstrous buyout, or stomach Fisher's ceaseless mediocrity. Get a bunch of oil tycoons in a room, and let’s see how they react to this dilemma.
The SEC’s hot seat is cooking, and Fisher has company. Arkansas’ Sam Pittman epitomizes how quickly a coach can descend from beloved to bewildered. Pittman froze up and goofed in a critical moment during the Razorbacks’ sixth straight loss, an embarrassing 7-3 defeat Saturday to Mississippi State.
Fan angst persists within other SEC locales, but the temperatures are hottest at Texas A&M and Arkansas.
On today's episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams examine who is at greater risk of being fired first – Fisher or Pittman?
Stay connected on Twitter with Blake (@btoppmeyer) and John (@JohnAdamsKNS) and stay up to date on SEC football news by subscribing to KnoxNews: knoxnews.com/subscribe.
Tennessee’s upset of Alabama became a defining moment of the 2022 season. Rivalries provide the backdrop for college football’s greatest games, and when the Vols beat the Crimson Tide for the first time since 2006, joyful fans lit cigars, tore down the goal posts, marched them out of the stadium and baptized them in the Tennessee River.
Show us an NFL scene that matches that.
Tennessee beat Alabama 52-49 in a game in which the quarterbacks combined for 840 passing yards.
Don’t expect a repeat of that.
On today's episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams examine the Third Saturday in October rivalry matchup.
The duel of Hendon Hooker vs. Bryce Young became an instant classic. This game projects to go much differently.
Later in the episode, Adams busts out his trusty panic-meter and applies it to struggling coaches Jimbo Fisher, Sam Pittman, Shane Beamer, Hugh Freeze and Zach Arnett, as well as on-the-upswing Billy Napier. Plus, Week 8 picks!
Stay connected on Twitter with Blake (@btoppmeyer) and John (@JohnAdamsKNS) and stay up to date on SEC football news by subscribing to KnoxNews: knoxnews.com/subscribe.
As the SEC's season hits its midpoint, let's take stock of where things stand.
Who are the conference's top offensive and defensive players? Whose coaching performance deserves acclaim, and who is already in wait-til-next-year mode?
On today's episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams bust out some hardware.
They struggle to anoint a coach worthy of this prestigious midseason honor, before settling on Missouri's Eliah Drinkwitz. As for players, LSU's Jayden Daniels, Georgia's Brock Bowers and Alabama's Dallas Turner deserve recognition.
Now, what about those Aggies? What 'til next year. Texas A&M, Kentucky and Missouri enjoyed a chance for a signature moment on Saturday. The Wildcats got humiliated, while the Tigers and Aggies let prime opportunities slip through their fingers.
Also, our Week 7 picks against the spread!
Georgia is No. 1, but the Bulldogs aren’t dominating as if they’re the nation’s best team. Auburn’s offense is one-dimensional, but Georgia struggled to get past the Tigers.
Even so, Top 25 poll voters are reluctant to remove a team off the No. 1 spot unless it loses. That’s especially true for a two-time defending national champion.
But, should Georgia be ranked No. 1 entering its clash with No. 20 Kentucky?
On today's episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams share how they’d fill out the top of their ballot, if they were voting in the AP Top 25. Neither host ranks Georgia No. 1, but they disagree on how far down the Bulldogs should be slotted.
Later in the episode, they examine whether Texas A&M’s home game against Alabama is the biggest game of Jimbo Fisher’s tenure. Plus, a look at LSU's spiral from preseason darling to September pushover. And they offer Week 6 picks against the spread!
Stay connected on Twitter with Blake (@btoppmeyer) and John (@JohnAdamsKNS) and stay up to date on SEC football news by subscribing to KnoxNews: knoxnews.com/subscribe.
Alabama regained a pulse, and the three-headed race for the SEC West is back on.
Yes, Alabama, LSU and Texas A&M have one loss apiece. Each came against a nonconference opponent, though, and the West’s projected frontrunners won their SEC openers to restore order to the division.
Big games loom in November, but we’ll gain clarity in the meantime. LSU is a slim favorite this week against Ole Miss before Alabama tries to atone for a 2021 loss to Texas A&M when it visits the Aggies in two Saturdays.
On today's episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams rank the SEC West’s favorites, in order from most likely to win the division to least likely.
The hosts aren’t backing off their preseason pick of LSU, but then the debate gets interesting. Later in the episode, Missouri and Kentucky are each 4-0, but we're only buying stock in one of these teams. Also, Week 5 picks against the spread!
Stay connected on Twitter with Blake (@btoppmeyer) and John (@JohnAdamsKNS) and stay up to date on SEC football news by subscribing to KnoxNews: knoxnews.com/subscribe.
Tennessee tumbled from the national top 10 with its loss to Florida, Alabama had a four-quarter tussle on its hands against lowly South Florida, and Georgia needed a second-half rally to beat South Carolina.
The struggle is real for the SEC’s projected frontrunners.
Of the teams the media projected would finish in the top three of each SEC division, only Georgia (3-0) remains undefeated. Oh, and it’s only Week 4.
On today's episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams rank their level of concern for Georgia, Alabama and Tennessee, one through 10, with one being “nothing to see here; everything is fine,” and 10 being “sound the alarm!”
They also debate who's responsible for Alabama's offensive struggles, ahead of a pivotal game against Ole Miss.
Later in the episode, some love for Missouri's "thicker kicker," and Week 4 picks against the spread.
Stay connected on Twitter with Blake (@btoppmeyer) and John (@JohnAdamsKNS) and stay up to date on SEC football news by subscribing to KnoxNews: knoxnews.com/subscribe.
Texas mauled Alabama on Saturday, to the extent that you had to wonder whether this was the final punch on the chin of Nick Saban's fading dynasty. The team with the better quarterback won.
Led by Quinn Ewers, Texas blitzed Alabama in the fourth quarter. Tide quarterback Jalen Milroe threw two critical interceptions. After an offseason of quarterback uncertainty, is a change in order? Would it even matter?
On today's episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams examine Alabama's loss to Texas and what impact a quarterback change would have.
Their conclusion: Milroe didn't help Alabama's cause, but he was far from the only issue. Alabama got whipped at the line of scrimmage, its wide receivers couldn't get open and its running backs were pedestrian.
The losing squad in Tuscaloosa didn't resemble a CFP team.
Milroe's running ability is an asset. Without it, Alabama's offense could become more limited. Backup Tyler Buchner might provide a steadier passer, but judging off Saturday, Alabama doesn't possess the wide receivers to take advantage.
Each of the three projected frontrunners in the SEC West – Alabama, LSU and Texas A&M – has a nonconference loss, leaving a slim avenue to the College Football Playoff. With those three in a weakened state, Toppmeyer and Adams discuss whether Ole Miss is a contender or pretender in the West. Also, they offer their Week 3 picks against the spread!
Stay connected on Twitter with Blake (@btoppmeyer) and John (@JohnAdamsKNS) and stay up to date on SEC football news by subscribing to KnoxNews: knoxnews.com/subscribe.
Remember that meme where a Western Kentucky player looks to a camera during a 2011 game against Kentucky and says, "They supposed to be SEC!" with a delighted grin of mockery?
That line came to mind in Week 1, when three SEC teams went down against ranked opponents.
Utah crushed Florida. North Carolina destroyed South Carolina. Florida State picked apart LSU.
They supposed to be SEC?
The nation's preeminent conference got humbled.
On today's episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams unpack the SEC's stumble out of the blocks.
Four ranked SEC teams – Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee and Texas A&M – dispatched of meek opponents without issue. But, in the marquee games, the SEC fell flat. Which teams have a road to recovery?
Later in the episode, the hosts highlight their Week 1 sizzlers and fizzlers and make their Week 2 picks against the spread.
Stay connected on Twitter with Blake (@btoppmeyer) and John (@JohnAdamsKNS) and stay up to date on SEC football news by subscribing to KnoxNews: knoxnews.com/subscribe.
Who will be Alabama's starting quarterback, and how long will he remain the starter? Will this be the first season since 2018 that no SEC coach is fired? Will anyone test Georgia? And, in the 10th and final season of the four-team College Football Playoff, will the SEC qualify two teams for the third time?
These are questions on our mind as Week 1 nears kickoff. It's about to get real, starting with Florida's game at Utah on Thursday. South Carolina will clash with North Carolina on Saturday night, and LSU's top-10 showdown with Florida State on Sunday is the game of the week.
On today's episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams discuss their most-anticipated games of Week 1, and they engage with several fact-or-fiction prompts for SEC teams this season.
They finish with some Week 1 picks against the spread.
Stay connected on Twitter with Blake (@btoppmeyer) and John (@JohnAdamsKNS) and stay up to date on SEC football news by subscribing to KnoxNews: knoxnews.com/subscribe.
Prediction season is nearly finished. Games are nearly here. That leaves one last chance for preseason takes – or, in our case, second-guessing predictions.
As kickoff nears, we're changing our opinion of a few teams. We haven't scrapped any predictions at the top of either division, but the middle of the SEC East and the bottom of the SEC West could use re-evaluation.
On today's episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams revisit some of their preseason predictions that are giving them second thoughts, ranging from Kentucky to Auburn.
Later in the episode: Three SEC schools recently named starting quarterbacks: Payton Thorne (Auburn), Graham Mertz (Florida) and Carson Beck (Georgia). The hosts debate which member of that trio is least likely to finish the season as the starter. Plus, does Hugh Freeze or Zach Arnett face more pressure in Year 1?
Stay connected on Twitter with Blake (@btoppmeyer) Adam (@AdamSparks) Mike (@ByMikeWilson) and John (@JohnAdamsKNS) and stay up to date on Vols sports news by following @GoVolsXtra.
Connect on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/GoVolsXtra/
Subscribe to KnoxNews: knoxnews.com/subscribe
Voters in college football's two major polls agree: Georgia, Alabama, LSU and Tennessee are the SEC's top teams entering the season. That's two teams per division.
Outside of that quartet, who are the SEC's party-wreckers? We're talking teams that can finish better than their division projection, spring a couple of upsets and maybe even spoil the College Football Playoff hopes of a preseason frontrunner.
On today's episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams examine the credentials of four potential disruptors in the SEC. Then, they poke holes in each of these teams' chances of playing spoiler.
Teams highlighted as potential party crashers include Ole Miss, Kentucky, Texas A&M and Missouri.
Later in the episode, Toppmeyer's SEC quarterback rankings go under review, with Adams thinking one SEC East quarterback, in particular, got snubbed. Plus, what's got Nick Saban smiling so much this preseason?
Stay connected on Twitter with Blake (@btoppmeyer) and John (@JohnAdamsKNS) and stay up to date on SEC football news by subscribing to KnoxNews: knoxnews.com/subscribe.
The Big Ten can compete with the SEC on the financial ledger, and the conference will span from coast to coast after the arrival of four Pac-12 teams. But, the SEC isn't in danger of getting passed on the playing field – not yet, anyway.
On today's episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams discuss what the Big Ten’s additions (and the Pac-12’s demise) mean for the SEC and whether the SEC needs to craft a rebuttal expansion.
Their verdict: While the SEC would have preferred for the Pac-12 to survive , these Big Ten maneuvers do not threaten the SEC's supremacy.
Throughout the CFP's nine years, the Pac-12 only supplied two playoff qualifiers. So, the B1G raid of the West Coast does not reorder college football's conference pecking order.
However, fissures are forming in the ACC, while Florida State barks in dissent of the conference’s media rights deal, which pales in financial comparison to the Big Ten and SEC deals.
What if fissures become fractures?
Unlike the Pac-12, the ACC has produced three national champions in the past 10 seasons (Clemson twice and FSU once). The Big Ten snapping up either of those programs would be a coup.
The SEC must stay vigilant and be ready to act if ACC schools are determined to break out of the conference’s sticky grant of rights.
Stay connected on Twitter with Blake (@btoppmeyer) and John (@JohnAdamsKNS) and stay up to date on SEC football news by subscribing to KnoxNews: knoxnews.com/subscribe.
The Big 12 looked in dire straights two years ago after the SEC’s heist of Oklahoma and Texas. The conference endured, and it’s enjoying a renaissance. Colorado became the Big 12's latest seizure.
We’re so intrigued by this alignment of Big 12 programs, we’re eyeing a four-team swap with the SEC.
On today's episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams engage in a thought exercise: If the SEC was required to swap four teams in an exchange with the Big 12, which quartet should it say farewell to, and which four teams should it desire in return?
Some choices may seem obvious, but we're thinking outside the box with a couple of selections.
Later in the episode, Toppmeyer unveils his SEC coach power rankings, where Kirby Smart claimed the No. 1 spot. The debate heats up from there.
Stay connected on Twitter with Blake (@btoppmeyer) and John (@JohnAdamsKNS) and stay up to date on SEC football news by subscribing to KnoxNews: knoxnews.com/subscribe.
Five credentialed media members think Vanderbilt will win the SEC Championship. Now that's a hot take.
We can't match that boldness – or, is lunacy a better word? – but we do have a few against-the-grain SEC football predictions. Call them lukewarm preseason takes.
On today's episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams offer their predictions that swim upstream against the votes cast at last week's SEC Media Days.
From the last-place debate in the SEC West to the SEC East's sleeper team to a quarterback being overlooked, we've got thoughts that don't subscribe to group-think.
Later in the episode, an unpacking of Nick Saban's unusual philosophy on expectations creating disappointment, and Lane Kiffin swaps Portal King for Irony King.
Stay connected on Twitter with Blake (@btoppmeyer) and John (@JohnAdamsKNS) and stay up to date on SEC football news by subscribing to KnoxNews: knoxnews.com/subscribe.
Phillip Fulmer didn't want to fire Jeremy Pruitt after the 2020 season, but if that's the direction Tennessee chose, Fulmer had a plan to replace the embattled coach.
Fulmer was UT's athletics director at the time, and he drafted a list of 16 possible candidates. Fulmer's list of names ranged from the unimaginative to the unqualified to the unreal. (One of Fulmer's listed names, Alex French, is not a football coach.)
However, his list also featured a few possibilities that other SEC schools would soon target: Shane Beamer, Billy Napier and Hugh Freeze.
On today's episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams review the brazen and sloppy NCAA rule-breaking that toppled Pruitt's tenure and recently landed him a six-year show-cause penalty. Additionally, they dive into Fulmer's list of potential candidates and debate who might have been a fit for the Vols, if Fulmer had been allowed to hire Pruitt's replacement.
Later in the episode, they propose some dream nonconference matchups involving Big 12 opponents, and they debate whether Georgia's tumultuous offseason will affect its on-field product.
Stay connected on Twitter with Blake (@btoppmeyer) and John (@JohnAdamsKNS) and stay up to date on SEC football news by subscribing to KnoxNews: knoxnews.com/subscribe.
After a banner year for LSU athletics, is Brian Kelly's football program next in line for a national championship? Hang on just a second.
Kelly, in a recent interview with the USA TODAY Network, identified 2024 as the season his Tigers should be expected to seriously contend for a national championship. Nonetheless, hype builds for Kelly's second season after the Tigers won the SEC West in his debut.
On today's episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams dissect Kelly's comments and what they might mean.
Kelly might simply be trying to downplay expectations and pressures facing his team this season. However, there's reason to think LSU is, in fact, still a year away from national championship contention, and LSU's history suggests Year 3 is a realistic timeline.
Later in the episode, a preview of the coaches who might stand out at SEC Media Days; plus, why the media is likely to pick Alabama to win the SEC West.
Stay connected on Twitter with Blake (@btoppmeyer) and John (@JohnAdamsKNS) and stay up to date on SEC football news by subscribing to KnoxNews: knoxnews.com/subscribe.
The SEC is one year away from hosting something of a Big 12 reunion, but don’t expect Missouri and Texas A&M to offer any welcoming hugs for their old conference rivals, Oklahoma and Texas.
The Longhorns were a polarizing presence in the Big 12, and their actions more than a decade ago (along with Oklahoma's maneuvers, to a lesser extent), contributed to Missouri and A&M leaving the conference in favor of the SEC.
On today's episode, host Blake Toppmeyer is joined by PowerMizzou.com’s Gabe DeArmond to assess what OU and Texas’ SEC arrival will mean for Texas A&M and Missouri. DeArmond explains why feelings from the Missouri and Aggies side of the aisle remain frosty toward Texas and Oklahoma.
Later in the episode, the Clarion Ledger's Stefan Krajisnik joins to assess what he saw from SEC quarterbacks at the Manning Passing Academy. Two quarterbacks, in particular, caught his eye, both from SEC East teams.
Stay connected on Twitter with Blake (@btoppmeyer) and John (@JohnAdamsKNS) and stay up to date on SEC football news by subscribing to KnoxNews: knoxnews.com/subscribe.
This season marks the 10th and final year of the four-team College Football Playoff, a format the SEC has dominated.
Alabama, Georgia and LSU combined for six national championships during the past nine years. But those three teams are also the only three SEC teams to qualify for the playoff. Although Tennessee, Florida and Auburn won at least one BCS national championship, they’ve been shut out of the CFP.
Insert the 12-team playoff, which will debut in 2024 and will offer a broader playoff opening for many programs.
On today's episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams debate how the larger playoff will affect the postseason prospects for programs that never made the four-team format.
Stay connected on Twitter with Blake (@btoppmeyer) and John (@JohnAdamsKNS) and stay up to date on SEC football news by subscribing to KnoxNews: knoxnews.com/subscribe.
After the SEC went to a division structure in 1992, it made efforts to preserve longtime rivalries like Alabama-Tennessee and Auburn-Georgia on an annual basis via interdivision pairings.
But this season is the final year for divisions, and eliminating divisions makes certain secondary and tertiary rivalries more of a challenge to preserve – especially if the SEC sticks with an eight-game conference schedule beyond 2024.
Would it be some travesty if the Third Saturday in October or the Deep South’s Oldest Rivalry were played only twice in a four-year span, rather than every fall?
Depends who you ask.
On today's episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams address the potential pluses and minuses from the elimination of divisions.
Stay connected on Twitter with Blake (@btoppmeyer) and John (@JohnAdamsKNS) and stay up to date on SEC football news by subscribing to KnoxNews: knoxnews.com/subscribe.
The SEC endured criticism after sticking with an eight-game conference schedule for 2024, even after the conference grows to 16 teams. Other conferences like the Big Ten, Big 12 and Pac-12 play nine conference games.
Dissent from the peanut gallery can be ignored, but blowback from the College Football Playoff selection committee would be a stinging rebuke with real consequences.
The CFP will expand to 12 teams in 2024, and the playoff selection committee will determine six at-large bids. While it’s not apparent how much strength of schedule will factor into those debates, the SEC would seem to be leaving itself vulnerable to rejection in instances of similar resumes, because its members will play a fewer conference games than many Power Five peers.
On today’s episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams discuss why the SEC decided to stick with an eight-game conference schedule and the ramifications of that decision.
Stay connected on Twitter with Blake (@btoppmeyer) and John (@JohnAdamsKNS) and stay up to date on SEC football news by subscribing to KnoxNews: knoxnews.com/subscribe.
Certain ACC members are unsatisfied with the conference’s third-fiddle media rights distribution and have examined the conference’s media rights agreement to explore available options.
With schools like Clemson and Florida State exhibiting a wandering eye, there can be only two conferences on their dream destination list: the SEC or the Big Ten.
On today’s episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams highlight four ACC schools that should interest the SEC for further expansion, if those ACC schools somehow find a way out of the conference’s media rights deal that runs through 2036.
Stay connected on Twitter with Blake (@btoppmeyer) and John (@JohnAdamsKNS) and stay up to date on SEC football news by subscribing to KnoxNews: knoxnews.com/subscribe.
Two-time defending national champion Georgia is ranked No. 1 in USA TODAY's post-spring preseason Top 25. No surprise there, right?
But, where's the love for LSU? The Tigers don't appear in these rankings until No. 15. That's too low for a team with College Football Playoff potential.
Four SEC teams are ranked in USA TODAY's rankings.
On today's episode, Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams react to their colleagues' latest rankings.
Stay connected on Twitter with Blake (@btoppmeyer) and John (@JohnAdamsKNS) and stay up to date on SEC football news by subscribing to KnoxNews: knoxnews.com/subscribe.
Alabama’s newest addition to its quarterback competition threw for just 44 yards in Notre Dame’s spring game, so who says the grass is greener from the Irish side?
The Crimson Tide increased the candidates in its hotly debated starting quarterback battle by adding Notre Dame transfer Tyler Buchner last week, but that shouldn’t eliminate Jalen Milroe’s candidacy or even catapult Buchner to the top of the heap.
On today's episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams re-examine Alabama’s quarterback competition and explain why they still favor Milroe to win the job over Buchner or Ty Simpson.
Stay connected on Twitter with Blake (@btoppmeyer) and John (@JohnAdamsKNS) and stay up to date on SEC football news by subscribing to KnoxNews: knoxnews.com/subscribe.
Georgia is the betting favorite to win a third straight national championship. Big surprise, we know. The Bulldogs remain college football's overlord, but they'll be contested in 2023.
Ohio State nearly toppled Georgia in a College Football Playoff semifinal last season, and the Buckeyes will remain among the top challengers to Georgia. A few inside the SEC also could interfere with Georgia's quest to become three-peat champions.
On today's episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams highlight eight programs as being top threats to Georgia winning another national championship.
Stay connected on Twitter with Blake (@btoppmeyer) and John (@JohnAdamsKNS) and stay up to date on SEC football news by subscribing to KnoxNews: knoxnews.com/subscribe.
The 2023 college football season is the last before sweeping changes in conference alignment and postseason structure. The four-team playoff will give way to 12 teams in 2024, at which time Oklahoma and Texas will be in the SEC and USC and UCLA will be in the Big Ten.
What do those changes mean for college football, on the whole?
On today's episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and Gentry Estes debate whether these changes are good, bad or otherwise for the sport.
Stay connected on Twitter with Blake (@btoppmeyer) and John (@JohnAdamsKNS) and stay up to date on SEC football news by subscribing to KnoxNews: knoxnews.com/subscribe.
Four SEC teams play a nonconference rivalry game with an ACC team each season, but the SEC's other members don't have a fixed non-league clash they play annually.
We're here to make some suggestions.
For Alabama, how about a matchup of blue bloods? There are multiple opportunities to reignite some old Southwest Conference clashes. Football-proud Nebraska and Penn State would make for good annual opponents for an SEC team, too.
On today's episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams suggest a nonconference rival for each of the SEC's 10 teams that do not currently play a rivalry game with a member of the ACC.
Stay connected on Twitter with Blake (@btoppmeyer) and John (@JohnAdamsKNS) and stay up to date on SEC football news by subscribing to KnoxNews: knoxnews.com/subscribe.
Oklahoma and Texas will begin SEC competition in 2024. We still don't know what format the SEC's football schedule will take at that time.
Divisions are going away, but as to whether the league's members will approve eight or nine conference games, that debate continues. A schedule format decision is expected within two months.
On today's episode, Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams debate the merits of the schedule formats still under view. They agree: SEC members need to see the light and approve going to nine conference games.
Stay connected on Twitter with Blake (@btoppmeyer) and John (@JohnAdamsKNS) and stay up to date on SEC football news by subscribing to KnoxNews: knoxnews.com/subscribe.
Careful, Jimbo Fisher. Your ego is showing – again.
The Texas A&M coach refused to admit that Bobby Petrino could implement schematic upgrades within an offense that ranked among the SEC’s worst last season. In fact, Fisher said scheme is irrelevant.
On today's episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams unpack potential reasons why Fisher dug in his heels rather than acknowledge that Petrino is his savvy hire brought in to accelerate the Aggies’ offense.
Stay connected on Twitter with Blake (@btoppmeyer) and John (@JohnAdamsKNS) and stay up to date on SEC football news by subscribing to KnoxNews: knoxnews.com/subscribe.
Pour one out for the four-team College Football Playoff. This is its final go before the playoff expands to 12 teams in 2024. A bigger playoff will bring more SEC teams into contention. In fact, in the past nine years, nine SEC teams would have made a 12-team playoff at least one time.
How many SEC teams would make a 12-team field, if it were in place this year?
On today's episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams debate that topic.
Stay connected on Twitter with Blake (@btoppmeyer) and John (@JohnAdamsKNS) and stay up to date on SEC football news by subscribing to KnoxNews: knoxnews.com/subscribe.
The SEC tied its conference record by qualifying eight teams for the NCAA Tournament, and the conference boasts the No. 1 overall seed, Alabama.
Otherwise, the conference didn't earn much respect in seeding. Fourth-seeded Tennessee is the SEC team with the second-highest seed.
On today's episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams put football on the back burner for a week to dissect the SEC's chances for a strong showing in the Big Dance.
They consider sleeper teams, offer their Final Four picks and one of the hosts picks an SEC team to win the national championship.
Nick Saban is getting upset, and he wants you to know it.
For years, Alabama's coach stumped for a nine-game SEC schedule. That change is likely coming in 2024, but now Saban is whining about the teams Alabama will have to play. Auburn, LSU and Tennessee are Alabama's assigned rivals in this proposed model. Saban thinks that's unfair.
Surely, he can't expect the SEC to reverse course now. It would look like it is caving to Saban's demands. So, what's he up to?
On today's episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams discuss why Saban might have an ulterior motive beyond griping about a tough draw of rivals.
Stay connected on Twitter with Blake (@btoppmeyer) and John (@JohnAdamsKNS) and stay up to date on SEC football news by subscribing to KnoxNews: knoxnews.com/subscribe.
LSU is the SEC West's most well-rounded team, but don't expect the conference's preseason media poll to reflect that.
Not since 2012 have sportswriters who cover the SEC picked a team other than Alabama to win the West. Usually, Alabama is a smart choice, but the Crimson Tide faces more questions than usual this offseason – including, who is the quarterback? Meanwhile, LSU has a proven quarterback and a coach coming off a win over Nick Saban.
Not only should the Tigers be favored to win the West, their level of talent returning makes them a dark horse for the College Football Playoff.
On today's episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams offer their SEC dark horses and overhyped teams, as we sit six months from kickoff of the 2023 season.
Stay connected on Twitter with Blake (@btoppmeyer) and John (@JohnAdamsKNS) and stay up to date on SEC football news by subscribing to KnoxNews: knoxnews.com/subscribe.
Even as Bryce Young, Stetson Bennett and Hendon Hooker depart for the NFL, the SEC boasts a handful of proven veteran quarterbacks, as well as some highly touted but untested younger players.
But who would you select first if you could build a depth chart around one of the SEC's quarterbacks? An established starter like LSU's Jayden Daniels or Arkansas' KJ Jefferson. A high-ceiling veteran like South Carolina's Spencer Rattler or Tennessee's Joe Milton? Or, maybe even a wild card like the Vols' five-star freshman Nico Iamaleava?
On today's episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams each draft four SEC quarterbacks as they try to build the best four-deep quarterback depth chart.
Stay connected on Twitter with Blake (@btoppmeyer) and John (@JohnAdamsKNS) and stay up to date on SEC football news by subscribing to KnoxNews: knoxnews.com/subscribe.
When Oklahoma and Texas join the SEC in 2024, a few rivalries will be restored, but a handful of others will reduce to being played once every two years.
The SEC has not approved a scheduling model for its expanded alignment, but there’s momentum to move to a nine-game conference schedule. One popular model discussed is a 3-6 schedule model, in which team would be assigned three rivals to play annually.
On today’s episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and Christina Long play matchmaker and debate the three rivals for each team.
Some choices are obvious: The Iron Bowl, Egg Bowl, Red River aren’t going anywhere. But making the puzzle pieces fit gets tricky and leads to the sacrifice of some second- or third-tier rivalries, as well as a few odd pairings. How does a Florida-Oklahoma rivalry sound?
Long takes exception to a few of Toppmeyer’s rivalry alignments. In particular, why is he angling to chop Kentucky-Tennessee and Arkansas-LSU?
Stay connected on Twitter with Blake (@btoppmeyer) and John (@JohnAdamsKNS) and stay up to date on SEC football news by subscribing to KnoxNews: knoxnews.com/subscribe.
The top quarterback recruit in the 2023 signing class is either Tennessee’s Nico Iamaleava or Texas’ Arch Manning, depending on your ranking service of choice. But who is poised to break out first?
September schedules and coaching pressure may have something to say about that.
On today's episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams examine the expectations for these five-star recruits and explain why they think Manning will earn his first start before Iamaleava.
Their reasoning isn't all about Manning and Iamaleava, either. Tennessee's Joe Milton made a strong impression in the Orange Bowl.
Later in the episode, they debate whether Oklahoma or Texas will be the first to win a national championship after joining the SEC, and they explain why they're warming up to Alabama's coordinator hires of Tommy Rees and Kevin Steele after initially feeling unimpressed.
Stay connected on Twitter with Blake (@btoppmeyer) and John (@JohnAdamsKNS) and stay up to date on SEC football news by subscribing to KnoxNews: knoxnews.com/subscribe.
The SEC’s quarterback lineup will feature a new look in 2023, raising the question of whether the conference will maintain its blistering production at the sport’s most important position.
Four of the SEC’s top five quarterbacks from last season departed. As many as half of the conference’s schools will feature legitimate QB1 competitions throughout the spring.
Don’t expect many of the coaches who are evaluating competitions to declare a starter by April. Doing so would only encourage backups to hit the transfer portal.
We’re not relying on coach-speak to provide the answers, though.
On today's episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams handicap seven quarterback competitions across the SEC.
From Alabama to Ole Miss to Missouri, we preview the top QB battles and project who will win the starting jobs.
Stay connected on Twitter with Blake (@btoppmeyer) and John (@JohnAdamsKNS) and stay up to date on SEC football news by subscribing to KnoxNews: knoxnews.com/subscribe.
Nearly half of the SEC's teams signed a transfer quarterback this winter, and Ole Miss nabbed two. In at least a few of those instances, transfers are expected to be a strong contender or even the headliner for the starting job.
On today's episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams review the SEC's quarterback transfer haul and point to a couple of programs that might hunt for a quarterback after spring practice.
Adams awards Kentucky top marks for adding Devin Leary, and he believes Spencer Sanders will unseat Jaxson Dart at Ole Miss. Toppmeyer is less enamored with Sanders but likes the upside of another Ole Miss transfer, Walker Howard.
Meanwhile, Adams is puzzled as to why Alabama hasn't added a transfer in its quest to replace Bryce Young, but Toppmeyer offers a theory on why Nick Saban might be slow-playing that move. Elsewhere, Hugh Freeze should make adding a transfer QB a priority for Auburn come May.
Later, the hosts debate why Kentucky should finally raise expectations for Mark Stoops.
Stay connected on Twitter with Blake (@btoppmeyer) and John (@JohnAdamsKNS) and stay up to date on SEC football news by subscribing to KnoxNews: knoxnews.com/subscribe.
Georgia reigns atop college football, but we're ready to turn the page to next season. And while we expect the Bulldogs to remain the SEC's fiercest bully, the competition gets spicy right behind them.
Will LSU repeat in the SEC West? Can Alabama turn a No. 1 recruiting class into a trip to the SEC Championship? Will Texas A&M bounce back behind its young talent?
On this episode of "SEC Football Unfiltered," hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams offer their first SEC football power rankings of 2023.
Too soon, you say? Never.
While the No. 1 and No. 14 spots in our power rankings may seem obvious, multiple tiers in between offer a chance for a hearty debate between a few teams.
For instance, what separates Arkansas, Ole Miss and South Carolina? Not much.
And is Florida spinning its tires under Billy Napier? Sure seems like it.
Stay connected on Twitter with Blake (@btoppmeyer) and John (@JohnAdamsKNS) and stay up to date on SEC football news by subscribing to KnoxNews: knoxnews.com/subscribe.
Georgia’s Peach Bowl triumph over Ohio State became an instant classic. Now, how about a rematch in the national championship game next season?
After the Bulldogs crushed TCU to repeat as national champions, the focus shifts to the potential for a rare three-peat. They've got the returning stars to do it, too, but the Buckeyes profile as a top challenger if they adequately replace C.J. Stroud.
On this episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams examine the top candidates who could prevent a Georgia three-peat.
Joining the Buckeyes on their list: LSU, Florida State, Alabama, Tennessee, Michigan and USC.
Later in the episode, they review some of their top surprise storylines from inside the SEC during the 2022 season.
Stay connected on Twitter with Blake (@btoppmeyer) and John (@JohnAdamsKNS) and stay up to date on SEC football news by subscribing to KnoxNews: knoxnews.com/subscribe.
Ohio State had multiple chances to land a knockout punch on Georgia in the Peach Bowl but couldn't connect. Kirby Smart outcoached Ryan Day in the fourth quarter, Stetson Bennett delivered in the clutch, and the Bulldogs rallied.
But was Georgia's epic escape against the Buckeyes a case of the nation's two best teams squaring off in a CFP semifinal, or did it indicate cause for concern in the national championship against TCU?
On today's episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams take a look at the national championship matchup and Georgia's opportunity to become college football's first repeat champion in a decade.
They offer their game picks, with each predicting an outcome closer than the point spread indicates.
And they discuss their reaction to how the rest of the SEC fared in bowl games.
Bowl games don't mean what they used to, and there's no turning back now, especially with the College Football Playoff scheduled to expand to 12 teams in 2024.
Even players who aren't projected to be early-round NFL Draft picks are opting out, making it a surprise that Alabama stars Bryce Young and Will Anderson are playing in the Sugar Bowl.
On today's episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams consider the opt-out trend and how we may need to rewire our view of bowl games that aren't part of the CFP.
Instead of viewing bowls as a postseason conclusion to the season that was, why not see them as an early exhibition for the year ahead? Don't sweat opt-outs, because they afford more developmental opportunities to returning players.
It's not that simple, though. Bowls still matter to many fans, who are unlikely to award a free pass for getting trounced amid a wave of opt-outs.
Later in the episode, we offer our bowl game picks against the spread.
Stay connected on Twitter with Blake (@btoppmeyer) and John (@JohnAdamsKNS) and stay up to date on SEC football news by subscribing to KnoxNews: knoxnews.com/subscribe.
Alabama, Auburn, Florida, Kentucky and Tennessee are among SEC teams that might covet a transfer quarterback, and a marquee name joined the portal party on Monday, when Coastal Carolina's Grayson McCall announced he will transfer. He joins a list of outbound quarterbacks headlined by North Carolina State's Devin Leary and Clemson's DJ Uiagalelei.
On today's episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and Mike Wilson go head to head as they try to build the best four-deep lineup of quarterbacks by drafting from players in the transfer portal.
They construct their dueling quarterback depth charts with a mix of proven veterans, Group of Five standouts and former Power Five backups.
Stay connected on Twitter with Blake (@btoppmeyer) and John (@JohnAdamsKNS) and stay up to date on SEC football news by subscribing to KnoxNews: knoxnews.com/subscribe.
Auburn didn't have to roll the dice on a coach with no FBS experience. The Tigers tapped a proven winner when they plucked Hugh Freeze from Liberty as their next coach.
Freeze comes to AU with enough baggage to fill a church van, but no one questions his coaching acumen or his recruiting chops. He should quickly re-establish the Tigers as a player in the SEC.
Meanwhile, Colorado made a bold move to hire Jackson State's Deion Sanders. Coach Prime should upgrade Colorado's talent, but he'll have to prove he can win at the Power Five level.
On this episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams explain why they award Auburn and Colorado the highest grades for schools that have hired coaches in this coaching carousel.
Stay connected on Twitter with Blake (@btoppmeyer) and John (@JohnAdamsKNS) and stay up to date on SEC football news by subscribing to KnoxNews: knoxnews.com/subscribe.
Michigan and TCU join Georgia as remaining undefeated teams, but we're unconvinced either of those schools is the top threat to the Bulldogs' throne.
Beware of Southern Cal.
On this episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams unpack why the Trojans may be the top challenger in Georgia's path to a repeat, if USC wins the Pac-12 Championship to earn playoff qualification.
They also debate whether Ohio State, Alabama or Tennessee should be in the playoff if USC stumbles, discuss Lane Kiffin's staying at Ole Miss and offer conference championship picks against the spread.
Stay connected on Twitter with Blake (@btoppmeyer) and John (@JohnAdamsKNS) and stay up to date on SEC football news by subscribing to KnoxNews: knoxnews.com/subscribe.
Tennessee football is out of College Football Playoff contention after a blowout loss to South Carolina, and Vols quarterback Hendon Hooker is no longer a Heisman Trophy frontrunner after he got outplayed by Spencer Rattler. Worse, Hooker suffered a season-ending ACL tear in the fourth quarter, ending his special season and his college career.
With Hooker falling out of the Heisman debate, does the SEC still have a chance to produce a Heisman winner for the fourth straight season?
On this episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams reflect on the Gamecocks' stunning upset of Tennessee, and they reset the Heisman field.
Ohio State's C.J. Stroud and Southern Cal's Caleb Williams are Heisman frontrunners. That's subject to change based on the outcomes of rivalry week and conference championship games. TCU's Max Duggan is in the mix, too.
LSU's Jayden Daniels may be the SEC's best hope. He doesn't have the passing stats to match Stroud, Hooker or Williams, but if the Tigers upset Georgia in the SEC Championship, Daniels could make a mad dash to New York.
Later, we offer rivalry week picks against the spread.
Stay connected on Twitter with Blake (@btoppmeyer) and John (@JohnAdamsKNS) and stay up to date on SEC football news by subscribing to KnoxNews: knoxnews.com/subscribe.
Kirby Smart successfully reloaded after losing 15 players to the NFL Draft off Georgia's national championship team. The Bulldogs are positioned to repeat as champs. Josh Heupel has Tennessee in playoff contention in his second year on the job. LSU won the SEC West in Brian Kelly's first season, a rapid ascent considering the Tigers had a makeshift roster as recently as January.
These three coaches form the shortlist of candidates for SEC coach of the year.
On this episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams debate the merits of each before making a selection that's subject to change based on how the next few weeks unfold.
Later, they supply a couple of names for consideration for SEC "Turkey of the Year," and they re-examine the debate of whether Lane Kiffin should job-hop from Ole Miss to Auburn.
Finally, they deliver their Week 12 picks against the spread!
Stay connected on Twitter with Blake (@btoppmeyer) and John (@JohnAdamsKNS) and stay up to date on SEC football news by subscribing to KnoxNews: knoxnews.com/subscribe.
Kirby Smart is college football's best coach. No, not of all time. That distinction remains with Nick Saban.
But for now and the foreseeable future, Smart tops the chart. Once again, he's built and developed the nation's best team. Georgia is favored to repeat as national champions.
If you're drafting a coach from the SEC to build and lead your program, Smart should be first off the board. But, would Saban go No. 2?
The way Brian Kelly fast-tracked LSU's rebuild, including Saturday's upset of the Tide, offers an interesting debate for second choice in the SEC behind Smart.
On today's episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams consider that topic.
Saban's dynasty has been declared dead before and rose from the grave. Don't count out the GOAT.
Later in the episode, is Jimbo Fisher's buyout the only reason he remains employed? And, why the heck did Missouri award Eliah Drinkwitz a two-year contract extension?
Plus, Week 10 picks, with Toppmeyer clinging to a narrow lead!
Stay connected on Twitter with Blake (@btoppmeyer) and John (@JohnAdamsKNS) and stay up to date on SEC football news by subscribing to KnoxNews: knoxnews.com/subscribe.
Lane Kiffin says he's "extremely happy" at Ole Miss, where his Rebels "have something special going."
That doesn't mean Auburn won't shoot its shot with Kiffin, after firing Bryan Harsin. But what if Kiffin says no?
On today's episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams consider six names for the Auburn opening.
Toppmeyer makes the sales pitch for the candidates, while Adams offers his verdict on whether he likes the hire or if Auburn should pass.
They also react to the initial College Football Playoff rankings.
Stay connected on Twitter with Blake (@btoppmeyer) and John (@JohnAdamsKNS) and stay up to date on SEC football news by subscribing to KnoxNews: knoxnews.com/subscribe.
The SEC should be well-represented when the first College Football Playoff rankings are released Tuesday night. If the committee foremost values résumé, Tennessee and Georgia may form a 1-2 punch ahead of fellow undefeated teams like Ohio State and Michigan.
Alabama would earn a playoff bid if it wins out, so don't get too caught up in its ranking. The Crimson Tide has no margin for error, but would be in if it wins the SEC Championship. Also, one-loss Ole Miss is on the fringe of the playoff hunt.
On today's episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams debate whether the Vols or Georgia should be No. 1, whether the SEC will qualify two playoff teams, and how Alabama should be viewed compared to TCU and Clemson, which are undefeated.
Also, Alabama-LSU is the second-fiddle game to Georgia-Tennessee this week. Is that an aberration or the start of a trend? Plus, Week 10 picks against the spread!
Stay connected on Twitter with Blake (@btoppmeyer) and John (@JohnAdamsKNS) and stay up to date on SEC football news by subscribing to KnoxNews: knoxnews.com/subscribe.
Bryan Harsin has been in possession of the hot seat for so long, he might have to pay property tax.
Auburn's second-year coach is 9-11 at a school that fired the previous coach despite eight consecutive winning seasons. Plus, AU already has parted with Allen Greene, the athletics director who hired Harsin. Every game now feels like it could be Harsin's last, and his Tigers (3-4, 1-3 SEC) will host Arkansas (4-3, 1-3) on Saturday.
After Harsin, though, who in the SEC sits on the hottest seat?
On this episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams consider three candidates for consideration for next up on the hot seat.
Later, Toppmeyer sounds off on Nick Saban's farcical explanation for why he played Jermaine Burton last week despite a postgame incident at Tennessee.
And, they offer their Week 9 picks against the spread!
Stay connected on Twitter with Blake (@btoppmeyer) and John (@JohnAdamsKNS) and stay up to date on SEC football news by subscribing to KnoxNews: knoxnews.com/subscribe.
Three SEC football teams remain undefeated, while another is Alabama. Combined, the conference has four teams that have a path to the College Football Playoff.
That doesn't mean each is a serious contender, though.
No. 1 Georgia (7-0, 4-0) and No. 4 Tennessee (6-0, 3-0) are in a chase for the SEC East crown. No. 7 Ole Miss (7-0, 3-0) leads the SEC West, even though No. 6 Alabama (6-1, 3-1) is one spot ahead in the rankings.
On this edition of "SEC Football Unfiltered," a podcast from the USA TODAY Network, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams evaluate the playoff chances of those four teams.
Stay connected on Twitter with Blake (@btoppmeyer) and John (@JohnAdamsKNS) and stay up to date on SEC football news by subscribing to KnoxNews: knoxnews.com/subscribe.
Jimbo Fisher talked a big game throughout the offseason, but he didn't have the offense to take down Alabama.
Josh Heupel doesn't move the needle at news conferences, but the Tennessee coach possesses two things Jimbo didn't: a star quarterback in Hendon Hooker, and a cutting-edge offensive scheme that puts defenses into conflict.
The Vols will challenge Alabama in a clash of unbeatens that should have Nick Saban's Tide on upset alert.
On today's episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams discuss the Third Saturday in October matchup and also highlight the state of football at Ole Miss (get those back-door covers!) and Mississippi State (Mike Leach learns to run!).
Also, Week 7 picks against the spread.
One of the biggest games of the college football season was supposed to occur this Saturday, when Alabama hosts Texas A&M.
It is the day of reckoning after Nick Saban and Jimbo Fisher exchanged barbs in the offseason. When the season started, though, Fisher's peacocking faded, and A&M got unmasked as a fraud. This looks like a mismatch, despite Saban's "rat poison" warnings.
So, if not A&M, which team can threaten the No. 1-ranked Tide en route to the SEC Championship in Atlanta?
On this episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams evaluate three teams, in particular, that could challenge the Tide: Tennessee, Ole Miss and Mississippi State.
One stands above the rest.
Also, what's wrong with Georgia? And, some Week 6 picks against the spread.
Stay connected on Twitter with Blake (@btoppmeyer) and John (@JohnAdamsKNS) and stay up to date on SEC football news by subscribing to KnoxNews: knoxnews.com/subscribe.
Logic says Georgia, Alabama and Ohio State are playoff frontrunners, while the competition for the final bid could get wonky.
But how’s this for a wild card? The winner of this week’s clash of No. 8 Kentucky at No. 11 Ole Miss should be viewed as a longshot playoff contender. Each team has a relatively manageable schedule, and the victor of this game may find a path to a backdoor playoff bid.
On this episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams consider the prospects of a surprise playoff qualifier from the SEC, and they debate whether Ole Miss’ Lane Kiffin or Kentucky’s Mark Stoops should parlay their success into a bigger-name job.
Toppmeyer contends that Kiffin and Stoops can make the playoff without changing jobs. That will be more evident after the playoff expands to 12 teams.
Later, they offer the latest case of SEC coaching malpractice, and they supply their Week 5 picks.
Stay connected on Twitter with Blake (@btoppmeyer) and John (@JohnAdamsKNS) and stay up to date on SEC football news by subscribing to KnoxNews: knoxnews.com/subscribe.
It's Georgia's world, and everyone else is simply trying (and failing) to avoid getting crushed. Sound familiar?
The defending champion Bulldogs remain the team to beat. And within the SEC, the best challenger for the throne continues to be Alabama, despite its Week 2 scare at Texas.
After that, the conversation the conversation gets interesting. Which team deserves the No. 3 spot in SEC power rankings?
Hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams debate that topic on this episode, weighing two teams from the SEC West and two from the East.
Plus, is this Bryan Harsin's final stand at Auburn? And, Week 4 picks!
Stay connected on Twitter with Blake (@btoppmeyer) and John (@JohnAdamsKNS) and stay up to date on SEC football news by subscribing to KnoxNews: knoxnews.com/subscribe.
Jimbo Fisher talked tough throughout the offseason after Texas A&M signed the nation's No. 1 recruiting class. When other SEC coaches raised an eyebrow at the Aggies' recruiting haul in the first year of NIL, Fisher fired back, calling them "clown acts." He described Nick Saban a false god.
Now, Fisher wears the clown nose as the SEC's chief bozo after his Aggies lost 17-14 at home to Appalachian State. Through 50 games, Fisher's record at A&M is worse than Kevin Sumlin's was at the same juncture.
On this episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams discuss the bloom falling off Fisher's rose.
They also debate whether Mark Stoops should consider the Nebraska job and point to a lingering concern for Alabama. Plus, they offer their Week 3 picks.
Stay connected on Twitter with Blake (@btoppmeyer) and John (@JohnAdamsKNS) and stay up to date on SEC football news by subscribing to KnoxNews: knoxnews.com/subscribe.
Anthony Richardson for Heisman? Georgia football is better than last year? LSU won't make a bowl?
Knee-jerk reactions are en vogue after Week 1, but that doesn't mean those takes will prove off the mark.
Georgia, for example, really might be better than last season, as Oregon can attest.
On this episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams react to the early SEC narratives and evaluate whether they're smart takes or hasty takes.
Also, they make Week 2 picks, including Kentucky-Florida and Tennessee-Pittsburgh.
Stay connected on Twitter with Blake (@btoppmeyer) and John (@JohnAdamsKNS) and stay up to date on SEC football news by subscribing to KnoxNews: knoxnews.com/subscribe.
The SEC is not overwhelmed by quarterback controversies at the moment, but just wait. These things have a way of bubbling up.
The SEC West, in particular, has multiple quarterback situations that likely will remain up for debate throughout the season's first month, especially if the starter falters.
The starters at Texas A&M (Haynes King) and Auburn (T.J. Finley) are familiar faces, but each team has an experienced backup, setting the stage for drama. Plus, starting quarterbacks have not been announced at LSU and Ole Miss.
On this episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams examine these quarterback competitions and consider how solid the starter's footing is at each. Plus, they offer Week 1 picks.
Stay connected on Twitter with Blake (@btoppmeyer) and John (@JohnAdamsKNS) and stay up to date on SEC football news by subscribing to KnoxNews: knoxnews.com/subscribe.
We're days away from the start of college football season, but that leaves time for some final rapid-fire predictions. The blitz is on, and hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams offer gut-reaction takes on this episode.
Topics include: Which team is likeliest to upset Alabama? Who will win SEC Coach of the Year? Which team is a dark horse to reach Atlanta?
Later in the episode, the SEC Network's Tom Hart joins to discuss conference realignment, his favorite SEC venues, dining recommendations, and he points to a team not named Georgia that could win the SEC East.
Stay connected on Twitter with Blake (@btoppmeyer) and John (@JohnAdamsKNS) and stay up to date on SEC football news by subscribing to KnoxNews: knoxnews.com/subscribe.
In the aftermath of Mark Stoops' erroneous suggestion that Kentucky is a football school, others in the SEC raced to position themselves as an 'Everything School.' In other words, being strong across all sports.
While several SEC schools excel in multiple programs, only a few can reasonably contend for the head seat at the 'Everything School' table.
On this episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams debate the top candidates for the moniker.
Florida and Tennessee are among their topic picks, but Texas could wrestle away the claim after joining the SEC.
Stay connected on Twitter with Blake (@btoppmeyer) and John (@JohnAdamsKNS) and stay up to date on SEC football news by subscribing to KnoxNews: knoxnews.com/subscribe.
Seems like everybody has a preseason poll these days, and by this point in the calendar, group-think tends to occur. It can be difficult to separate your own predictions from the amalgam of other picks floating around.
But on this episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams aim to do their own pontificating independent of any accepted preseason narrative. They each offer three SEC predictions that go against the grain.
Stay connected on Twitter with Blake (@btoppmeyer) and John (@JohnAdamsKNS) and stay up to date on SEC football news by subscribing to KnoxNews: knoxnews.com/subscribe.
The SEC features two first-year coaches (Billy Napier and Brian Kelly), one coach on the hot seat (Bryan Harsin) and several that must unite a big batch of transfers. Plus, multiple teams feature hotly contested quarterback battles.
On today's episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams discuss which SEC coach features the toughest preseason chore. Lane Kiffin's transfer-melding task at Ole Miss and Napier's rebuild at Florida stand out.
Later, they debate whether Georgia's foothold in the SEC is at all tenuous.
Stay connected on Twitter with Blake (@btoppmeyer) and John (@JohnAdamsKNS) and stay up to date on SEC football news by subscribing to KnoxNews: knoxnews.com/subscribe.
An NCAA notice of allegations, issued Friday, zeroed in on former Tennessee coach Jeremy Pruitt. Tennessee faces allegations of 18 Level I violations, and Pruitt's name is littered throughout the report. It now seems likely that Pruitt is headed for a show-cause penalty, and the prospect of him coaching again in the college ranks is questionable.
On this edition of "SEC Football Unfiltered," a podcast from the USA TODAY Network, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams ponder what's next for Pruitt.
Stay connected on Twitter with Blake (@btoppmeyer) and John (@JohnAdamsKNS) and stay up to date on SEC football news by subscribing to KnoxNews: knoxnews.com/subscribe.
For a guy whose team went 8-4 last season, Jimbo Fisher sure is receiving a bright spotlight. Fisher got a boost by signing the nation’s No. 1-ranked recruiting class for Texas A&M. The headlines really poured in when Fisher called Nick Saban a narcissist and a false god after Saban’s unproven allegation that the Aggies bought every player on their roster.
Focusing on the Fisher-Saban rivalry ignores the top clash brewing in the SEC: Saban vs. another former assistant, Kirby Smart. After Alabama and Georgia split two matchups last season, they’re again primed to tussle over SEC supremacy. On this episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams evaluate Georgia’s staying power and how Smart emerged from Saban’s shadow to take a prominent place of his own.
Stay connected on Twitter with Blake (@btoppmeyer) and John (@JohnAdamsKNS) and stay up to date on SEC football news by subscribing to KnoxNews: knoxnews.com/subscribe.
Greg Sankey isn't shaken by the Big Ten's additions of Southern Cal and UCLA. In fact, he seemed somewhat dismissive about what Big Ten expansion means for the SEC. "We are a super-league," Sankey, the SEC commissioner, said of his conference.
On this episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams debate whether Sankey is being too flippant about the Big Ten's growth. Ultimately, they approve of Sankey's approach: Don't panic. Be shrewd. Don't grow just to grow. But, keep the door open to smart expansion opportunities.
Stay connected on Twitter with Blake (@btoppmeyer) and John (@JohnAdamsKNS) and stay up to date on SEC football news by subscribing to KnoxNews: knoxnews.com/subscribe.
The conference realignment carousel has slowed,and the SEC may be content with 16 teams, after Oklahoma and Texas join the conference in 2025.
But history tells us to always be on the lookout for further expansion and realignment.
On today's episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams each identify four schools that the SEC should pursue if it seeks further expansion.
Stay connected on Twitter with Blake (@btoppmeyer) and John (@JohnAdamsKNS) and stay up to date on SEC football news by subscribing to KnoxNews: knoxnews.com/subscribe.
The SEC made the first move toward building a super-conference when it accepted Oklahoma and Texas last summer. The Big Ten threw a counterpunch last week by adding Southern Cal and UCLA, showing that while the SEC had pulled further ahead, at least one conference doesn't plan to be left in the dust.
Hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams debate whether the Big Ten's additions will allow it catapult to the top of college football and how the SEC should respond.
Stay connected on Twitter with Blake (@btoppmeyer) and John (@JohnAdamsKNS) and stay up to date on SEC football news by subscribing to KnoxNews: knoxnews.com/subscribe.
The college football season will begin on Aug. 27 with the so-called 'Week 0' games. That includes one SEC team, Vanderbilt, in action.
And while that Week 0 slate is light on marquee matchups, a bevy of big games will be around the corner in September.
On this edition of "SEC Football Unfiltered," a podcast from the USA TODAY Network, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams examine the most pivotal game for every SEC team this season.
Stay connected on Twitter with Blake (@btoppmeyer) and John (@JohnAdamsKNS) and stay up to date on SEC football news by subscribing to KnoxNews: knoxnews.com/subscribe.
Patience for SEC football coaches is extinct. To wit: Auburn's Bryan Harsin will enter his second season on the hot seat. There's recent precedent for firing a coach after two seasons, too. In November 2019, Arkansas fired Chad Morris amid his second season. Months later, Mississippi Sate fired Joe Moorhead after his second season.
On this edition of "SEC Football Unfiltered," hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams explain why the honeymoon period for coaches has shrunk and how that affects a coach in Harsin's situation.
Stay connected on Twitter with Blake (@btoppmeyer) and John (@JohnAdamsKNS) and stay up to date on SEC football news by subscribing to KnoxNews: knoxnews.com/subscribe.
The SEC will reconfigure its alignment after Oklahoma and Texas join, and divisions likely will be dissolved in favor of an undivided, 16-team conference. Some rivalry games that are played annually now will shift to a once-every-two-years format after expansion.
But certain rivalry games are so important that they need to be played every year.
On this edition of "SEC Football Unfiltered," hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams suggest 10 rivalry games that the SEC should protect as annual games even after expansion takes its effect on scheduling.
Stay connected on Twitter with Blake (@btoppmeyer) and John (@JohnAdamsKNS) and stay up to date on SEC football news by subscribing to KnoxNews: knoxnews.com/subscribe.
Place your bets, place your bets.
We're less than three months away from the college football season kicking off, and gambling lines are set for some early-season games.
Craving some advice?
Fine, we'll help, although don't blame us if it backfires. It's your money, after all.
On this edition of "SEC Football Unfiltered," a podcast from the USA TODAY Network, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams make their picks against the spread for eight games involving SEC teams in Week 0 or Week 1.
Stay connected on Twitter with Blake (@btoppmeyer) and John (@JohnAdamsKNS) and stay up to date on SEC football news by subscribing to KnoxNews: knoxnews.com/subscribe.
The SEC appears to be trending toward the idea of dumping its division format after Oklahoma and Texas join the conference, but we're not ready to give up on divisions just yet.
On this edition, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams each attempt to draft the strongest eight-team division. Adams pulls a surprise with his No. 1 overall pick but insists he's building for the future.
Stay connected on Twitter with Blake (@btoppmeyer) and John (@JohnAdamsKNS) and stay up to date on SEC football news by subscribing to KnoxNews: knoxnews.com/subscribe.
The SEC has never lacked for colorful personalities among its football coaches, but some of the conference's top characters are no longer coaching.
Who do we miss the most?
On this edition of "SEC Football Unfiltered," hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams offer their list of coaches they wish were still on an SEC sideline.
The late Bear Bryant and quipster Steve Spurrier top their picks, but some other selections may surprise you -- such as Bill Curry, the former Kentucky and Alabama coach.
Stay connected on Twitter with Blake (@btoppmeyer) and John (@JohnAdamsKNS) and stay up to date on SEC football news by subscribing to KnoxNews: knoxnews.com/subscribe.
The NCAA released its much-awaited NIL guidance to try to stem pay-for-play recruiting inducements funneled by boosters and collectives.
NCAA enforcement is more toothless than ever, and deals have been made under their nose for months without interference. Are we supposed to believe that a reminder of the rules will put this train in reverse?
On this edition of "SEC Football Unfiltered," a podcast from the USA TODAY Network, Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams argue that the NCAA's reupped guidance amounts to little more than saber-rattling.
Stay connected on Twitter with Blake (@btoppmeyer) and John (@JohnAdamsKNS) and stay up to date on SEC football news by subscribing to KnoxNews: knoxnews.com/subscribe.
Fifteen transfers have poured into USC. That includes the offseason's top prize, quarterback Caleb Williams, who followed Riley from Oklahoma to Hollywood.
How about a marquee wide receiver to complement Williams?
Pittsburgh's All-America wide receiver Jordan Addison is considering a transfer that could take him to USC, ESPN reported last week.
On this edition of "SEC Football Unfiltered," a podcast from the USA TODAY Network, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams examine the Trojans' candidacy to be the top threat to SEC for college football supremacy.
Stay connected on Twitter with Blake (@btoppmeyer) and John (@JohnAdamsKNS) and stay up to date on SEC football news by subscribing to KnoxNews: knoxnews.com/subscribe.
Depending on your sportsbook of choice, the favorite to win the Heisman Trophy in 2022 is one of two quarterbacks – Alabama's Bryce Young or Ohio State's C.J. Stroud.
Young is the reigning Heisman winner, running away with the voting last year, while Stroud finished fourth. Alabama is expected to be the preseason No. 1, and although playing on the nation's best team isn't a prerequisite to winning the Heisman, it doesn't hurt, either.
So, Young is the logical favorite, right?
Hang on just a second.
On this edition of "SEC Football Unfiltered," a podcast from the USA TODAY Network, Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams make the case that Stroud should be considered the frontrunner for the award.
Stay connected on Twitter with Blake (@btoppmeyer) and John (@JohnAdamsKNS) and stay up to date on SEC football news by subscribing to KnoxNews: knoxnews.com/subscribe.
College football coaches across the nation are grumbling about the direction of the sport.
But why should coaches get to enjoy the corner on complaints? Let's join the gaggle of grumblers.
On this edition of "SEC Football Unfiltered," a podcast from the USA TODAY Network, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams offer a collection of college football grievances.
Stay connected on Twitter with Blake (@btoppmeyer) and John (@JohnAdamsKNS) and stay up to date on SEC football news by subscribing to KnoxNews: knoxnews.com/subscribe.
Spring games once served a purpose as coaches evaluated their roster for the upcoming season, but the exhibitions are now an antiquated concept of limited value, given the expanded practice, training and conditioning calendar that marks today's college football.
On this edition of "SEC Football Unfiltered," hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams argue for the elimination of spring games. And they caution against drawing any significant depth-chart conclusions off a two-hour scrimmage.
To wit: Transfer QB Robby Ashford dazzled in Auburn's spring game, but that doesn't make him the frontrunner to be the starter.
Stay connected on Twitter with Blake (@btoppmeyer) and John (@JohnAdamsKNS) and stay up to date on SEC football news by subscribing to KnoxNews: knoxnews.com/subscribe.
Spring football means it's rankings season, and we're getting in on the action.
Alabama will open the season as the favorite to win the national championship, and you'll hear no argument here. And while Georgia will be hard-pressed to match its 2021 star power, the Bulldogs are here to stay as a competing force in the SEC East.
After that, things get interesting. Parity will be a relevant buzzword throughout much of the SEC in 2022.
On the edition of "SEC Football Unfiltered," a podcast from the USA TODAY Network, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams offer their spring power rankings for the conference.
Stay connected on Twitter with Blake (@btoppmeyer) and John (@JohnAdamsKNS) and stay up to date on SEC football news by subscribing to KnoxNews: knoxnews.com/subscribe.
Which SEC team will embody Ole Miss and become this season's dark horse, and which will emulate the Aggies in failing to live up to the hype?
That forms the lead discussion from hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams on this week's installment of "SEC Football Unfiltered," a podcast from the USA TODAY Network.
Stay connected on Twitter with Blake (@btoppmeyer) and John (@JohnAdamsKNS) and stay up to date on SEC football news by subscribing to KnoxNews: knoxnews.com/subscribe.
The SEC ranked as one of the nation's best basketball conferences this season but didn't receive much love from the NCAA selection committee.
No SEC teams secured a No. 1 seed, and Tennessee got snubbed from a No. 2 seed despite going 27-6 and winning the conference tournament. Meanwhile, Texas A&M became arguably the best at-large team left out of the tournament.
On this edition of "SEC Football Unfiltered," a podcast of the USA TODAY Network, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams argue that, for all the love showered upon the conference in football rankings, a reverse effect appears to be in place for SEC basketball.
Stay connected on Twitter with Blake (@btoppmeyer) and John (@JohnAdamsKNS) and stay up to date on SEC football news by subscribing to KnoxNews: knoxnews.com/subscribe.
LSU played its bowl game to conclude last season with a converted wide receiver as its quarterback.
What a difference two months can make.
LSU added 14 transfers this offseason, tied for the most in the nation.
That influx of talent raises the bar for the Tigers during first-year coach Brian Kelly's inaugural season. Another first-year coach, Florida's Billy Napier, also used transfers (although not in the same abundance) to help stabilize the Gators' roster.
On this edition of "SEC Football Unfiltered," a podcast from the USA TODAY Network, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams debate which team has the higher ceiling in 2022 under its new coach.
Stay connected on Twitter with Blake (@btoppmeyer) and John (@JohnAdamsKNS) and stay up to date on SEC football news by subscribing to KnoxNews: knoxnews.com/subscribe.
The SEC is loaded with veteran quarterbacks and returning starters for 2022.
Alabama's reigning Heisman Trophy winner Bryce Young headlines the group, but the talent runs much deeper than one or two guys.
On this edition of "SEC Football Unfiltered," hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams each draft four SEC quarterbacks as they try to build the best four-deep quarterback depth chart.
Stay connected on Twitter with Blake (@btoppmeyer) and John (@JohnAdamsKNS) and stay up to date on SEC football news by subscribing to KnoxNews: knoxnews.com/subscribe.
The SEC has produced 10 playoff qualifiers in eight years, and an SEC team claimed the national championship in five of those seasons, including three in a row.
Nonetheless, multiple SEC schools would have benefited if the playoff had expanded to a 12-team format that included six at-large bids.
On this edition of "SEC Football Unfiltered," a podcast from the USA TODAY Network, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams offer their SEC teams most negatively affected by the playoff remaining at four teams.
Stay connected on Twitter with Blake (@btoppmeyer) and John (@JohnAdamsKNS) and stay up to date on SEC football news by subscribing to KnoxNews: knoxnews.com/subscribe.
Alabama, Georgia, Ole Miss and Texas are the frontrunners for the commitment of quarterback Arch Manning, a five-star recruit in the 2023 recruiting class from Isidore Newman in New Orleans. He's the nephew of Peyton and Eli Manning, Archie's grandson and Cooper's son.
But within that quartet, two tiers might be emerging.
On this edition of "SEC Football Unfiltered," a podcast from the USA TODAY Network, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams examine Manning's recruitment and which schools might be best positioned to land his commitment.
Stay connected on Twitter with Blake (@btoppmeyer) and John (@JohnAdamsKNS) and stay up to date on SEC football news by subscribing to KnoxNews: knoxnews.com/subscribe.
Bryan Harsin remains Auburn's coach, but his future remains in question amid a university review into a coach who hasn't even been on the job for 14 months.
February wouldn't be an ideal time to fire a coach, but that doesn't mean there wouldn't be any interest in the job. Is Auburn a "Prime" opportunity?
On this edition of "SEC Football Unfiltered," a podcast from the USA TODAY Network, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams suggest that Jackson State coach Deion Sanders would make for an intriguing candidate if Auburn fires Harsin.
Stay connected on Twitter with Blake (@btoppmeyer) and John (@JohnAdamsKNS) and stay up to date on SEC football news by subscribing to KnoxNews: knoxnews.com/subscribe.
SEC football coaches can move from the penthouse to the outhouse at rapid speed.
Just look at the 2021 season: LSU fired Ed Orgeron not even two years after he led the Tigers to a national championship, and Florida fired Dan Mullen one year after the Gators won the SEC East.
That makes 14 SEC coaches fired in the past five seasons. Every school has fired at least one coach during that span except for Alabama, Georgia and Kentucky.
On this edition of "SEC Football Unfiltered," a podcast from the USA TODAY Network, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams rank the 14 fired SEC coaches from the past five seasons, from best to worst.
Stay connected on Twitter with Blake (@btoppmeyer) and John (@JohnAdamsKNS) and stay up to date on SEC football news by subscribing to KnoxNews: knoxnews.com/subscribe.
Ole Miss football had a relatively quiet December signing period, compared to many of its SEC peers.
The Rebels signed 17 players, 13 of whom are three-star prospects. Their 2022 recruiting class ranks 10th in the SEC.
Other SEC programs highlight 247Sports' transfer top 10, too. LSU is No. 2, South Carolina is No. 5, Arkansas is No. 6 and Florida is No. 10.
On this edition of "SEC Football Unfiltered," a podcast from the USA TODAY Network, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams debate whether a program is better off signing a full class of high school prospects or reining in its signing class in favor of adding a slew of transfers.
Stay connected on Twitter with Blake (@btoppmeyer) and John (@JohnAdamsKNS) and stay up to date on SEC football news by subscribing to KnoxNews: knoxnews.com/subscribe.
When Georgia beat Alabama 33-18 on Jan. 10, the Bulldogs became the fifth SEC team to win a national championship during this millennium, joining Alabama, Auburn, Florida and LSU.
Georgia had not won a national championship since 1980.
On this edition of "SEC Football Unfiltered," a podcast from the USA TODAY Network, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams debate which SEC team will be the next to end a national championship drought.
Stay connected on Twitter with Blake (@btoppmeyer) and John (@JohnAdamsKNS) and stay up to date on SEC football news by subscribing to KnoxNews: knoxnews.com/subscribe.
Alabama has never finished a season outside of the top 10 in the AP poll since the 2007 season, Saban's first year on the job.
Now that Georgia has won its first national championship since the 1980 season with a 33-18 triumph over Alabama on Monday in Indianapolis, we're set to learn whether the Bulldogs have longevity.
On this edition of "SEC Football Unfiltered" a podcast from the USA TODAY Network, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams outline why Georgia's staying power under Kirby Smart will be more similar to Alabama's under Saban than LSU's under Orgeron.
Stay connected on Twitter with Blake (@btoppmeyer) and John (@JohnAdamsKNS) and stay up to date on SEC football news by subscribing to KnoxNews: knoxnews.com/subscribe.
Throughout the eight years the College Football Playoff has been in place, 12 of the 16 semifinal games have been decided by more than 14 points.
That included both semifinal games this season.
No. 1 Alabama defeated No. 4 Cincinnati 27-6 in the Cotton Bowl before No. 3 Georgia thumped No. 2 Michigan 34-11 in the Orange Bowl.
Some pundits think expanding the playoff would create closer games and more varied outcomes.
On this edition of "SEC Football Unfiltered," a podcast from the USA TODAY Network, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams examine the case for an expanded playoff and whether it would generate more compelling games and create more parity within a sport that has become dominated by a handful of teams, led by Alabama.
Stay connected on Twitter with Blake (@btoppmeyer) and John (@JohnAdamsKNS) and stay up to date on SEC football news by subscribing to KnoxNews: knoxnews.com/subscribe.
No shortage of quality college football jobs came open during this year's coaching carousel.
LSU ranks among the top five jobs in the sport. It came open. So did another marquee SEC job: Florida.
On this edition of "SEC Football Unfiltered," a podcast from the USA TODAY Network, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams rank the hires for these six high-profile jobs.
Stay connected on Twitter with Blake (@btoppmeyer) and John (@JohnAdamsKNS) and stay up to date on SEC football news by subscribing to KnoxNews: knoxnews.com/subscribe.
College football coaches predicted that loosening transfer restrictions on athletes would yield a free agency-like system, and that's come to fruition after the NCAA changed the rules last spring to grant immediate eligibility to all first-time transfers.
The transfer portal is bursting at the seams, and it's not just full of bums and project players. Already, former Oklahoma starting quarterback Spencer Rattler has transferred to South Carolina.
Also in the portal are former SEC starting quarterbacks Bo Nix of Auburn, Max Johnson of LSU and Zach Calzada of Texas A&M. Each of those three players will be immediately eligible at his next school, whether that's a destination inside or outside the SEC.
On this edition of "SEC Football Unfiltered," a podcast from the USA TODAY Network, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams suggest SEC landing spots for these transferring quarterbacks.
Stay connected on Twitter with Blake (@btoppmeyer) and John (@JohnAdamsKNS) and stay up to date on SEC football news by subscribing to KnoxNews: knoxnews.com/subscribe.
If the Georgia football team is to win a national championship this season, it's not going to be through the arm of its quarterback.
These Bulldogs were fashioned as a throwback.
For 12 games, Georgia used a menacing defense and an offense built around its rushing attack to ascend to No. 1 in the nation.
But those linchpins didn't hold in a 41-24 loss to No. 2 Alabama on Saturday in the SEC Championship Game in Atlanta.
On this edition of "SEC Football Unfiltered," a podcast from the USA TODAY Network, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams debate whether Georgia should change quarterbacks for the playoff.
Stay connected on Twitter with Blake (@btoppmeyer) and John (@JohnAdamsKNS) and stay up to date on SEC football news by subscribing to KnoxNews: knoxnews.com/subscribe.
LSU opened the bank vault, stroked a big check, and got its man.
Southern Cal's moment in the spotlight after hiring Lincoln Riley from Oklahoma didn't last long. LSU seized the attention by lifting veteran Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly away from one of the sport's most iconic jobs for the chance at a richer paycheck and fertile recruiting ground on the Bayou.
Kelly received a 10-year contract worth $95 million, plus incentives.
But did LSU make a home-run hire or overspend in a panic buy to wrap up a coaching search that had entered its seventh week?
On this edition of "SEC Football Unfiltered," a podcast from the USA TODAY Network, host Blake Toppmeyer and guest cohost Nick Kelly of the Tuscaloosa News evaluate LSU's hire.
Stay connected on Twitter with Blake (@btoppmeyer) Nick Kelly (@_NickKelly) and John (@JohnAdamsKNS) and stay up to date on SEC football news by subscribing to KnoxNews: knoxnews.com/subscribe.
Florida became the third marquee college football job to open this season when the Gators fired Dan Mullen amid his fourth season on Sunday. The Gators join LSU and Southern Cal with openings considered to be among the top-15 jobs in college football.
Other Power Five jobs available include Washington, Washington State, Virginia Tech and TCU.
Suffice it to say that this year's coaching carousel will offer an even wilder ride than usual.
On this edition of "SEC Football Unfiltered," a podcast from the USA TODAY Network, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams each pitch three candidates for their cohost to evaluate for the Gators.
Stay connected on Twitter with Blake (@btoppmeyer) and John (@JohnAdamsKNS) and stay up to date on SEC football news by subscribing to KnoxNews: knoxnews.com/subscribe.
Arkansas, Mississippi State and Ole Miss rank as the toughest jobs in the SEC West.
Second-year coaches Sam Pittman, Mike Leach and Lane Kiffin are making them look relatively easy.
Each team secured an important victory on Saturday.
On this edition of "SEC Football Unfiltered," a podcast from the USA TODAY Network, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams evaluate the speedy program turnarounds being orchestrated by Kiffin, Pittman and Leach.
Stay connected on Twitter with Blake (@btoppmeyer) and John (@JohnAdamsKNS) and stay up to date on SEC football news by subscribing to KnoxNews: knoxnews.com/subscribe.
If Florida is going to fire embattled coach Dan Mullen, it must consider two questions: Who can the Gators legitimately expect to hire? And is Florida confident it will outrank LSU and Southern Cal on the vacancy pecking order?
LSU and USC got a jumpstart on their coaching searches in October and September, respectively. Do the Gators really want to enter that brew now?
On this edition of "SEC Football Unfiltered," a podcast from the USA TODAY Network, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams examine Mullen's hot-seat status and debate whether Gators athletics director Scott Stricklin should retain Mullen or reboot.
Stay connected on Twitter with Blake (@btoppmeyer) and John (@JohnAdamsKNS) and stay up to date on SEC football news by subscribing to KnoxNews: knoxnews.com/subscribe.
Georgia almost certainly will be ranked No. 1 when the first College Football Playoff rankings are unveiled on Tuesday night.
Sorry to spoil the surprise.
After that, it's going to get interesting.
On this edition of "SEC Football Unfiltered," a podcast from the USA TODAY Network, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams debate how they'd order the top seven teams in this week's rankings.
Stay connected on Twitter with Blake (@btoppmeyer) and John (@JohnAdamsKNS) and stay up to date on SEC football news by subscribing to KnoxNews: knoxnews.com/subscribe.
Kirby Smart is the man to beat for SEC coach of the year.
But if Smart’s Bulldogs (7-0, 5-0) stumble before the College Football Playoff, or if voters are just desperate for a plucky underdog story, other candidates would come into play.
On this edition of “SEC Football Unfiltered,” a podcast from the USA TODAY Network, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams debate the top candidates who could threaten Smart for SEC coach of the year.
Stay connected on Twitter with Blake (@btoppmeyer) and John (@JohnAdamsKNS) and stay up to date on SEC football news by subscribing to KnoxNews: knoxnews.com/subscribe.
It's coaching search season for LSU football.
The Tigers will have a new coach in 2022 after Sunday's announcement that coach Ed Orgeron will be dismissed at the conclusion of this season.
This will mark the opening of one of college football's top jobs, and one of college athletics' most highly regarded athletics directors, Scott Woodward, is expected to swing for a big-name hire.
On this edition of "SEC Football Unfiltered," a podcast from the USA TODAY Network, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams offer potential candidates who should be linked to the search.
Stay connected on Twitter with Blake (@btoppmeyer) and John (@JohnAdamsKNS) and stay up to date on SEC football news by subscribing to KnoxNews: knoxnews.com/subscribe.
On this edition of "SEC Football Unfiltered," a podcast from the USA TODAY Network, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams offer an SEC West reset and debate whether Saturday's upset in College Station, Texas, said more about Texas A&M and how it never should have lost to Arkansas and Mississippi State, or whether it revealed real concerns for Alabama.
Life is good if you're a fan of Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky or perhaps a couple other schools within the SEC.
Elsewhere around the SEC, there's angst, especially after a weekend in which three favorites suffered upset defeats.
Stay connected on Twitter with Blake (@btoppmeyer) and John (@JohnAdamsKNS) and stay up to date on SEC football news by subscribing to KnoxNews: knoxnews.com/subscribe.
The summer tradition is for college football scribes to make predictions about the upcoming season.
And the fall tradition is to realize we were wrong about many of those predictions.
We're no exception, and we're willing to confess our mistakes.
Stay connected on Twitter with Blake (@btoppmeyer) and John (@JohnAdamsKNS) and stay up to date on SEC football news by subscribing to KnoxNews: knoxnews.com/subscribe.
LSU's Ed Orgeron is the only active SEC coach with a victory over Nick Saban.
But judging by No. 1 Alabama's 31-29 victory over Florida on Saturday, the Crimson Tide aren't invincible this season.
Alabama (3-0, 1-0) should enjoy a bit of a breather this week against Southern Miss before back-to-back showdowns with No. 13 Ole Miss (3-0) and No. 5 Texas A&M (3-0). Plus, the SEC Championship likely will feature either a clash with No. 2 Georgia (3-0, 1-0) or a rematch against No. 11 Florida (2-1, 0-1).
On today's episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams debate which team is the biggest threat to Alabama this season: Ole Miss, A&M, Georgia or Florida (assuming Alabama will face Georgia or Florida in Atlanta)?
Stay connected on Twitter with Blake (@btoppmeyer) and John (@JohnAdamsKNS) and stay up to date on SEC football news by subscribing to KnoxNews: knoxnews.com/subscribe
There was a time, a time not that long ago, when the Southern Cal football job was thecoaching job in America.
USC has the history, with 11 national championships, and a nationally recognized brand. It can recruit within a state that has a good talent base or recruit nationwide to its Los Angeles location. Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum is one of the most venerable stadiums in the country.
But USC's mighty image has taken a hit in recent years, and the Trojans on Monday fired coach Clay Helton, launching a coaching search that will be one of the hot topics, from coast to coast, throughout the 2021 college football season.
How does the USC job compare to SEC jobs?
Just how hot is the seat under LSU coach Ed Orgeron?
That's the storyline the Tigers had hoped to avoid this season, but it's the storyline they face after a 38-27 loss to UCLA on Saturday.
LSU got whipped in the trenches, Max Johnson played flustered, a coordinator change didn't solve LSU's defense, and the Tigers need more playmakers than just Kayshon Boutte on offense.
LSU didn't play with a lot of fire, either, and now Orgeron's long-term future with the program is being questioned just 18 months after leading the Tigers to a national championship behind Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Joe Burrow.
Stay connected on Twitter with Blake (@btoppmeyer) and John (@JohnAdamsKNS) and stay up to date on SEC football news by subscribing to KnoxNews: knoxnews.com/subscribe
The SEC has provided its members with the perfect cop-out to suffering a beatdown at the hands of No. 1 Alabama.
Claim a COVID-19 forfeit.
On Wednesday, the SEC announced that teams will be assessed a forfeit loss if they are unable to compete in a game this season because of roster limitations brought on by positive COVID-19 tests or quarantines.
Perfect.
USA TODAY Network hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams embrace using the COVID forfeit as a strategic move.
Stay connected on Twitter with Blake (@btoppmeyer) and John (@JohnAdamsKNS) and stay up to date on SEC football news by subscribing to KnoxNews: knoxnews.com/subscribe
Is Texas A&M truly the biggest threat to Alabama in the SEC West?
Does Bryce Young, JT Daniels or Matt Corral have the best chance at winning the Heisman Trophy? Will Georgia enjoy a cakewalk en route to winning the SEC East?
Questions abound ahead of the 2021 SEC football season. As usual, a team likely will prove to be overrated (LSU and Auburn headed that camp last year) and while another is underrated (see Texas A&M in 2020).
Stay connected on Twitter with Blake (@btoppmeyer) and John (@JohnAdamsKNS) and stay up to date on SEC football news by subscribing to KnoxNews: knoxnews.com/subscribe
Six SEC football teams are ranked in the preseason USA TODAY Sports AFCA coaches poll, while five are ranked in the AP Top 25.
The SEC is top heavy, with No. 1 Alabama, No. 5 Georgia and No. 6 Texas A&M accounting for half of the top six spots in each poll.
And, as usual, the SEC West is expected to be the more powerful division.
John and Blake weigh in on the preseason polls, and they offer their one-sentence summary outlook for each SEC team.
Stay connected on Twitter with Blake (@btoppmeyer) and John (@JohnAdamsKNS) and stay up to date on SEC football news by subscribing to KnoxNews: knoxnews.com/subscribe
Texas and Oklahoma wanted to join the SEC's party, and the nation's richest and most powerful conference was willing to admit entry.
Surely those two Big 12 schools aren't the only universities that would like a seat at the SEC's table.
So, who else should the SEC want?
Stay connected on Twitter with Blake (@btoppmeyer) and John (@JohnAdamsKNS) and stay up to date on SEC football news by subscribing to KnoxNews: knoxnews.com/subscribe
Florida State is willing to flirt with other conferences.
That's the message outgoing FSU president John Thrasher delivered during a recent interview with the Tallahassee Democrat.
Should the SEC swipe right on the Seminoles?
Stay connected on Twitter with Blake (@btoppmeyer) and John (@JohnAdamsKNS) and stay up to date on SEC football news by subscribing to KnoxNews: knoxnews.com/subscribe
Four SEC football coaches were fired last season amid a pandemic that ate away at athletic department earnings.
That came after preseason speculation that coach firings would reduce during the pandemic as universities looked to avoid paying costly buyouts.
So much for that idea.
Stay connected on Twitter with Blake (@btoppmeyer) and John (@JohnAdamsKNS) and stay up to date on SEC football news by subscribing to KnoxNews: knoxnews.com/subscribe
It was SEC Media Days but two schools from out of the conference were the ones making news. Texas and Oklahoma reportedly want to join the SEC. Is there a place for them? And if so, what does the future of the SEC look like?
Alabama or Georgia?
That's the question most of the media members who cover the SEC will face when they submit their conference predictions next week at SEC Media Days in Hoover, Alabama.
The predictions for West and East division champions don't carry much intrigue. Almost certainly, Nick Saban's Crimson Tide will be the selection in the West, while Kirby Smart's Georgia Bulldogs will hold the vote in the East.
But the pick for SEC champion could be spicy.
Stay connected on Twitter with Blake (@btoppmeyer) and John (@JohnAdamsKNS) and stay up to date on SEC football news by subscribing to KnoxNews: knoxnews.com/subscribe
SEC Football Unfiltered features hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams of the USA TODAY Network serving opinion, debate and analysis on trending college football topics within the Southeastern Conference. No subject is off-limits, and no one is above rebuke. Take off the filter and revel in the banter.