SEC Football Unfiltered
151 episodes - English - Latest episode: 6 days ago - ★★★★ - 24 ratingsSEC 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.
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Episodes
If Georgia football is No. 1 in the SEC, then who's No. 2? Maybe it's not Texas
July 10, 2024 14:33 - 48 minutes - 44.7 MBIf 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. ...
As SEC adds Texas and Oklahoma, who's the bigger prize? Making the case for each
July 05, 2024 04:18 - 45 minutes - 42 MBThe 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 Toppmeye...
If SEC expands to 20 teams, consider these four ACC schools
June 18, 2024 21:16 - 43 minutes - 39.7 MBAs 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 tow...
Our 7 lukewarm SEC football takes; plus, what's up with ESPN hating on Ole Miss?
June 11, 2024 22:18 - 48 minutes - 44.2 MBYou’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. ...
Why Notre Dame and the Big Ten are a threat to SEC football (or maybe not)
June 05, 2024 09:00 - 44 minutes - 40.6 MBThe 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...
What Jaden Rashada lawsuit means for Billy Napier and Florida Gators
May 23, 2024 09:00 - 50 minutes - 46.2 MBGeorgia'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 t...
Are Georgia football and Ohio State inevitable? Why you can't ignore a few underdogs
May 14, 2024 09:00 - 39 minutes - 36 MBEither 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 an...
Overrated? Or underrated? What one preseason top 25 got right – and wrong – about the SEC
May 08, 2024 10:21 - 51 minutes - 46.8 MBThe 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 ep...
When should LSU expect Brian Kelly to produce national title? Here's what he says, and what we say
May 01, 2024 09:00 - 48 minutes - 44.3 MBBrian 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 ...
Quarterback controversy at Texas? Here's how we see the Arch Manning, Quinn Ewers situation
April 23, 2024 10:21 - 39 minutes - 36 MBArch 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 Geor...
Is Alabama football quarterback competition for real or FAKE NEWS?! Also, does Georgia have any weakness?
April 16, 2024 09:00 - 39 minutes - 36.2 MBGeorgia'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 i...
Who should Kentucky basketball hire to replace John Calipari? Here are 4 swing-big options, plus fallback plan
April 09, 2024 09:00 - 51 minutes - 47.5 MBJohn 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!?!), p...
When ranking SEC schools by football AND men's basketball coaches, is Georgia or Alabama No. 1?
April 03, 2024 10:25 - 42 minutes - 38.7 MBCan 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 th...
March Madness Final Four predictions? We've got you covered with this bracket revision
March 27, 2024 10:44 - 39 minutes - 36.2 MBThe 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 ...
March Madness upsets? Final Four picks? A sleeper team from SEC? We've got you covered
March 20, 2024 09:00 - 44 minutes - 40.4 MBGet 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 an...
Why let basketball have all the March Madness fun? We seed SEC football teams for 2024, 1 through 16
March 13, 2024 20:03 - 41 minutes - 37.9 MBIn 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 necessar...
Even Steve Spurrier is questioning Florida's Billy Napier. That can't be good
March 06, 2024 11:22 - 45 minutes - 42 MBSteve 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...
Is Steve Sarkisian a Jimbo Fisher 2.0 after contract extension at Texas? Nah. Longhorns on the way up
February 28, 2024 11:27 - 28 minutes - 26.2 MBThe 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 toda...
What to know about modified College Football Playoff and what's coming next
February 21, 2024 10:00 - 39 minutes - 36.1 MBThe 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 bi...
Ranking SEC quarterbacks: Carson Beck is No. 1, but who's next? Good question. Let's debate
February 14, 2024 12:35 - 48 minutes - 44.2 MBThe 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. Top...
What we'd like (and dislike) about an SEC, Big Ten exclusive playoff
February 07, 2024 10:48 - 44 minutes - 40.5 MBThe “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...
Ranking SEC coaches: Kirby Smart is No. 1, but who is No. 2 after Nick Saban retirement?
January 31, 2024 11:27 - 46 minutes - 42.4 MBIf 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 ...
Who can threaten Georgia in 2024 SEC? Texas to Tennessee, with Lane Kiffin in between
January 24, 2024 11:22 - 51 minutes - 47.2 MBThe 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 Smar...
Fact or fiction: Nick Saban will be an asset, not a hindrance, to Kalen DeBoer at Alabama?
January 17, 2024 11:39 - 36 minutes - 33.8 MBNew 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 T...
Alabama football search: We consider 9 names to be Tide coach, as Nick Saban retires
January 11, 2024 18:43 - 53 minutes - 48.8 MBWho 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 T...
Imagining if Michigan had played Georgia or a healthy FSU in national championship
January 10, 2024 11:33 - 45 minutes - 42 MBMichigan 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 a Michigan national championship be illegitimate? Wolverines avoided Georgia
January 05, 2024 11:05 - 54 minutes - 50 MBMichigan 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...
Why Lane Kiffin, Ole Miss football are making us rethink national signing day
December 20, 2023 10:43 - 49 minutes - 45.2 MBLane 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 i...
Our 8 Heisman Trophy favorites for 2024, from Alabama's Jalen Milroe to Ole Miss' Jaxson Dart
December 13, 2023 10:14 - 56 minutes - 51.5 MBJoe 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 do...
CFP didn't choose 'four best' teams. Where's Georgia? Committee flubbed that, too
December 05, 2023 11:36 - 51 minutes - 46.9 MBThese 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...
Here's how Alabama makes College Football Playoff – it's not just beating Georgia
November 28, 2023 11:09 - 58 minutes - 54 MBSeven 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. ...
Firings to flops in SEC football, here's a one-sentence summary of each team's season
November 21, 2023 10:54 - 58 minutes - 53.9 MBThis 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, ...
Lane Kiffin, Dan Lanning, or ... Jim Harbaugh?! for Texas A&M football? Let's debate it.
November 14, 2023 10:00 - 56 minutes - 52.2 MBTexas 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 Lan...
Fact or fiction?: At least two struggling SEC football coaches will be fired
November 07, 2023 10:00 - 59 minutes - 54.2 MBAlabama 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 Heis...
Georgia football, Florida State ... or Washington? Here's who we'd rank No. 1 in CFP
October 31, 2023 09:55 - 58 minutes - 53.5 MBGo 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...
Hot seat analysis: Who's more at risk to be fired, Arkansas' Sam Pittman or Texas A&M's Jimbo Fisher?
October 24, 2023 09:58 - 56 minutes - 51.6 MBTexas 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 St...
Expecting a sequel of Tennessee football vs. Alabama? Don’t. Here’s why.
October 17, 2023 09:58 - 57 minutes - 52.7 MBTennessee’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...
Issuing midseason SEC football awards, from LSU's Jayden Daniels to Missouri's Eliah Drinkwitz
October 09, 2023 23:29 - 54 minutes - 49.9 MBAs 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...
Why we wouldn't rank Georgia football No. 1. Here's who we'd anoint instead
October 03, 2023 10:28 - 58 minutes - 53.8 MBGeorgia 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 fil...
Here's how we rank Alabama, LSU, Texas A&M chances to win SEC West
September 26, 2023 09:36 - 54 minutes - 50.1 MBAlabama 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 S...
Time to panic? Ranking our level of concern for Georgia, Alabama and Tennessee
September 19, 2023 09:37 - 56 minutes - 52.2 MBTennessee 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...
What would quarterback change mean for Alabama football; can the SEC West be salvaged?
September 12, 2023 15:50 - 52 minutes - 47.8 MBTexas 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...
They supposed to be SEC?! Conference falls on its face in Week 1. Now what?
September 05, 2023 09:40 - 50 minutes - 46 MBRemember 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 J...
Fact or fiction: On Georgia football's dominance, Alabama's quarterback and the SEC's hot seat
August 29, 2023 09:17 - 55 minutes - 51 MBWho 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 Satur...
Why we're second-guessing these SEC football predictions
August 22, 2023 09:30 - 47 minutes - 43.6 MBPrediction 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 the...
Why four SEC football teams are poised to play spoiler to the frontrunners
August 15, 2023 11:00 - 52 minutes - 48.1 MBVoters 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 ...
SEC football doesn't have to fear the Big Ten – yet. What if the ACC fractures?
August 08, 2023 10:03 - 47 minutes - 43.4 MBThe 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 Pa...
Adios, Missouri. Hello ... UCF? We suggest a four-team swap between SEC and Big 12
August 01, 2023 10:55 - 54 minutes - 49.6 MBThe 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 fare...
Offering our lukewarm SEC football takes; plus, Nick Saban gets philosophical
July 26, 2023 12:30 - 48 minutes - 44.1 MBFive 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...
Imagining if Tennessee football had hired Shane Beamer, Billy Napier or Hugh Freeze
July 18, 2023 09:39 - 51 minutes - 47.1 MBPhillip 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 scho...