SEC Football Unfiltered

Nearly 70 media members voted in the preseason AP Poll. None of them voted for an SEC team as No. 1. What gives? Why are the media out on the SEC?

There's probably no conspiracy here, and this is a byproduct of the Big Ten producing three straight national champions. The B1G has reloaded, and Ohio State, Oregon and Indiana sparkle with national championship potential this season.

Still, is it not odd that Georgia or T...

If a bipartisan bill becomes federal law, then Congress will limit conferences like the SEC to no more than 19 members, in a bid to prevent mega-conferences.

Such a law wouldn't force the SEC to pursue further expansion, but it might spur another round of realignment as conferences race to 19. If the SEC did decide to add three more members, which schools should it consider?

That's the subject of debate on today's episode, as hosts...

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 da...

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 ...

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 disclo...

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 choic...

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...

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 to...

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...

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...

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 ...

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 villai...

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,...

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 m...

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...

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 ad...

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 se...

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 J...

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 Toppmey...