Podcast
SEC Football Unfiltered
Hosted by SEC Football Unfiltered · EN
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.
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Episodes
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If SEC expands to 19 members, which schools should the conference pursue?
3d ago00:46:49Summary readyIf 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 Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams each make their case for which three schools would suit SEC expansion. They agree on one school from the ACC to top the SEC's wish list. From there, Adams heads southwest for additional expansion, while Toppmeyer stays on the east coast and builds a case to further solidify the SEC's basketball bona fides. Interestingly, neither host makes a case for the SEC to add either Florida State or Clemson, which profile as good cultural fits, but their football programs are losing ground in this pay-for-play landscape.
SummaryThe preseason US LBM Coaches Poll is out! Did the SEC get too much love (or not enough)?
1w ago00:41:03Summary readyThe 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.)
SummaryWhich two SEC teams were underrated in preseason predictions at media days?
2w ago00:47:53Summary readyThe 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?
SummaryWho is the most underrated SEC coach? Why it might just be Josh Heupel
3w ago00:54:32Summary readyWho 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.
SummaryOur College Football Playoff predictions, and a sleeper team to leave you outraged
Jul 600:53:43Summary readyWe'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.
SummaryFact or fiction: Georgia will win another SEC title (and Alabama will make the playoff?
Jun 3000:43:26Summary readyGeorgia 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.
SummaryStart the SEC's 2026 hot seat list with a coach who admits he's under fire
Jun 2300:53:27Summary readyShane 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.
SummaryTrinidad Chambliss. Arch Manning. Gunner Stockton. Who is SEC's best quarterback?
Jun 1500:42:43Summary readyAnd 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.
SummaryJudge says gambling addict Brendan Sorsby can play. Will LSU or Tennessee regret not signing him?
Jun 900:56:07Summary readyTennessee 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.
SummaryGreg Sankey denies Big Ten superiority, says SEC is better 'by far'
Jun 200:47:54Summary readyUsed 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?
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