2026 SEC Football SEASON MEGA PREVIEW: Everything You Need To Know

Summary

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SEC Unfiltered Podcast

2026 SEC Football SEASON MEGA PREVIEW: Everything You Need To Know

Hosts: Chris Phillips, Cole “Bear” Thompson, Demetri Ravanas
Date: August 12, 2026

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Episode Overview

This "Mega Season Preview" delivers a comprehensive, big-picture look at the seismic changes and storylines heading into the 2026 SEC football season. The hosts, Chris, Cole, and Demetri, trade their trademark banter while dissecting the season’s biggest talking points: the much-debated rollout of a 9-game conference schedule, the pressure on SEC supremacy amid a national championship “drought,” major coaching changes, and the loaded quarterback field. The crew also previews marquee matchups, discusses hot seat coaches, and explores cultural quirks that define the SEC’s identity.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The 9-Game Conference Schedule: New Era, Big Questions

[05:07 – 19:53]

• Landmark Change: 2026 marks the first true 9-game SEC conference schedule, igniting debate across the league.
• Fan & Coach Perspective:
  • Some see this as adding value for fans (“more great games”) and boosting strength of schedule for playoff consideration.
  • Worry lingers about wear and tear, fatigue, and possible “cannibalization” of the league’s middle teams.
  • Coaches and pundits differ: “You’re the big bad SEC. Go out and play the games. Go win and go kick ass when you get in the playoff period, point blank, end of discussion. Nobody wants to hear the excuses.” (A/Chris, 15:42).
• Comparison with Big Ten:
  • SEC often claims “we’re deeper in the middle.”
  • The 9th game will put that to the test, potentially closing the gap between the SEC and Big Ten.
• Long-Term Impact:
  • Hosts debate if in five years, the 9-game slate is positive or negative. Much could depend on how playoff berths and national perception evolve.
  • “If you’re not able to make it to the end…was it worth it?” (B/Bear, 13:20).

2. SEC’s National Title Drought: Conference on the Defensive

[19:54 – 26:22]

• The SEC hasn’t played for (or won) a national title in three years—the longest such stretch in recent memory.
• Fan identity at stake: If another Big Ten team (especially a newcomer like Oregon) wins it all, the SEC’s claim to supremacy—especially depth at the top—takes a hit.
• “Could not get back to the title game for a fourth year in a row...I think the more damning would be the SEC not getting there, period.” (C/Demetri, 22:53).
• NIL, roster management, and changing approaches across the Big Ten cited as key reasons for the SEC’s recent struggles.

3. Coaching Carousel: New Faces, New Hope

[26:22 – 34:21]

• Four new SEC HCs:
  • John Sumrall (Florida)
  • Alex Golesh (Auburn)
  • Ryan Silverfield (Arkansas)
  • Will Stein (Kentucky)
• “I see the vision in Gainesville and Auburn. I’m told there is a vision in Lexington. I have no idea what they’re doing in Fayetteville.” (C/Demetri, 27:02)
• Fans in Florida and Auburn expect immediate progress; Arkansas is a clear rebuild.
• Kentucky is the true wild card with QB Kenny Minchey and new offensive-minded leadership.
• “For every single one of these guys, it’s about making sure there are three problems solved...” (B/Bear, 28:52).
• Optimism, patience, and the pressure to prove NIL strategies discussed for each.

4. LSU–Ole Miss Coaching Drama: Kiffin’s Switch & Ripple Effects

[34:21 – 41:22]

• Lane Kiffin’s stunning move from Ole Miss to LSU ("celebrity interview tour all offseason") and Pete Golding stepping in at Ole Miss is poised as the storyline of the season.
• The hosts point out Kiffin’s “win-now” approach (especially with NIL), but caution that “you don’t win the breakup within six months.”
• “I will just throw this out here in just life in general... you don’t win the breakup within six months...We’re not really going to know what was the right answer by the season’s end.” (B/Bear, 37:06).
• The week 3 LSU–Ole Miss game is billed as explosive and “more than a football game”—watch for drama, on and off field.

5. Texas: National Title or Bust? Living Up to the Hype

[41:22 – 45:47]

• Massive portal additions; Arch Manning the face of the program.
• Stakes are sky-high: “I think Texas is one of the programs on the short list this year that truly can sit here and say today, national championship or bust.” (A/Chris, 41:22).
• The Heisman or bust vibe for Arch; the pressure extends to Steve Sarkisian as a “quarterback whisperer.” Team success trumps individual hardware, but both may be needed to satisfy Longhorn fans.
• “Even the Martians know the name Arch Manning...done with the excuses.” (B/Bear, 43:00).

6. Quarterback Landscape: Depth, Development, and Wild Cards

[45:47 – 51:00]

• SEC returns upper-echelon QBs (Trinidad Chambliss, Arch Manning, Gunner Stockton, Marcel Reed, Len’Norris Sellers).
• Several new, high-upside names debut as starters.
• Notable theme: SEC still develops QBs at home, with many stars sticking around and growing into the job.
• “You look at a ranking 1 to 16…and if you’re not in the top 10, you might be in the top 10 in what, eight of the nine other conferences…” (C/Demetri, 48:30)
• Wild-card picks for biggest jump-breakout QBs, and risk of “one-hit wonders” abound.

7. Hot Seat Watch: Leaner List After Last Year’s Bloodletting

[51:00 – 57:33]

• Main hot seat targets:
  • Shane Beamer (South Carolina: “pre-fired, just waiting for the announcement”)
  • Jeff Lebby (Mississippi State: rumored for a jump if certain jobs open)
  • Josh Heupel (Tennessee: not truly endangered barring disaster)
• What about Kalen DeBoer (Alabama) and Eli Drinkwitz (Missouri)? Not in danger, but could bail for “dream jobs.”
• “There is a world where nobody gets fired.” (B/Bear, 55:33)—though the pressure will set up a monster carousel the year after if that happens.
• “[For Beamer]...I think at even 6 and 6, Shane Beamer could be back.” (A/Chris, 70:44)

8. Biggest Games of 2026: Marquee Matchups & Return of Old Rivalries

[57:50 – 63:03]

• Standout contests:
  • Texas vs. Ohio State ([59:00])
  • Oklahoma @ Michigan ([59:05])
  • LSU @ Texas ([59:14])
  • Bama vs. Georgia
  • Ole Miss–LSU Week 3
  • Georgia–Oklahoma, Florida–Auburn, Bama–Mississippi State, etc.
• 9-game schedule restores classic matchups not seen in years: “Kind of going back to our old SEC East/West days.” (A/Chris, 59:47)
• Hosts lament loss of staples like Bama–Ole Miss and especially Georgia–Tennessee this year ([62:10]).

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “You can’t talk about the league without acknowledging that elephant in the room of not having a Natty in three years and not even being in the game.” (A/Chris, 26:02)
• “Nothing is more SEC than bitching about the SEC, right? Like, are you new here or what?” (C/Demetri, 25:47)
• On fan gatekeeping: “I’ve got no beef with sidewalk fans. I think it is part of what makes this whole apparatus work. There are a hundred thousand seats in Bryant Denny...How does that math work without the Walmart fans?” (C/Demetri, 73:41)
• The Picture Day Debate: Auburn’s team photo “orderly,” Bama’s “chaotic” — and social media turns it into a cultural referendum.
  “If Bama goes on to have a great season, this is forgotten in a millisecond. But if not, people will look at something like that, fair or unfair.” (A/Chris, 80:03)

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Important Timestamps

| Time | Topic | |----------|------------------------------------------------------------------| | 05:07 | 9-Game Conference Schedule: Origins & Impacts | | 19:54 | SEC National Title Drought | | 26:22 | New Coaching Faces: Four Programs in Flux | | 34:21 | The LSU-Ole Miss – Lane Kiffin Saga | | 41:22 | Texas: Hype, Expectations, and Pressure on Arch Manning | | 45:47 | SEC Quarterbacks: Proven Stars and Emerging Names | | 51:00 | Hot Seat Coaches in 2026 | | 57:50 | Previewing Must-Watch SEC Games of 2026 | | 62:10 | Lamenting Lost Rivalries (e.g., Georgia–Tennessee) | | 72:05 | The Great “T-Shirt Fan” Debate | | 77:19 | Auburn vs Bama “Picture Day” Culture Contest |

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Tone and Banter Highlights

The episode swings between sharp analysis (“If you’re not playing for titles, you’re not elite, no matter the schedule,” B/Bear, 13:20), self-deprecating humor, and signature SEC bluster (“We need kickoff more than we need air to breathe,” C/Demetri, 82:34). Listeners who love off-field drama—coaching intrigue, fan tribalism, and even social media scuffles—will find plenty to savor as the hosts mix expert insight with fan-side flavor.

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Conclusion

SEC Unfiltered’s 2026 Mega Season Preview is an essential primer for anyone looking to understand this year’s SEC football landscape. From new schedules and coaching moves to heated debates about conference supremacy and fan identity, the episode delivers everything an SEC diehard—or even an “alien visitor”—could want to know heading into kickoff.

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Transcript

[A]

I'm Chris Phillips. He's Cole Thompson. He's Demetri Robanas. This is chewing clock SEC unfiltered bi weekly SEC football show. And this is officially our 2026 mega season preview. It's kind of like a mega pint, but football version. We're talking all the top storylines, just everything you need to know. The way I explain it to these guys here, if I dropped an alien on planet Earth today and for some reason their first thought was, what do I need to know about the SEC this season? What are the top storylines? It just the things I need to be following and interested in when it comes to SEC football. I'd say, well tune into SEC Unfiltered. Their mega season preview will answer all those questions and much more. That is exactly what this show is. We've also got some fun news and notes to get into. I certainly want to get these Bama boys perspective on some of the things that have been happening on the timeline over the last 24 or so hours. But before we get into that again, I say hello to my co host, my colleagues, my partners in crime, Colar Thompson, Demetri Afonas. Fellas, how you doing? I know I keep asking you to do prediction content, preview content, I should say. We just keep on milking it.

[B]

We're.

[A]

We're squeezing the last couple drops out of the proverbial rag, if you will, before we get to kickoff. It's like we can see the light at the end of the tunnel, but it still feels like we are so far away. But as always, guys, really excited to talk. The thing we love most with y', all, which is SEC football.

[C]

I guess we've got to get to some Mount Rushmores or Mounts Rushmore and mock drafts to make sure we hit all of the off season content.

[A]

We're gonna get into a fantasy draft next week. We gotta get into. I like, I took your idea.

[C]

Okay.

[A]

And I think we expand on it for like fantasy football fantasy draft. I, I do like the idea of it. Yeah, we're gonna, we're definitely going to very soon, by the way, preview week one and predict week one and get into these games. That'll be part of what we do probably starting this time next week, I would say. I mean, why not? But yeah, we're definitely going to get. This is the time Demitri and Cole, where you gotta. You flex your creative muscles, you think a little outside of the box as you count down to kickoff. So good to see you, Bear.

[B]

Sorry it's been a. It's been a morning. I was trying to get stuff done. You know, you got, you got three other things you got going on today. I gotta go watch my baby niece. Later on. There was a wreck right by my

[A]

dude through a ring.

[B]

Yeah, there's a wreck by my house to where you have to take the back road, which there's only two back roads and it's 20 minutes the other way. So it's like, all right, let's figure out how you're gonna all get home in time just to be able to do an hour. I talk about the greatest conference ever exists that right now has not shown. That is the greatest which ever exists. Because, damn it, you haven't played in a national championship in three years. Which is honestly more of, I would say, a slap in the face than winning the whole damn thing. Like, you're not even getting to the final finish line. Like you're not even able to go ahead and pulled up your silver medal participation trophy. You get to actually just hold a ribbon and go, yeah, I was in the thing.

[C]

Yeah. I mean, look, the, the, the last two years are undeniable, I think certainly for people like you and I that went to Alabama. We hold on to. Well, you know, if not for a bad staff, the SEC wouldn't have missed three in a row. But even still, like, that's still best case scenario is they've still missed two in a row. Right. That you have to contend with.

[A]

Yeah, certainly we're going to talk about that much more guys, really quickly before we get going, I do want to get into the comments. Aaron Gilliam says hook them y'.

[B]

All.

[A]

Appreciate you first comment from a Texas Longhorn. Great to see you, Aaron. Dylan Baskins also asked Chris, I'm coming up early Sunday morning for the Ole Miss Louisville game. What are the chances I find somewhere to get 18 and where should I play if I can? Yeah, listen, shoot me a DM as well. I will not be playing. We will be busy that day. Got some really exciting news. We're going to drop here in the next week or so about a kickoff party of sorts. Pregame party right by Nissan Stadium. But you shouldn't have any trouble. Getting 18 in would highly suggest Hermitage Golf Club. That is where I'm a member of, actually. So I would highly suggest going there. The President's reserve side side top 100 course in the state of Tennessee. Can't recommend it enough. But again, you will not have trouble finding a tee time and you're going to have one hell of a day if you play early in the morning and then go to the football game that night, which, again, I'm, I'm, I'm envious. That sounds like a great day. So, yeah, let me know if you need any help. Would love to help you out, give you suggestions. There's tons of great courses around Nashville. Check out the public. Golf can be a little tricky, so you'd be, you'd be in a good spot if somebody's pointing in the right direction. Corica Art says, Miz, what's going on? We always love when our Mizzou faithful tune in. All right, guys, let's get into it. Without further ado, our SEC football season mega preview for the 2026 season. Guys, like I said, we have broken down and previewed and predicted essentially every single SEC team going into kickoff. We've dove into the nitty gritty of it. Now we're gonna zoom out a little bit, look at this thing from a macro view instead of a micro view. And what are the big storylines? What are the big things? Everything you need to know for the upcoming season. So again, without further ado, guys, let's start with it. And I think the first thing here, you could go with a couple different options and a couple different storylines. But what has dominated the chatter and is a first, by the way, anytime there's a first, I think it's notable. Boys, we're about to experience a nine game conference schedule for the very first time. It has been a talking point from the moment it was rolled out and introduced. We've had heated debate about it on this show. We've heard coaches, we've heard ads, we've heard different people voice their opinions, some of them their displeasure, some people saying, hey, I'm paid to be an SEC football coach. I'm not going to complain about whatever the schedule says I should do. Shout out John Sumrall. But there have been a lot of mixed opinions. We, we've had people, Demetri and Cole, creating hypotheticals and scenarios for what a non game conference schedule means and the impact it will have before toe even meets leather. Shout out Laura Rutledge, who, all the respect to her but went on a show and essentially said, what about the wear and tear? What about the fatigue? And we're like, we haven't even played a game. Yeah, we're already making excuses for the league. That being said, guys, nine game conference schedule, it's not only been a talking point for the last, what, six months? Plus, guys, it's going to be a talking point. We have all season long, all the way into the month of November, especially if the sec, you know, is fighting obviously to get teams in the playoff. Nine game conference schedules. Probably going to be a topic that we become a little bit exhausted with by seasons in.

[C]

I think one thing worth remembering here is we have done this before, but it was in the weirdness of the COVID season. Right? So this then becomes the real like pangea break it up into Eurasia, Africa and the Americas kind of moment, right? Because it's not, I know everybody will point to and complain about SoCon Saturday when it comes to the SEC. And this isn't that 9th conference game is not replacing SoCon Saturday, but it is replacing one of those Sunbelt Conference USA mat games that teams have. And what that means is you're going to have to be way more certain about your roster way earlier than these coaches are used to be. I mean quarterback battles you probably get a week now, whereas you used to get up to three to figure out who the guy was going to be. I do think this is a watershed moment for the conference in terms of the way these coaches go about managing their off seasons. And you're right, Chris. Like we could speculate all you want. We won't really know the sustainable version of this because like I said, we did this during COVID and then immediately went right back to what we knew. This is now the new normal going forward. And I think this year you're going to see a lot of experimentation before people figure out exactly how they want to approach this in the 27 season.

[B]

Dude, I'm looking at at this point is the SEC has been able to say one major thing that's a difference between them and the Big Ten and that's, well, yeah, you're really good at the top, but we got you in the middle like, like our middle. When you face off against a South Carolina or a Tennessee or an Ole Miss, it's not like facing off against an Illinois or an Iowa or God forbid, a Michigan State and partially that's warranted. But you also have to throw in the fact of, well, Michigan State and Iowa and Nebraska, they all were playing nine game conference schedules. So if your record looks better because if you all have these like teams that are sitting at 6 and 7, at 9 and 3 and 9 and 3 and like then you have the top two teams or top three teams that are all at 10 and 2, but that was with the nth game conference schedule. Is this going to be something to where once again it's more of an argument that there really is competitive balance between these two at the top of the Big Ten is as talented, if not better than the top of the sec. That the middle of the SEC actually has kind of weaned itself out to being fewer teams that we bring up every single year. It it's like four to five that we actually say that's the middle. And then much like it comes with the Big Ten, you have the six to seven teams that are on the bottom half that yeah, they may get an upset win here or there, but we expect them to go six and six and. And this is the new norm. That's something to where once again you want to talk about the SEC staying as completely relevant as it possibly can. The thing that they've had is the fact they can say that their middle is better. Now with the nine game conference schedule, you have an opportunity to back that up. But that also includes not only not cannibalizing yourself, but winning those out of conference games. A Mississippi State going to Minnesota in week two, a Alabama beating a Florida State, a Tennessee beating a Georgia Tech, a Louisville losing to Ole Miss in week one. Those are as important because of that nine game conference schedule. You need every single break to go your way to guarantee. When we're talking about those nine and three rosters, it looks a little bit different.

[A]

Yeah, I think the interesting thing guys with the non game conference schedule for us, it's great. More great games. It's great for the fans. I think you're gonna have more opportunities to see high profile matchups and all. Obviously with the schedules rotating, like for example, Georgia is going to finally go to College Station. Why we haven't had that and over a decade since A M joined the league, I have no idea. But it's finally going to happen. So that that's a positive. I think the disappointing thing is the SEC probably did this. Not exact. I don't think they were thrilled to do it if I had to guess. And it was under the assumption that the playoff was going to get expanded and strength of schedule is going to be a more of a weight carried in the selection process of the College Football Playoff. I don't know that either were true. Certainly we don't have expansion for this year and who knows what the committee is going to do. Are they really going to factor in. It's the whole 10 and 2, 9 and 3 debate. This kind of reminds me of when Texas and Oklahoma joined the league. I remember the first thing I said was like man, with, with these two behemoths joining the conference. There's going to be people that you know are used to losing X amount of games that they might have to get used to losing a certain, you know, a new number plus one. Yeah, same thing with a nine game conference schedule, right. I mean I think the league is because it is so deep, because the middle is so good. I mean top to bottom really, but because the middle so good, the league has the opportunity to cannibalize itself. I, I still think the cream is going to rise to the top though. I really do. I don't think. Because you gave Georgia one more conference game, right? Like all of a sudden they're going to fall off a cliff. Is it going to produce more anarchy? Is it going to potentially produce more upsets?

[B]

I think so.

[A]

I mean you add one more Saturday. Yeah, I think that could lead to more chaos for sure. I wanted to ask y' all though because I think it is interesting again it's going to be something we're going to talk about all season. Let's say it's, let's say it's around for the long term. I think it will be. But like who knows with what expansion looks like and if it really, you know, if we go to 24 teams, like who cares if you play a nine game conference schedule? Doesn't really matter anymore for that sake. But like do you think let's say 5 year sample size? I think 10 years way too long because we don't even know what the sport's going to look like. Let's just say five year sample size. Assuming everything else stay consistent. Do you think a non game conference schedule will end up being more of a positive or more of a negative for the league?

[C]

I think it's going to depend on your station in the league. Right. I could see a scenario where, and I'm just throwing this out as an example, right. I could see a scenario where Kirby Smart starts to talk about well this is great for teams that need the strength of schedule bump. But we're Georgia, we're everybody's strength of schedule bump. We don't benefit from this. Would that be enough to change some minds, to rally the troops? I don't know. But I do think five years, Chris, is a really good timetable to put on it. To where some of these coaches start to realize, not that this isn't all it's cracked up to because I think you're right. I think a lot of coaches are being dragged kicking and screaming into a nine game schedule, but they see the opportunity to make their voices and their objections heard with some stats to back it up.

[B]

Answer this question. How many national championships have you played in? How many national championships have you won?

[C]

Do you think it's national championships or do you think it's. How many years are you outpacing the Big Ten in terms of playoff bids?

[B]

I think that you have to win the damn thing. You had five teams in last season. The Big Ten had three. The Big Ten had two teams that were playing in the final Four. I mean, like, like that bottom line, like that. That's it. Like if you end up going to a nine game conference schedule and you're still finishing as a semifinalist team and a Big 12 team is surpassing you, and two Big 10 teams are playing in the national title and an ACC team or Notre Dame is surpassing you and it's them in the Big Ten. It's like on one hand you can say, sure, we played the nine games and we still have four to five teams on in. And we are strengthening our schedule because you are throwing Alabama into there, you are throwing a team like LSU into there, Georgia into there, Texas into there. And it may strengthen the case for a team like a South Carolina to be that surprise darling that comes on out and makes a playoff run because of that strength of schedule. But if you're not able to make it to the end, end goal and be playing as one of the final two teams, it's like, what did we do this for? And did that also hurt our opportunity to have more representation in the College Football Playoff because of now we only have four teams and these four, they're good enough to make it past the first round and that's about it. And I say all that because of. We can go back and forth and look at every single little detail what the SEC gets in terms of annual, annual recruiting classes. We can look at the type of players that are currently drafted every single year. First round grades, all, all of that. All Americans. We could throw all that in. End of the day, the most common casual college football fan is going to do this. That conference won that conference better. That's, that's what they're going to do.

[C]

Okay, so I hear you. And, and Bear, please know that I do love you. Before I say that what you just said's a load of horseshit. But sure, the, the, the strength of schedule has nothing to do with whether or not you win the championship. Once you get in, it's head to head. I mean, I'm not saying that I don't think coaches will make that argument, that people will make that argument. But nine games or eight games, the amount of SEC games you play does not matter when you're going up against Indiana. It doesn't matter when you're going up against Miami. It's can you beat them on the field? So I guess I'm having a little trouble understanding how that argument is even or that fact is even factored into the argument of eight versus nine.

[A]

Well, and I, I think, Dimitri, I, I've, I've heard on other shows, I've heard people talk about this as a topic of wear and tear and that, you know, you add another conference game, the other conferences don't go through the wear and tear and the, the, the gauntlet, the grind. And I, I'm not saying they're totally wrong, but I think it is a softest excuse. Like, I like what John Sumrall said. I'm not, quote, I'm not going to whine and complain about being an SEC head football coach. I hope more take on that mentality. Listen, you're the big bad, big bad sec. It is what it is. Go out and play the games. Go win and go kick ass when you get in the playoff period, point blank in discussion. Nobody wants to hear the excuses. For years and years and years we beat our chest about the league and how the league was dominant in the top tier. Nobody wants to hear it, man. Like, I, I understand the SEC is different. I get there's a grind and a gauntlet that others don't go through, but nobody wants to hear the excuses. Right?

[C]

Yeah. I mean, look, the, the grind is stacking them one on top of the other. Right? A, a South Carolina after a Tennessee after a Georgia after. Right. Like that's, that's the grind. At the end of the day, a hits a hit to hit. Right. Like, I mean, you can get just as injured playing Eastern Illinois as you can playing against lsu. Like, I don't buy the grind being all that different now for me.

[B]

Like, I, I'm in agreeance with you, Demetri. I'm saying more of the public Persona on this.

[C]

Sure.

[B]

Because here's a perfect example. Notre Dame this year. Notre Dame has a Charmin soft schedule. When you take out two games, Miami and you take out byu. I'm also looking at Notre Dame's roster and I say put him in the Big Ten. Put them in the Big 12. Put them in the ACC. Put them in the SEC. That's still a playoff team. Oh, but you can't say that because. No, I can Say that because of, I know what talented rosters look like and Notre Dame is a talented roster. But at the same time, when you go ahead and you throw out all these scenarios about how are we letting this team in and how are we letting this team in, how are we. Because of. They'll, they'll blame it on scheduling purposes like a Penn State this year is a perfect epitome of, well, you only really have three games to worry about and if you can go two and one during that stretch, you're a playoff team. Meanwhile, we talk about a 9 and 3 Texas that is going to have, in my opinion, the toughest schedule in college football. Does that mean that they should be in over and over an 111 penn state because of who they faced off against? Well, in the eyes of the public, and until I see it done by the people who are calling the shots, which I refuse to believe they're ever going to get it right, it's always going to be 11 one prettier than nine and three. Damn, whatever happens. And because of Texas scheduled the ninth conference game and they had that game against a team like Ohio State, now that hurt them and now they're sitting and playing in the Cheese it bowl and Cesar Keyan is facing a lot of heat that he may have to go ahead and hire a new offensive coordinator or, or worse, he may be looking for another job by 2027.

[A]

The final thing on I'll say is this, guys, because we got to move on. The same league that used to beat their chest about this SEC schedule is the reason we have success in the postseason, because it galvanized us to a point to where, you know, it prepared you for what you saw in the postseason. You cannot then turn around and use the SEC schedule as an excuse for the wear and tear and, and, and the, you know, the state your football team is in, when you get to the post, it's one or the other. Yeah, right. Because we used to lean on that. It's like, well, you know why the SEC just bullied Notre Dame or bullied Ohio State or bullied this Big Ten team? Because they don't see what we see on a week in, week out basis. But now what the SEC seen on a week in, week out basis hurts them. You just can't have it both ways. So pick one, pick a lane. I say you just shut up and go win football games. Who gives a damn if you play 8 or 9? On the note why this next topic is so important because we just heard Cole the Bear Thompson rant about it, guys, in case you have missed it, in case any of you out there missed it, the SEC has not won a national title in three years.

[B]

Years.

[A]

The SEC has not played in a national title in three years. That, I think, is the more jarring of this conversation, guys. The, the title drought and you want to throw in the battle for conference supremacy. I think it's a fair part of the conversation, but I think Cole Dimitri, I think, you know, he makes a good point. I think at the end of the day, it does come down to did you win the big game or did you not? And for the sec, at minimum, the pressure's on to get there. Like winning or not, the pressure's on to get back to the game. Another year of a national title without an SEC team even in it will. Will be really tough to stomach for us. But we'll also just reaffirm at the end of the day, you can talk how deep the SEC is, but you gotta tip your cap at some point.

[C]

Well, it'll. It'll crystallize that. The history may be here, but the modern game has passed the conference by right. That, that will be, I think, the grand national talking point about this. And this is one of the things that certainly I've been critical about with my alma mater. I'm sure plenty of other SEC schools have been critical about. Why is the Big Ten winning championships? We'll look at the three teams that have done it. They have all embraced and dove in head first on nil. While the powers of 10 to 15 years ago in the SEC are talking about, well, Coach Saban didn't have to do that. That's not the way we did it when LSU was winning national championship, so on and so forth. So if that is an attitude that. No, I'm sorry. If they go another year without winning a championship, whether or not that attitude exists across the conference, I don't think it exists everywhere. But that will be, I think, the national talking point. The SEC could do it when you could get away with paying a kid's mom's mortgage for a few months rather than actually breaking off a million dollars or millions of dollars for a starting caliber skill position player.

[B]

Let me ask you, what is going to be more damning for the SEC's Persona this year? Would it be that the SEC doesn't make it to another national championship game or another Big Ten team that hasn't made it to the national title game is. Is hoisting up the national title?

[C]

Because we're talking about Oregon in that

[B]

Case Oregon would be the one.

[C]

Yeah. Yeah.

[B]

Texas and Oregon play against each other in the semi finals. Oregon wins that game. Oregon finally wins the championship.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

Because now it's not just, well, you haven't made it. It's that teams that we've been waiting to see kind of hit their stride and finally get to the mountaintop. They're doing that. And then a team that came out of nowhere with a bunch of veteran talent and really good coaching took over the most desolate program in college football. A factory where you were basically told, we're paying you a lot of money to lose football games and maybe be bull eligible. They want a national title before the SEC has returned to it. What's more damning?

[C]

I. I think the more damning would be the SEC not getting there, period. I think. I think anything can happen when two teams are played head to head. I think, you know, I predicted last, what, Monday when we rolled out our playoff predictions, I said, bama rematches with Indiana in round one of the playoffs, and Indiana wins again. And I think that will be the narrative for that game. I don't know that that's as damaging to the SEC as. Could not get back to the title game for a fourth year in a row.

[A]

Yeah. I think a new Big Ten team, honestly, I think. Because you start to lose the depth conversation.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

The top of the league right now, we're having the combo. The top of the league is better, but the depth is better than the sec. Well, you have another new national champion. It's like the top of the league's better and the depth at the top is better.

[C]

Yeah. I mean, that was. That was the thing that you could always point to when you talked about whatever the. The streak was until 2013 of the number of consecutive national championships. Well, that was what, four different programs that did that, right?

[A]

Yeah.

[C]

Five different SEC programs won in the BCS era. This is not a concentration of one or two teams doing all the heavy lifting like with ACC basketball.

[A]

Right.

[C]

Yeah. No, I mean, I. I understand that. Like, I still. I don't know that's enough to sway me, but it is a good point then that all of a sudden the. The Big Ten streak even quicker than the SEC streak gets to. It's big and it's diverse in terms of who is bringing home the titles.

[B]

Well, here go a step further. Let's say Oregon goes and they win it. So now it's four new champions, just like we saw back in the BCS day. But who is the team that played in the Final Four team, College Football Playoff, Washington, another now Big Ten team that would have faced off against Michigan. So it's even the fact that the death is the reasoning behind it, which to me is why it says everything to where you need to know about why. That's, I think, more dire to the sec. If the SEC goes and they play against Ohio State, is anybody saying that Ohio State is not a talented team that should be in the consideration to win the national title? And if Indiana ends up going back to back but they beat Georgia in the Natty, is anybody saying, like, that's not a surprise, it's that you once again aren't playing in that big game for now, the fourth straight year. And meanwhile, oh, Miami's going and here's another Big Ten team that we can throw into the mix. So that's way more, I think, dire to where you are because the depth has been the conversation for the sec. Well, death also includes death at the very top. You're now adding another team to the top tier of the Big Ten and saying in the sec, it's like you have a bunch of teams that are really good that can make the playoff, but can they win an asshole title?

[A]

Guys, before we move on, EL2GZ in the comments, is this a SEC show or you're here to glaze the other conferences? Listen, we are having the hard conversations

[C]

I was about to say. Nothing is more SEC than bitching about the sec, right? Like, are you new here or what?

[B]

We literally are bitching about where the conference is not at the very top, right?

[A]

You can't talk about the league without acknowledging that elephant in the room of not having a Natty in three years and not even being in the game. Guys, let's move on to this. We got some new faces in the league all over the place, but specifically head coaches. And I'm gonna save two of them. The two that I don't mention will be very obvious for the next segment or next piece of this conversation because I think they're in their own bucket, guys. But four brand new head coaches are in the league this season. John Sumrall at Florida, Alex Goelish at Auburn, Ryan Silverfield at Arkansas and Will Stein at Kentucky. These four situations, I think guys vary. I don't think they're all the same. What's going on in Gainesville is not the same as what's going on in Fayetteville. For example, you guys thoughts on the new crop of coaches and how that factors into the story that is the 2026 SEC season.

[C]

I see the vision in Gainesville and Auburn. I'm told there is a vision in Lexington and I, I believe it. I have no idea what the they're doing in Fayetteville. I, I think that John Summerall is going to get a lot right right at Florida right away. Does that mean nine or 10 wins? No, probably not. But there's a lot that has to be corrected to get the Gators back on track, and that's going to have a lot of people, you know, really uncomfortable about how long they waited for, you know, like Ole Miss, how long they waited to get certainty on Lane Kiffin. Lsu, did we get the right guy? Auburn, did we strike quick enough? I think that Summerall is going to be successful right away and that's going to have a lot of people second guessing what they ended up with. I think goal is going to get Auburn on the right track. I trust that Kentucky is overhauling what they're doing for Will Stein. I mean, Ryan Silverfit, look, the buyout check still catches, right? Like that's, that's the one thing you

[A]

have to, to hang on to. And I'm sure there's other stuff that's evolved through fall camp. They're getting excited for this season. I, I think the one thing you would point to, and Bear's very, very familiar with this, is the record that Ryan Silverfield has against John Sumrall and Alex Golish. And he has leaned into that like, hey, I've beaten those guys. I think he's, what is he called five and one against those two guys.

[B]

He's five and one. In his tenure.

[A]

He's had a very good record. Again, I mean, that doesn't always mean like A plus B doesn't always equal C in those conversations, but it is interesting that he's the one getting the least amount of hype. Maybe it's partly because of the situation, but he doesn't seemingly get talked about the way some raw and goalists do. And yet he is beaten them more often than not. It's very interesting, I think for me,

[B]

like, if you were to send the alien down and he's like, explain the SEC to me. These are four teams I wouldn't mention, like, for 2026. Everything that comes with it is an added bonus. If you hear the story of the rejuvenation of Auburn finally having a functioning offense, that's an added bonus to what this season is. If you hear about, hey, they fixed the quarterback problem, they were able to go ahead and write the defense down in Florida. And now they're playing like the version that we saw back in the day of the 2000s, you know, when everything was happy, hunky dory underneath Tim Tebow. That's an added bonus if Kentucky gets an upset win. That's a massive feather in the cap of, hey, the SEC's bottom dwellers have kind of righted the ship and the same thing goes for Arkansas. But like, none of these guys, I'm saying, oh, they're going to have a Kirk Signetti like resurgence and bring their team to the College Football Playoff in year one because of this, this, this happened in the, in the process. I think for every single one of these guys, it's about making sure that there are three problems solved. One, anybody who doubts you as the right guy to lead the program, that's nipped in the butt. Number two, you've been able to get a good foundation in play to when you go towards nil next offseason and say, this is what we need to be competitive, they're not going to question what's the reasoning behind it. They're just going to say here, how much money do you need? And number three, you're able to show that you are not that far off from being in that next tier of competitive competition with the opponents around you. So for Auburn, it would be, can you beat Florida and can maybe pull an upset over LSU if it's, if it's Florida, can you go into Austin and make this an overtime game against Texas and maybe be Ole Miss for a team like Arkansas, can you beat Tennessee for a team like Kentucky, can you spoil someone's season when they come into Lexington like that, to me, is what I view for these coaches. Naturally, I think Alex Golish and John Sumrall, we hold to a higher standard because what they have currently in the building, what was retained from last year, that may be a good stepping stone to where their seasons are better than we advertise. But I'm also not leaning too much of that further ahead of them than what you look at with Ryan Silver and Will side.

[A]

Yeah, it's going to be interesting, this new crop of coaches. Again, I think different circumstances with each. I think there's, and I think really, guys, the difference in conversation from last year to this year. There's new hype and hope and excitement in a number of SEC schools. Whereas last year the big conversation was, hey, we got a slew of dudes on the chopping block. Who's going to survive it, who isn't? Certainly it's, it's an, I think it's an understood rebuild in Fayetteville. I mean but all the rest of them guys, Gator fans are expecting eight or nine wins. Auburn fans, I've heard them say anything less than eight wins would be a failure. You know, even Kentucky, I heard the Kentucky dudes, KSR guys during SEC media days after Will Stein went up there and said we're going to win because of me. They're talking about Kentucky being the next Indiana. So the, the hype and optimism and excitement. I mean, I guess the good news for us at minimum you like the more fan bases that are excited, the better. And certainly some of these new head coaching hires have restored some of the excitement and the hope at some of these schools.

[C]

I've, I've heard that Kentucky is the next Indiana from more level headed people than Kentucky Sports Radio. Right. But I've also heard that there's still work to be done before that's a reality. That that is, that is their goal. But there's work to be done on the infrastructure side.

[B]

Okay, let me, let me throw this out there for you guys. The four teams that we talked about, Florida, Arkansas, Kentucky, Auburn, who is the one that you think you will be the most surprised by either positively or negatively by the season's end?

[C]

Oh, probably, probably Florida because I think that if they are not an eight win team, I would be surprised whichever direction that goes. You know, I would be surprised because maybe Summer all is not who I

[A]

thought he was or there were more

[C]

issues than I gave him credit for taking over or you know, if they're above that, like holy, look how quick it happened.

[A]

Yeah, I go Florida too just because my expectations for them are so high and I've tried to talk myself out of them for weeks now but I just can't do it.

[C]

Yeah, I can't get below eight wins whenever I go through that schedule.

[A]

Like if they go 6 and 6 like I've seen some folks project, I'll be pretty surprised with that, that roster,

[B]

Seago, Kentucky, because I think that Kentucky has the ace in the hole that is Kenny Minchi working alongside with Will Stein who's been able to develop two high spin finalists at quarterback. And so I'm not saying that that is the end all be all. But I'll tell you what, if you have a quarterback that has all the intangibles that we can look at and say he's going to end up helping you win a game or two, everything else can kind of fall into motion there now doesn't mean that the offensive line looks good. That doesn't mean they're even going to be anything past four and eight. But I can tell you if you're able to spend a lot of money to be able to keep your quarterback happy for another season with the guy who's been calling the shots and even though it is Joe Sloan running the offense, I think that does play a little bit of a waiver into you. I. I can't get a good gauge in Kentucky. Like I think I put them in my tears of can't wait to be proven wrong on them because. Because there's a world where I can easily see them finding a way to get two or three upset wins and they're bull eligible Year one.

[A]

Yeah, tons of new faces on those rosters as well. Outside of, I would say Florida. It's who knows what we're going to get in year one of those respective tenures. Speaking of new faces again, I saved these two because they belong in their own bucket in their own category. Why?

[C]

Did something happen?

[B]

Something did happen.

[A]

Hey, hey.

[C]

Something.

[A]

Not only did something happen, but he has gone on a celebrity interview tour all off season talking about the said thing that happened. That being, of course Lane Kiffin leaving the Ole Miss Rebels for lsu. Pete Golding being appointed as head coach. The LSU Ole Miss dilemma, if you will, guys, I think is going to be one of the biggest talking points and storylines of this entire season. Not just because of the week three game, of course. The week three game is going to be a spectacle unto itself. It's going to be more than a football game unlike anything we have ever seen. Again, Lane Kiven and Baton Rouge Pete Golding in Oxford. Guys, dare I say, dare I say Lane Kiffin's trying to revive this LSU program. Not from a like excitement or fan support standpoint, but I mean guys, what have they done since 2019?

[C]

In my opinion, I would say it is from an excitement standpoint now, maybe not from LSU fans, but revive the idea that LSU belongs at the tip top of this sport. In those conversations, it should be pointed out by the way Lane Kiffin also spent a lot of time this off season talking about things we can prove did not happen in his exit from from Oxford, Mississippi.

[A]

He didn't get chased down by.

[C]

Yeah, it's, it's weird. Unless the Oxford Police Department is just the type that doesn't keep very good records, it would say that did not happen. I. I think Leg Kiffin, look, I think you saw this in his exit from lsu. He is not great at building loyalty to him. Right.

[A]

He is not good at breakups, which would also be valid.

[C]

Well, I mean, I think that's. That kind of goes along with. He's not great at loyalty. Look how many people, not just around Oxford, we've heard about the, the ladies at the various hot yoga studios, but also inside his own locker room. We're quick to say, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. We. This was not the family atmosphere the guy is portraying. He's a guy that needs Nil to succeed and that's fine. Like, Nil is here now. There's nothing wrong with that. It is why I think he is going to have LSU where they want to be faster than Golding will have Ole Miss where they want to be. I think everyone needs to pump the brakes on these two teams for this, this year.

[B]

Lane doesn't know how to win a breakup. But I will just throw this out here in just life in general. And this is just for, you know, everybody who has ever been in a situation.

[C]

I mean, he got fired for quitting wrong at Alabama. Like, that's. That is extraordinary.

[B]

You don't. But here's the thing, guys. You don't win the breakup within six months. Like, we can go ahead and re. Revisit everything that happens two or three years from now. And so like, again, like, for. And I, I say this caution for Ole Miss fans. You may end up going into week three with the biggest win of the entire tenure because of. You once again showed Lane Kiffin that you could win here. But two or three years from now, you're sitting at 8 and 4 consistently and Lane's playing in the national championship or the semifinals. That may just be it. So overall, who do you think really won the breakup? I'm. I'm just, I'm just throwing that out there for, for that standpoint because we're not really going to know what was the right answer by the season's end. What I say with Chris is the most un. The most overrated team I think, in college football for our expectations and on field results since 2019 has been LSU because if we put them on this pedestal of. They are a premier team in the sec. They are a team that is supposed to be right there alongside the Alabamas and the Georgias and they're knocking on SEC championships, fair or unfair, you know, for, for the national standpoint. But even LSU fans would tell you to a certain degree, yeah, we belong right there in tier one. And you've had one 10 win campaign and on top of that, you've been to one other SEC title appearance where you weren't going to the College Football Playoff or any New Year six bowl game unless you beat Georgia to get there. So you've been underwhelming during that stretch. You've had millions of dollars thrown into the roster to be able to kind of turn, turn the tides. And so hopefully from the standpoint of Lane coming on in, knowing what his offense has been capable of beating lsu, he can use that to his advantage to now beat the other teams in the conference that they're trying to be associated with. The Texas's, the Georgias, the Alabamas, the. I don't even go so far to say A and M's because of you want to establish yourself as that premier team in the conference because you were able to beat a premier team in the conference when you were at Oxford with the resources to where whether or not you say it's fair or unfair, there will be players that will say Ole Miss football is not where I want to go play. I would much rather go strap it on up and be a second teamer in Alabama than a first teamer at Ole Miss. Well, now you got the money that that says LSU is a pipeline destination. I'm not turning that down. Does that now help you?

[A]

Yeah. The funny part is just going to see the because the back and forth isn't going to go away after the Week 3 matchup, I think it's only going to intensify and following these two, God forbid one of them makes the playoff and the other doesn't. Obviously it will be something to follow all season. And I mean that that week of the LSU Old Miss game again will be unlike anything we've ever seen. I, I can't imagine we go through that entire week without some sort of drama and comments coming out or something. But yeah, these two I left out of the new head coach conversation because again they are new coaches. But this is a much different situation. And then you factor in the rosters and we'll get into some of these players in a second. But yeah, the LSU will miss the Lima Something certainly to watch for throughout the entire season. Guys, one of the other big storylines, we've been keeping it pretty macro and I think this is even a macro storyline that, you know, I think all SEC fans have this question and all people nationally have this question and it's one of our biggest questions going the season is this finally the year that Texas lives up to the hype? I, I think that's going to be something we're going to be following all throughout. That's something that. Again, I'm an alien. I dropped you down. You. You asked me about the sec. I'm gonna say, yeah. I don't know what Texas is going to be. I mean, they went out in the portal. They added all kinds of talent with Cam Coleman and Relit Brown, Hollywood Smothers. We just keep going down the list. They added Will Muschamp on defense. Is it finally the year for Texas to live up to the hype? And guys, when I say live to the hype, I think Texas is one of the programs on the short list this year that truly can sit here and say today, national championship or bust. I. I think it is national title or bust for Texas. Will they finally live up to the hype?

[C]

National title win or appearance?

[A]

I'd probably say appearance. I think happen in a national championship game. You never know who you're gonna play. Yeah, I. I'd have a hard time writing off a season where you went to the Natty as a failure. Although they'd probably find a way to do it because once you're there, it's like, well, damn it, we should win it. But yeah, I think at least anything of short of getting there because that also they've been to a Final Four under Steve Sarkis. They haven't been to a national title. So at least you could say we accomplished something. We haven't since 2005. Anything short of getting there, I think is going to be viewed as a failure.

[C]

So I think there is another thing you have to add to this, which is Steve Sarkeesian had a ballyhooed recruit at quarterback in Quinn Ewers. That didn't really turn into anything in terms of personal accolades. Arch Manning is maybe the single most ballyhooed recruit in the history of quarterbacks. Does he have to walk away with a Heisman or the very least a trip to New York for this to fully justify the hype? I'm not a big like individual honors for players or something that should be put on a coach's mantle kind of guy, but I do think the pressure around making Arch Manning what we think he is supposed to be is. It is a different scenario. Yes, Sark doesn't get to hang on to the Heisman, but if he doesn't win a Heisman, we're gonna wonder why Sark couldn't do it for the guy we thought it was a foregone conclusion for.

[B]

Well, just be completely real. The Martians come on down. They're speaking their dialogue Arch Manning, like they even know the name. Yeah, it's so universal that like even the people who aren't in this planet solar system have heard, hey, 16 down in Austin's gotta do something this year.

[C]

Warby Parker, Glasses.

[B]

Yeah, exactly. And I think he will. I. I do. But like, for me, it's everything else around Arch Manning that you went and you fix to be able to say this has to be the year. You want to go ahead and upgrade the offensive line, Cool. We'll go out and we'll add in two or three pieces. We need to fix the run game because if we don't like what we had with Trey Wisner, Christian Clark and C.J. baxter, let's get, let's get Hollywood smothers, even though he's at Alabama because we want him. And let's go get relief Brown. Hey, we don't need to go ahead and have to worry about getting in a guy like, you know, a lose guy like Parker Livingston. Why? Because an actual alien that we. That is probably from your planet actually is making these highlight grabs throughout practice, day in and day out, and that's going to be your new number one receiver. Not to mention our defense is legit and we got better at two positions that we are replacing. Talent. And the talent that's coming on in is as good this upcoming season. So even with a rocky schedule, even with, in my opinion, the toughest schedule in college football this year, we're kind of done with the excuses because of you have everything in play and you've made all of these moves to make it clear that this season is about being the standard of the sport. And it's not just Arch, it's everything else around him. So nobody's gonna feel bad for you if you end up underwhelming and being that team that can't wake up for the big game and shoot itself in the foot. And then you do have the question of, okay, was the height warranted for Arch or what's the deal with Steve Sarkeesian? What's the deal with the current status of his rosters? Because it seems like that everything is there, but he's not the one that can pull the trigger to put us over the edge.

[A]

Yeah, Texas certainly one of the SEC's best shot to win a national championship. The Horns will be an area of focus. And I actually agree with you, Demitri. I think part of it will be the team accolades will outweigh all. But yeah, as an offensive quote unquote guru, what did you get out of Arch Manning, did you maximize his talents and abilities? I think there would even still be a little bit of a sick feeling to the stomach if you make it all the way there. But you've done it. Let's just stay off the back of the running game. And Arch has just been okay. It's not going to give you a warm and fuzzy feeling moving forward that, you know, I think the still, the back of the mind would still be, you probably still should hire an OC because you obviously don't know what you're doing. That conversation, I think will still exist. I think that's very fair.

[C]

Yeah. I mean, I, I think that it's not so much you don't know what you're doing, it is that like, well, what do you want to do? Do you want to run a big time program and be the reason we win national championships or do you want to call plays?

[A]

Right.

[C]

Because it's hard to do both.

[A]

Yeah. On that note, we're going to talk quarterbacks, obviously the most important position on the field. You obviously need to know about the quarterback position going into a new season. Guys, this is a really interesting year for SEC quarterbacks because we have a mix of proven commodities. I mean, one of them that many would consider the best quarterback in all of college football. We have some brand new faces. We have guys that are proven at other stops but unproven in the sec. So you look at the top. Like I mentioned, Trinidad Chambliss returns from Ole Miss. Proven guy, you could argue best quarterback in the country. Arch Manning is back. Gunner Stockton at Georgia's back. Marcel Reed took his team to the College Football Playoff a season ago. Lenora Sellers at one time, at this time last year we were talking about him and the Heisman Trophy conversation. John Matier took his team to the College Football Playoff and then it is just a bunch of new right Jared Curtis Faison, Brandon at Bandy in Tennessee. Respectfully, the two freshmen that'll most likely start coming out. Game one for bandy in Tennessee. K.J. jackson's a, a new player, did play a little bit last year, but a new qb, one Aaron Philo transferring in from Georgia Tech. Will it be Tramell Jones Jr. That wins the Florida job? The the youngster Kenny Minchi from Notre Dame at Kentucky. Kelon Russell at Bama, young but extremely talented. Camario Taylor at Mississippi State getting his shot. I didn't even mention Austin Simmons who goes from Ole Miss to Missouri, but he's still very unproven. Sam Levitt at lsu of course coming in From Arizona State. So guys, it is a very, very intriguing year. The top end talent certainly there. And then after that there's a lot of guys that I think there's reason like there. I feel like there are like six or seven guys that I could point to and be like, yeah, they could finish the season as a top five quarterback in the league, but there's only five spots. So it's like who's gonna pan out? Who is in outside of the known commodities is really, really interesting.

[C]

One thing that jumps out to me, regardless of their ranking right, Arch Gunner, Marcel Reed, Lenora Sellers, Camario Taylor, Keelan, Russell, K.J. jackson, whoever the Tennessee quarterback is, Jared Curtis. We develop quarterbacks still in this conference. We let guys grow into the position still in this conference. If you're Jared Curtis or Faison Brandon, you don't get to grow here. Take the reins. Do it right now. I, I am impressed by the number

[A]

of guys, excuse me, that are still

[C]

at their first stop or being thrown into the fire immediately as a freshman or red shirt freshman. I think that is something that the SEC deserves a lot of credit for. I do think all five of those top guys are on, on your list, Chris, and I realize I'm looking at it, it's not on the screen, but Trinidad, Champlain, Archman and Gunner, Stockton, Marcel, Reedland or Sellers, those are all guys you win games because of for their team, right? I think Byron Brown will probably prove to be that for Auburn. I think Camario Taylor and Keelan, Russell Williams prove to be that for their respective schools. I think you look at a ranking 1 to 16 of the quarterbacks in the SEC and if you're not in the top 10, you might be in the top 10 in what, eight of the nine other conferences in college football. You might be in the top five in some of those conferences.

[B]

What, what I was looking at is like if you took out just like, let's just say the top five names of every single conference of quarterbacks. So there's no Trinidad, there's no Arch Manning, there's no Marcel Reed, Camaro. Taylor still is not a bad option to have inside of your top five. Byron Brown's not a bad option to have inside your top five. You know, John Matier, keep in mind he was averaging over 275 passing yards before the hand injury. So now he's fully healthy, he's got a better receiving core around him. Not that bad to think of this guy could be a top five or six. So it's like the depth of the core quarterback position in this conference I think is so poignant this year. But the two things that I look at more than more than anything else is who's going to be the one hit wonder from last season that we know is going to take a massive step back because it happens year in and year out. And who's gonna be the guy that we're talking about that makes the jump into that top five conversation that we really weren't mentioning at the beginning of the year. And it could be as simple as we haven't seen Sam Levitt play in over a year because of he was dealing with injuries last season. Oh, now he's in Elaine Kiffin system. Lo and behold, easily a top five quarterback. Or it could be someone like a Faison Brandon who we know nothing about because if he's a, he's a true freshman. But damn, damn, damn, does Josh Hypo know how to pick him and does Josh Hypo know how to get them ready to go? And we're watching as he's leading Tennessee into the final week of the season with a potential playoff on the line. Like, like all of those things I think are possible because of the quarterback depth issue.

[A]

Yeah, it's. What's interesting too is again outside of those top tier guys and by the way, we're referring to my quarterbacks list in our notes, I want to make it very clear I did not put this in those guys because I say this is the correct ranking. It's just, I just wanted to, I just wanted to list all the guys for us in our notes so we didn't forget anybody. But yeah, it's just, it's interesting how many of these teams fates, I mean obviously everybody is, I'm stating the obvious, but yeah, a lot of these teams fates are tied to how some of these guys perform and like some of these unknowns I guess pan out. So yeah, really interesting year for the quarterback position. Like you mentioned Dimitri and Cole. We know what we have sort of in that top tier, but outside of that there's a lot of opportunity for dudes. It's like which way do you go? You know, do you go one way or the other? And I like the point you made Dimitri as well about, you know, quarterbacks progressing. They're still portal guys certainly, but cool to see that in this era still that quarterback position getting developed and guys sticking around and waiting their turn to get action. Guys, let's talk the hot seat. We always have to. Again, this past coaching cycle was unreal with all the Changes we had in the sec. What's ironic about that? It comes a year after the previous coaching cycle where nobody got fired. So you knew coming into last year there was going to be chaos. There was probably going to be major overhaul. I mean, did we see six coaching changes? No. I thought maybe two or three. But last year was the year to pull the plug. We still do have some coaches on the hot seat, though. I think there was a debate. Some believe we're not going to have any coaching changes similar to what happened from 24 to 25. You know, others think maybe one, maybe two if you're getting aggressive. But guys like Jeff Leby, Shane Beamer, Josh Hyple at Mississippi State, South Carolina and Tennessee respectfully are the three. I think, I think that you, you hear getting talked about the most. Dimitri, I know you've mentioned two other names and I'll let you discuss those and bring those to light for us. But I mean, as always, hot seat, it's a trigger word. It's a trigger phrase. It's always something we're looking forward to and are talking about. If you're not looking forward to talking about, that's no different going into this year.

[C]

Yeah, I mean, yeah, I said this when we did the South Carolina preview. I think Shane Beamer is pre fired. We're just waiting for the week that the announcement actually comes. Jeff Leby Barry, you being in Texas, have you heard what I've heard that if there is any sign of life at Mississippi State this year, he could be on his way to Baylor.

[B]

I haven't heard that, but I have heard that there was a job that opens on up a specific job. I don't know which it is. It's not Baylor. But I have heard there is a specific job that opens. Jeff Levy may go ahead and hit reset.

[C]

Okay. The two that Chris was mentioning that I have questions about are Kaylin DeBoer at Alabama and Eli Drinkwitz at Missouri. And it is not about them getting fired. It is more about if the right opportunity is there. Do they bolt? I think a lot of people have done the mental math of the ad at Southern Cal. Now is the ad that brought DeBoer from Fresno State to Washington and if they decide to move on from Lincoln Riley, is that an easy box to check? Eli Drinkwoods, it is clear as day does not want to be in Columbia, Missouri. To the point, Chris, tell me if you think I'm crazy. Would it be nuts if he ends up starting 2027 in Columbia, South Carolina? Like I think he is so ready to reset and not be in yellow and black anymore.

[A]

I think for South Carolina people that. And this is a wrong way of thinking, but I think they would look at that. Let's put it this way. They would look at hiring Eli Drinkwitz like Florida fans would have looked at hiring Eli Drinkwich. But South Carolina isn't Florida. That, that's the, that's the error in that line of thinking. If you, if you catch him.

[C]

Yeah, I hear what you're saying.

[A]

Yeah. So that's why I think it probably wouldn't happen. But I do think the deboer Drinkwits, you're taking a long shot bet on that if you think that one. If one of them's gonna leave. But it's. It's certainly not out of the realm of possibility with some of the crazy rumors we heard too about Caitlin DeBore last year.

[B]

I mean there he's. His name is mentioned for it. Don't worry. Yeah, he's done.

[C]

Yeah. I think Deborah is a longer shot than Drinkwitz because I think there's one job for DeBoer I think drink

[A]

and.

[C]

Right.

[A]

And my. We remind ourselves he did just get the extension. So that immediately I think took his name out of the. For the most part like the hot seat chatter.

[C]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. That's why I think it's. Do they want to go? Not right. Are they on the hot seat?

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

What's so interesting is because of how many names were fired last year and how much different changes there were in the sec. There is a world where nobody gets fired. Now, I'm not saying it will happen, but there is a world where, hey, Shane Beamer ends up going 8 and 4 and 8 and 4 is good enough to be a top 25 team and maybe you get that ninth ranked win. And while it's not what you expected at the start of the season, eight wins, firing a coach at South Carolina, it's not a good look for who you want to bring on in. Let's say Mississippi State with Camario Taylor ends up pulling off two or three upsets and now they're sitting at seven and five. Seven and five is massive for year three. And multiple wins in conference play just shows you that it's another step in the right direction for Levy. And I don't think that you can look at any of the coaches that maybe would be in the process of taking a massive step back. Humor me and say it's Brent Venables in Oklahoma. Venables has been to the playoff. Venables has two 10 win seasons. I'm not firing him unless I know I'm guaranteed to get better. So he's not going anywhere. What if it's a guy like John Sumrall, doesn't meet expectations in year one, you're gonna pull the plug one season on in the buyout itself. Just get rid of a guy like Ryan Silverfield. If it doesn't meet expectations, you're really gonna go ahead and say, yep, my bad. I get that you probably would have a new athletic director come on in, but they still would give him probably one more shot to right the ship in his image where there weren't strings being pulled by somebody that felt like he was incompetent and need to be shown the door in the past. So as much as we talk about hot seed, it feels like there's two names. It's Jeff Levy and it's Shane Beamer, and it both exceed expectations for what is the standard by their athletic department departments. Nobody's getting fired this year. Which means that come 2028, that's where we're going to have another major colossal search in coaches of guys who are on the come up.

[A]

Yeah, that certainly if nobody gets fired, it will. It will result in. In this next coaching cycle being absolutely insane. Cole, you gotta run. Is that right?

[B]

Yep. I gotta run. Boys.

[A]

Bear, do your thing. We're gonna close out. We only got one more thing to get to Dimitri, so we'll. We'll put a pin in it after this. Oh, I'm.

[C]

I'm not eager to leave. I'm dedicated. I'm like there.

[A]

Oh, I know, I know.

[B]

I wish. Nothing but hot pillows for you tonight.

[A]

Oh, that's not nice. All right. You're the man, Cole. Appreciate you, Dimitri. Final thing here, though, getting off the hot seat chatter and into some of the best games of the season again. Once you look ahead to a new season and you look at it from a macro level, as you'd always imagine, massive showdowns litter the schedule here. It starts early on, you know, going back to the conversation we were having about conference supremacy, national title drought, you know, the SEC versus Big Ten, whole thing like that. We're going to get two early showdowns that will be massive for this league. Texas, Ohio State in week number two in Austin. Oklahoma's at Michigan, also on the schedule, of course, we mentioned Ole Miss, lsu and Oxford is going to be huge in week number three because of the Lane Kiffin, Ole Miss dynamic. Some of the others, Dimitri Bama, Georgia, lsu, Texas in Baton Rouge for the first time and who knows how long. Oklahoma, Texas, of course, in the Red River Shootout. Georgia, Oklahoma, lsu, Bama, Ole Miss, Georgia. I could just go on and on also, I think it's cool to meet you. This schedule on the note, this could tie back into the nine game conference schedule. We are seeing the return of some matchups we haven't seen in quite a while, right? Like we're getting a South Carolina, Georgia is back on the schedule. Florida, South Carolina is back on the schedule. We've got a, you know, Auburn, LSU game is back on the stage. Florida, Auburn is back. So I do think that is one of the big benefits, tying it back to the nine game conference schedule. We're kind of going back, Dimitri, to our old sec, east and west days where, you know, some of these matchups, you know, Bama, Mississippi State is.

[C]

Well, that's, that's the thing. When you do the three permanent rivals, like how could you not use the divisions as a guide for who was going to be with who, right? Like aside from Georgia, Auburn and Alabama, Tennessee, who cross division rival, actually was steeped in history in that way. So yeah, you're right. Like we do kind of go back. I want to start with the Red river versus the game games, right? Like Texas versus Ohio State. Obviously it's going to be huge. We talked about this on Monday. Those are two of the five teams capable, or excuse me, six teams rather capable of winning a national championship. So that's gigantic. Brett Venables against a seasoned Bryce Underwood is gonna be a lot of fun when Oklahoma goes to the Big House. Plus, look, whatever you think about Brett Venables as a head coach, Whittingham is better. Whittingham has proven he is a better head coach. I wonder how much of a challenge schematically that is going to end up being in the conference. Everybody is keyed in on Ole Miss, lsu. I love that you included Bama, A and M because if things break the wrong way for those two teams that could end up being a playoff eliminator. As it stands, I think that's one of the games that Alabama is going to end up dropping this year. But yeah, you're right. The, the schedule probably by virtue of everybody having to play nine, littered with big games and littered with games even to the point of like, you know, Alabama, Florida State, there is a revenge factor for an inexcusable loss because we still do the occasional neutral site game in this conference. I think Louisville and Ole Miss takes on some added meaning. It would be very Hard for me to sit down and give you a top five SEC games of 2026 right now.

[A]

Dimitri is there because we could spend all day talking top matchups. We're not going to do that obviously. But these are just some of the massive showdowns that are all over the schedule. Is there one though, in this non game comp from schedule world, the good news is we don't have to wait very long. Like if you see a game that's not included, you know, on the slate this year, two teams that normally play each other that don't. You won't have to wait very long for it to get back on the schedule. Is there one matchup for you though? Like when you looked at all the schedules, you're like, damn, that feels so weird that these two teams are not playing each other because I have one in particular that like it almost like re reminded me when I went back to your schedules, like, damn, it's crazy. They're not playing each other this year.

[C]

I think just for me. And this is a personal one, right. Just given what the game has meant when team. When these two teams are at their peaks or at their valley. To me, the fact that we're going on three years without Alabama Ole Miss is wild.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

For me it was Georgia, Tennessee. That was weird on the schedule.

[C]

That is undeniably the biggest one. Right. Like, I don't know because I know I'm a little bit older than you. I don't know if you ever watch the Adult Swim cartoon cartoons on Cartoon Network that are all made out of Alabama. Yeah. You had jokes about the Georgia Tennessee rivalry in those cartoons and those were made by potheads. Right. Like certainly not run of the mill college football fans. It. That feels like a major rivalry we've had to say goodbye to. And. And maybe it's just not in the minds of those fan bases guys.

[A]

There you have it. I know, Demetri. We talked pre show. We're going to get into the gambling side of things at a later date. I want to. To save that for like a big gambling show.

[C]

Can I just give you.

[A]

Yeah.

[C]

One thing that jumped out to me and I think this is really interesting.

[B]

Of course.

[C]

All right, so $0.55 is the buy in price on Cali for three SEC teams with 10 wins or more.

[B]

I.

[C]

That seems low to me. Like it. It seems like just the nature of the schedule. It'd be tough not to find four.

[A]

Yeah.

[C]

And I, I think those four are going to be Georgia, Texas A M and Alabama. But you know, I know you think or excuse me, a bear thinks LSU is going to be in that conversation. You both think Ole Miss is going to be in that conversation.

[A]

I, I've actually funny enough though, I have three winning double and then Ole Miss is my fourth in the playoff at nine and three. So I think it's a pretty good number to be okay. Like I think threes are like again, that's the non game conference schedule thing. Will the conference eat itself alive or does the top really separate itself? And like you said, we have four, God forbid, more winning double digits. I think four is probably the cap. So.

[C]

Yeah, yeah, I'd say I saw Kelsey had numbers all the way down to six, 10 win teams in the SEC, which is crazy. Like a wild investment.

[A]

Yeah, yeah, no, it's going to be a lot of fun though. Again, like I said, we're going to have like a mega gambling preview show. We'll talk about some of the Kalshi numbers and get into that. But guys, really good stuff. Our mega season preview. Everything that you need to know ahead of kickoff. It is so close. I had somebody tell me this morning, Dimitri, we can smell the bacon cooking and it's almost time to eat. So we're at that point of the preseason. But everything you need to know how to kick off. If you think we missed anything, let us know. But I can guarantee you we didn't. So again, really appreciate your love and support guys. We're going to keep it moving. Before we do though, really quickly, I do want to tell you about our friends over at Kalshee and this is a little bit of a heads up for those of you that you're watching. You're a big sports fan. If you go on the mobile app on Kalshi, they actually have a mode. Obviously Kalshi shows us percentage chances. It's a prediction market, what have you. There's actually a sports mode essentially that you can switch over to that instead of showing you like a percentage chance, like say LSU 75 chance to beat Clemson, it will show you the spread and the odds like your more traditional sports book. So that is just another value add I think by Cowshi to help you better understand if the percentage, percentage chances are giving you kind of a, you know, kind of breaking your brain a little bit like they did mine early on. That is a really good way to follow along.

[C]

But again guys, it's still couchy so you're not locked into the end. You can still turn on.

[A]

But it's not a traditional sports book because you're not locked in the because you can obviously trade your position. You're absolutely right, Demetri. Yeah, it's really, really cool in that way. But just helping you understand the numbers, the payouts, whatever. I think it is a really cool value add if you want it. But anyways, guys, before the season kicks off, of course everyone, including us, are making predictions. Who makes the playoffs, who's going to win the Natty, who's going to win the Heisman, whatever it might be on kalshi, America's number one prediction market platform. You can trade all those predictions in a live market. Like I mentioned, who wins the sec, who wins the national title, who wins the Heisman. Guys, college sports, professional sports, everything outside of sports, everything you can think of. Over at Kalshee you can trade on. On Calshi, you're trading its peers in a live market, meaning there's no house. And as the probability changes, you can buy in and out of your position, trade the draft, pick, the game and more on Kalshee. Download the Kalshi app use promo code SECU to get $10 when you trade 10. Once again, that's our friends at Kalshi. K A L S H I kalshi trade on anything 18 and up. Only restrictions and eligibility requirements apply. Event contract trading involves risk and may not be suitable for all investors. Calcium products are not available in all jurisdictions. Prices, values and available markets may differ from those mentioned. For more information seekalsheet.com regulatory dimitri before we go any further, let's highlight a few comments because again, we appreciate y' all tuning in, showing love. We do want to hear from you, taking your questions, your comments, concerns, whatever it might be, your opinions, whatever it is. Sooners Cowboys Good to see you my man. He says watch out for the Oklahoma offense. If Matier is improved, I would agree they need a healthy John Matier. He looks like he's healthy. He also looks like Megatron. Now he's been in the gym. I mean, I don't know what workout plan he's been on, but I've seen more shirtless pictures of John this off season than I ever thought I would. Dimitri so yeah, maybe that spells for an improved offense. It should. Can they run the ball too? That's another key, right?

[C]

I mean, if Mattier is healthy and improved, then yeah, I mean they should be able to get back to where they were last year. No problem. I think if they get back to where they were last year, that is for me at least an improvement on what I expect Oklahoma to be able to do.

[A]

This year.

[C]

By the way, it just dawned on me. Sooners, Cowboys, that is the Dallas Cowboys. Not somebody hedging his bets in bedlam with Oklahoma and Oklahoma State.

[A]

Tim Skelton points out another good game that we, Sorry if we did not mention your favorite game or game you're most excited for. Ole Miss. Oklahoma is going to be a good one. You are, right?

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

I mean you're going to have two quarterbacks running all over the field, buying time to, to make those throws. That's, that's going to be an exciting game to watch.

[A]

Yeah. And certainly I, I. Tim, I think I can see where your bias is lie because he also mentions Ole Miss Texas and Ole Miss Georgia. All great games, by the way.

[C]

Yeah, for sure. I mean, this is part of the reason why I'm not as high on Ole Miss as you guys are. Like, I just don't think they can win all of these great games, all of these challenges.

[A]

Rylan's report. Dimitri, if Carolina drops Mississippi State and Bama back to back, are they firing Shane Beamer?

[C]

Yeah, I mean, I think, I think

[A]

if they drop, do you think they would fire him like mid season after. Like, I just cannot see. I think he's at minimum built up enough goodwill there where they would wait till the end of the season. Unless they're like 2 and 7 or something. You know, Like, I think that in

[C]

this age of, of poaching. Right. Like, I think this is something that I was, I was thinking about. I heard Ryan Nanny on the Phantom island podcast mention that just logic tells you that from. For agents, if there is a coach opening, they want to fill that with another sitting head coach because then, because then there's another opening that they can work on. Right. I then take the leap forward of. Well, I would guess then if like let's say Beamer gets fired, you want to work on, you know, let's say a Jake Dicker right out of Wake Forest. That's another power conference job that probably is more appealing than creating an opening in the American. I think what would govern that, Chris, is do you have a guy in mind? Let's say it's Dicker. For the sake of argument, do you feel like it is important to beat everybody else to starting that conversation? And if you go ahead and fire Beamer, you can do that out in the open. That's what I think is going to govern this process for anybody, not just for South Carolina, is how much, how quickly do you want to act on your guy?

[A]

Yeah, we're on that note. Demetri not to spend too much time on it. We're doing a, a bold prediction series on SEC Unfiltered. I, I, I tell you, Dimitri, I am, I'm starting to warm up to the idea that I think at even 6 and 6, Shane Beamer could be back.

[C]

Interesting. Look, you would know, not that I

[A]

would retain him, right. I think South Carolina might retain him.

[C]

Right. You would know better than me because you are closer to actual, like, die hard South Carolina fans than I am.

[A]

I,

[C]

boy, I think it's six and six. I, I think, like, I'm not.

[B]

Right.

[C]

I hear you. I think you just got to ask yourself, does the ad, who is not the man that hired you want to keep riding this roller coaster?

[A]

Yeah, that's very, very fair. Valid question, Dimitri. We got a few news and notes to get into the. These are really fun. Fun, by the way. Okay, we're gonna have this conversation. So I had a tweet go viral that literally to the point where I think it's still a trending topic on Twitter. If. Yeah, I'm either it is or it isn't. Whatever. But the tweet was such as this. And I want to ask you because we always hear the phrase T shirt fans, right? And what does that mean? That means somebody went to Walmart, bought a T shirt. They're, they're a bandwagon, essentially. They're a fan of that school without going to that school. And I tweeted this because I knew this is always just a highly debated topic. Hot topic, whatever. So the tweet read as such, if I can actually find it.

[C]

Here we go.

[A]

What's your honest opinion on people who say you can't be a fan unless you're an alum of the university? Demetri, it is sitting at 2 million views and counting right now. I want your take on it because you are a Bama alum. And, and I say this with the utmost respect, by the way, this isn't a knock on you or Alabama, but Alabama is well known for having a plethora of T shirt fans. Texas is the same way, I would argue. Should anyone be gatekeeping fandom to this manner, or do you think it's a load of horse crap?

[C]

Yeah, listen, I thought Alabama was the king of Walmart fans until I moved to North Carolina. Right?

[A]

Like you and you, you and.

[C]

Well, yeah, both of them, but Unc, especially, like, you know, the academic reputations of those two schools, right? Talk to some of the folks that I talk to that wear nothing but UNC Blue and tell me if you think they were smart enough to get into unc. No. In fact, one of the things I really love that Kane Womack did when he came in as defensive coordinator was throw on the black hat and DeBoer putting on the black shirt. Because that used to be a way that people would identify who just went out and bought their stuff from Walmart as opposed to who bought the official Nike merchandise at the soup store because that is where you had to go get your books from. I, I've got no beef with sidewalk fans. I think it is part of what makes this whole apparatus work. Right. There are a hundred thousand seats in Bryant Denny Stadium. There were up until recently. There weren't even 30,000 students. How does that math work without the Walmart fans?

[A]

Yeah, you know, I, I do, I appreciate number one, I, I'm not on this. Listen, I, I covered South Carolina for a while. I was obviously not, there was a reason for that. I chose to play college baseball. Unfortunately I was not division one worthy. Believe it or not. They didn't want a left handed pitcher throwing 80 miles an hour. Demetri. So it is what it is. It's okay. I, I, I chose to chase my dream instead of chase, yeah, the degree and what have you. And a lot of people have a lot of different circumstances. Some people don't even want to go to college. Totally valid and fair. So I think it is a bunch of horseshit. Cheer for who you want, whatever you're born into, whatever you, whoever you cling on to as a child, whatever. I will say I, I actually do. I appreciate some of the banter and discourse from people that I've seen on social media in regards to like the, the trash talking aspect. Like, especially I think if, like, if you're trash, like listen trash talking about just like the game, like what, whatever. But if you take it to like a personal level, that's when it, or, and you should never do that by the way. But like, you know what I mean, there's a line that you probably shouldn't cross if your favorite teams are UNC and the Lakers and the Cowboys and the Yankees. You know, like you probably shouldn't but

[C]

you know look, the, the, I think there is a, there's a certain reality that comes with going to a school that we know what these things about Alabama mean. We know what it means to have a class in Reese Pfeiffer hall on a Thursday before a football game. And you know what a pain in the ass it is to get a part Parking spot. It doesn't mean that your experience as somebody that grew up in, you know, Bruton and never even thought about going to college in Tuscaloo, that doesn't mean I'm any better or less of a fan than you are. The other part, too, is. And like me growing up in Alabama, you growing up in South Carolina, we can speak to this. Most of the SEC can speak to this. When did the Hornets become. When did. When did the Hornets first debut in Charlotte? Was that like 88? I think.

[A]

Yeah, that was. I was gonna say, at least early 90s. That had to be the 80s.

[C]

I think it was. I think it was mid to late 80s. But either way, think about how long. I'm 45, right? I was 7 when that would have happened. Think about how long some of those older fans went without anything but the Braves in terms of pro sports to latch onto. And along that line, think about how far the Braves footprint extends because of how little pro sports was represented in the south for so long. I mean, when I was a kid, you know, I grew up on the Gulf Coast. I grew up two hours from New Orleans. Everybody in my family is a Saints fan. The Saints were fucking terrible when I was a child. And I used. I was smart enough to realize, oh, I don't have to do this to myself, right? That meant I didn't have an NFL team until I moved to North Carolina, really. So Alabama was my team. I think that's the reality of the sec and, you know, the south end of the acc, that middle part, or, excuse me, that far west part of the Big Ten with the Iowa, the Nebraska. There are socio. There are social factors and geographical factors, I think, that build more sidewalk fans just than. Oh, the logo's cool. I would go buy that shirt.

[A]

Demetri, in closing here, one final thing. Have you seen the outcry over the Auburn picture day picture and the Alabama picture day picture?

[C]

I did. It's very silly.

[A]

For those of you. Before we get into. Before those of you who don't know what I'm talking about, which if you don't, I don't know how you don't. I'm assuming you all do. I would like to present to you, without further ado, the evidence as presented to us on social media, which this is the epitome of. It just means more, by the way.

[C]

100.

[A]

This is the picture from Auburn picture day. Guys are. Let's see if I can get. There we go. All right. Very uniform in numerical order. Seniors in the front. I Believe all that good stuff right now. This is the picture from Alabama Picture Day. A little bit more chaos, a little bit more unorganized. No numerical order.

[B]

Me.

[A]

Would you believe me if I told you this took social media by storm? And I mean by storm to where? Alabama and Auburn fans, and you got national fans, sec, whoever it is, all waiting in on this. What is it?

[C]

Look at the.

[A]

Look, Demitri. I saw a take from an Auburn guy yesterday. Look, there's a cultural divide going on right now in the state. Like that. The, the culture at one place is unlike the culture at another place. So I want to ask you again. This is one of the reasons we love the SEC you don't get anywhere else, right? Like, we won Picture Day. Hell, yeah. These two pictures. You're a Bama guy, huh? Big deal. Little deal or no deal when you look at those two photos.

[C]

Well, it's a big deal because it confirms what I've always suspected about an Auburn education, which is it's not that good because I, I see one team that looks really strong and ready to go and another one that's tired and needs a break and needs to sit down. So, I mean, yeah, I guess one team looks better than the other, but I wonder what picture you're looking at if you think Auburn looks better than

[A]

Alabama in that picture. Yeah, I love, like, the hang the banner type of deal. Yeah, hang the banner. We won 20. 26 or 20. Yeah, 2026. Picture Day champions. I will say this. I got a good laugh out of it. Again, it's, it's, this is the epitome. If it just means more, especially when you're talking about, like, the core culture.

[C]

Whatever.

[A]

I will say this, though. I, I, I will say it's a little deal from this standpoint. Okay. It is one of those things where if Bama goes on to have a great season, this is, this is forgotten in a, in a millisecond.

[C]

Right. But, Right. But it becomes.

[A]

Yeah, people will look at something like that, fair or unfair. And this is, this is another example of. I'm sure Kaylin aboard is like, what the. Did I get myself into taking this job? Because, like, I knew it was going to be tough, but, like, do you think he ever expected I'm gonna get criticized for the, like, the way we looked on picture day, like, about picture day. But I will say this, Demitri, if I want to take the hardo approach here, right, I will say little deal because you hear this phrase all the time. The way you do anything is the way you do everything so right. If you're sloppy and you're unorganized and you're dysfunctional. Dimitri, I could argue the first two years of Caitlin aboard, what have they been?

[C]

They've.

[A]

They've been undisciplined. They've been disorganized at times. It's been sloppy at times. I'm just saying, like, I get it. If you're a Bama fan and you look at this and you're like, I am disappointed with. Like, I could understand it. I. I get it. I know it sounds. It's silly and it's.

[C]

Well, it.

[A]

But I get it.

[C]

Well, it's. To your point about DeBoer wondering what the fuck he got himself into. Like, it goes back to. Do you remember? I think it was during the Reliaquest Bowl, I think it was during his first season where there was the guy that was like, I saw doordash delivery men in the team hotel lobby. Not I know for a fact the players were getting doordash, but I saw delivery men in the hotel lobby. Clearly, Kaylin DeBoer doesn't have a handle on this. I hear what you're saying. I still think this is, like, this is no deal. Because the number one thing that I still hold on to from being a 20 year old is like, dude, just tell me where to be when, and I'll be there. That's all you could ask of me, and that's all I owe you, right? They showed up. Who gives a shit what they look like?

[A]

Fair. Very fair. No, it's.

[C]

It's.

[A]

It's funny, though, because it will be used. Oh, 100.

[C]

I will. I will. Right now. Could you call our contact at CalSHI and give me. Get me a number to buy in on how many times this is mentioned during the Iron Bowl?

[A]

We should do that.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

They say you can predict anything, right? They say you can predict anything. I'll have to. I'll have to ring the line and see if we can do it. So.

[C]

Yeah, I know a bunch of those.

[A]

We need kickoff more than we need air to breathe.

[C]

My wife told me the other day. Do you realize it's only, like, less than two weeks until your birthday? And my brain heard only two weeks until week zero.

[A]

I love that. That's the. The really. The important things. Yeah, that's what matters. Really good stuff. Demetri, I appreciate you as always, my friend. Obviously, we appreciate our guy. Appreciate our guy, Colda Bear Thompson. Well, we appreciate you all tuning in, man, this is a lot of fun, y'. All make this, y'. All make our road to kickoff bearable. Without your love and support and you guys tuning in, the off season will be much longer than it already. Is. That being said, guys, really, really quickly, like I mentioned, kickoff is around the corner. Hey, NFL's here. Preseason. If you're gonna go to a game, whatever it is, anything outside of sports as well, our friends at Game time have got you covered for your tickets. Also your ticket selling, your ticket buying, as our friend Demetrius told us. Download the Game Time app. Use promo code SCC YOU to get $20 off your first purchase. Guys, great for last minute ticket buying. They're going to tell you exactly where you're sitting, what you're getting, how much you're paying. They tell. They show you where you're sitting. There's no hidden fees, which is key, and in one click of a button on your phone, you are in the game. So again, they show you the view

[C]

from where you're sitting too. That's fantastic.

[A]

Yeah, they do. It's pretty awesome. Yeah. So you don't. So you don't end up like going to the Bills game and you have an view like, you don't want that happen. So no really good stuff. Our friends at game time. The way to go. Download the Game Time app. Use promo code SECU. $20 off your first purchase. That being said, Dimitri, any. Any parting thoughts you want to give the audience before we head out of here?

[C]

Man, I am. So I recorded my. My Panthers podcast right before. Literally right before we got started here. This team is killing us is what it's called. It'll be out tomorrow. Dude, my brain is just mush at this point, so no, I. I don't have any party thoughts for you. I'm so sorry.

[A]

Great podcast name.

[C]

I just. We just put together new graphics for it that include a sad panther smoking a cigarette. I'm. I'm very excited about what we have this year.

[A]

God, I love it. I love it. Guys, again, we appreciate you all so much. Thank you again. I. I want to say this too, really quickly. My parting thing will be this. There are. Sometimes I take a step back and you realize just how many shows there are and how much content there is. And, you know, the fact you guys choose to make us part of your daily rotation, weekly rotation, whatever it is, genuinely, from the bottom of our hearts, we cannot say thank you enough. We truly appreciate that and we're going to do our very, very. You know that we're going to give you our very best when it comes to keeping the yucks coming and keeping you guys entertained and being bold, being brash, having fun in the meantime and talking about the thing we all love that is SEC football, football and college football. So again, thank you all so much for the love and support consistently. In the meantime, guys, make sure you hit that like and subscribe button on YouTube. Check us out. We get your podcast all across your favorite social media platforms as well as our website sccmf.com make sure you follow Demetri Ravanas, Cole Thompson and myself on social media and just stay tuned for our content. It is content bleeding out the eyeballs. Guys, once again, really appreciate you all taking the time. Have a great rest of your week and we will talk to you all on the other side.

[C]

Cheers.

[A]

Sam.