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SEC Unfiltered
What I Learned From SEC Media Days, Head Coach Rankings, SECU Tour Reveal, Hail State Breakthrough?
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Hello everyone. I'm Chris Phillips of SEC Unfiltered. This is the Chris Phillips Show Jam Pack show here on a Thursday, July 3, 23rd, 2026 SEC football media days. The dust is settling on that event, the unofficial official kickoff to the upcoming season. I'll give my full thoughts. What did we learn at SEC Media Days this week? If anything, I think we did learn some things. Got to read between the lines a little bit. Some things are obvious, some things not so much obvious. But I'll talk what I learned, what I was able to pick up. And again, football season is here, guys. We'll talk about the event as a whole and just what came of it in Tampa, Florida. Also, guys, my head coach rankings for the SEC going in the 2026 season going to dive into those. Also, we're previewing the Mississippi State Bulldogs here on this Thursday. Their upcoming season overall outlook for year three of Jeff Levy. And of course, guys, like I mentioned, a big day. The SEC Unfiltered and Outlaw Light Beer 2026 Tour that is upcoming this football season this fall. We're only going to six destinations, six different games. And I've got some interesting details to reveal about that as well. But we're officially revealing just where we're going, where we're traveling, what we're going to be up to this fall football season. But again, guys, I appreciate each and every single one of y' all tuning in. Thank you all so much for the continued love and support. Want to hear from you, your questions, your comments, everything in between. Really appreciate all the love, the support, the banter. It's been a great week. Been a really, really busy week for us. We truly are for me, guys, I look at it this way and I've mentioned many times on this show when we get post July 4th, really, for me, it feels like football season has started. We're kind of waiting on the games at this point. But college football season, the college football grind, if you will, it's already underway, right? If you do this and you're in content, I mean this is the time to hit the ground running, if you will. So we have done that. We have absolutely done that. There is no question in my mind. You know, once you start getting into prediction season and preview season and all those good things, yeah, we have officially made it. So again, guys, would love to hear from you. And I will start there. One quick housekeeping item and something I'm really, really excited about. Game by game predictions will begin or will be released starting next week from yours truly really pumped about that, guys. Really fun time, obviously. That's really, really fun content, as we love to say here. The, the beauty is in the banter, if you will, and certainly that is the case and we start dropping predictions, not everybody's gonna agree. Actually, most of you will disagree, and that's totally fine. It is a great time of year. I love the back and forth. I love talk, talking ball. I love the debate. I love all of it that comes with it, certainly. So, yeah, would love to hear from you guys when it comes to that really, really exciting stuff as we continue to navigate this preseason, if you will. It is a lot of fun, no doubt. AI Adventures or AL Adventures, whatever the name is. I learned that SEC coaches respect Brent Venables as a defensive coach. Yes, they do, AL. On that note, let's go ahead and get into it because again, the dust is settling on SEC media days in Tampa. The 2026 edition is guys fall camps just around the corner. Literally in the next week, week and a half, teams will actually hit the field. We're going to get pads popping and getting prepared for week one. SEC Football Media Days is an event I've always looked forward to, even when I was a kid. I remember when the SEC Network first launched in 2014. I remember sitting back and sitting on my couch and saying, one of these days I'm going to be covering that event full time in some capacity. Whether I'm a, a sports journalist or I've created my, my own entity or whatever form or fashion is, I'm going to be covering that event. I'm really proud to say that through tons of hard work and dedication, we have been able to do that. So I'm never not grateful. It's always a, a really, it's, it's a humbling reminder that, hey, like, you worked really hard to be in this position. And so it's something I just, I internally always get excited for. We also get excited because it is the unofficial kickoff to the season and you know, we go into it trying to learn some things about these teams, about the league, about the coaches, players, etc. So here's some things that I learned and some of my biggest takeaways from this week's event in Tampa, that being SEC Media days. My first one is this Lane Kiffin and LSU who spoke this morning. By the way, Lane Kiffin and LSU don't move the needle. They are the needle, guys. The LSU and Lane Kiffin chatter started as early as Monday and Lane Kiffin didn't speak until Thursday. Morning, it became very, very evident very, very quickly that LSU is going to be a major talking point, not just through this event, but throughout this entire college football season. I mean, we got off to a hot start, right? The takes were off the wazoo with Jordan Rogers going out there saying, it's national title or bust. Then Benjamin Watson on SEC Network the following day following that up. And everyone was sort of waiting around in anticipation for Lane Kiffin's arrival and to hear what he was going to have to say on Thursday morning, the LSU and the Lane Kiffin chatter. Guys, it's not going anywhere. If anything, it is only going to continue to ramp up into a fever pitch to where I don't know if we have ever seen anything like this ever. By the time toe meets leather, like I said, who knows what they'll be writing, right? I mean, right now, it's national title or bust. I guess if Lane Kiffin doesn't win a Nobel Prize or a Grammy or win the Green Jacket, he's a failure as well. It's this whole national title or bus thing, right? It just. It's crazy. But lsu, they're not one of the headlines. They are the headline in the SEC right now. To me, Pete Golding won the event. That wasn't really something I learned, but just something that stood out. Pete Golding was awesome. On the other side of this whole LSU drama, Lane Kiffin drama. Pete Golding was incredible. I thought he was really fun to listen to. He was very forthcoming. He was very honest. I thought he handled the question about Lane Kiffin about as well as you possibly could have. You know, when asked about it, you know, talked about his football team. Feels good about his football team. You know, he talked about the whole. What was his pitch to Trinidad Chambliss and Kwan Lacey of why they shouldn't leave? And he was very forthcoming about. Hey, you saw how they treated Lane Kiffin on his way out. They were going to build a statue of this guy, and now they're tearing his name to the ground. You want the same thing to happen to you? That's a hell of a pitch right there. That's a hell of a mic drop right there, you know, So I thought Pete Golding did an incredible job. We got a. We got a. Damn. We got a. I think he dropped right at, what, like three curse words or something up at the podium. So we saw some other coaches open up, too. That was very interesting, the way the coaches were just kind of letting it fly this year. But I. I thought Pete Golding won SEC media days. Now, what does that mean? You don't win games at the podium. You don't win games in late July at SEC media days. But, but I think Ole Miss fans, as they should be, are really excited about Pete Golding, the Pete Golding era, seeing what it looks like, and his overall leadership of their football program. The other big takeaway for me and what I learned, guys is, and it really was something that we started to see at SEC spring meetings, but there are very mixed feelings on a non game conference schedule. You had Eli Drinkwitz kicking off the week essentially, you know, saying that, you know, it's, it's not a positive and that he wasn't a, you know, he wasn't, I'm putting some words in his mouth, but the way that he acted was, he's not in favor of it. He doesn't exactly love the non game conference schedule. I was really happy to see a lot of the coaches that came out and were just like, hey man, like I, I'm not gonna make excuses, like, it is what it is, let's go play ball. Because at like some point it's like, hey man, your complaints fall on deaf ears. When you're a coach making 9, $10 million a year, however much it is, and you're sitting here complaining about the fact you got to go coach an extra football game, it's like, boohoo, cry me a river. Just go out there and win. You know, at some point it just, it really falls on deaf ears coming from these guys. So, But I think there, there are very mixed emotions. I, I think it is a major, major talking point, started on Monday, of course, with Greg Sankey, and it was a much hotter topic of discussion, I think, earlier in the week. But there are very, very mixed emotions, certainly on a non game conference schedule. I also learned this week that apparently the SEC separating itself from the rest of college football and the NCAA is very real. I still think it's used more so as positioning and leverage. I, I, I don't think realistically anyone wants that to happen. I just don't, I, I, I don't think that's the best thing for the sport. I don't think that's the best thing for the sec. I don't think that's necessarily the best thing for the fan. I, I just, I don't think if we all sit down and we're honest with ourselves, we, I don't think we want that to happen. But that said, that's the card the SEC's playing the SEC is playing the card of hey, get your together or we're going to pack up our bags and head elsewhere. Will that threat work? I don't know, but that is most certainly the card that the SEC is stacking the deck with. There's no question. The other thing I learned, guys, the Oklahoma buzz is growing. I, I saw this across social media, saw it from media members who were in attendance and not in attendance. It does seem like the Oklahoma Buzz Oklahoma to the College Football Playoff is starting to generate more and more and more and more buzz as we get deeper into the preseason. And that really hit again a fever pitch this week at SEC media days. Now again, of course there's still some doubters and people that don't think they're going to be very good or John Matier or whatever. Maybe he's not as good as some people want to hype him up to be. But I, I, I do think the Oklahoma buzz is really, really starting to grow. So I thought that was interesting people. Obviously we got a comment earlier. People respect Brent Venables as a defensive coach. I think the big question is the offense, but I think a lot of people are high on the fact that the offense should be able to turn a corner of the defense will be just as good good as it was a season ago. Something else I learned. Alabama severely under the radar. I, I mean we knew it coming in, but I remember going to SEC media days, guys in 2023, I believe that was, yeah, that was Nick Saban's last SEC media days and the attention that he commanded and the way that people looked forward to Alabama day. That's what it was. It was Alabama day. Right? The way people looked forward to that. Guys, we didn't hear any Alabama chatter until the day of Wednesday when Caitlin DeBoer spoke. Alabama's is under the radar as anybody in this league. I mean it is like Georgia, Texas, Oklahoma was getting buzzed. Lsu, of course, Ole Miss. I mean it took us, it took us days to talk about Alabama. So it's interestingly enough how Alabama is flying under the radar, how they are being slept on, quote unquote, how they have a lot to prove this season, see if they can wake people up. I'm trying to think of something else before I get to my final point. There's so much to take away. I mean one thing else we also learned is that it's about what we learned and what we didn't learn. We, we learned that there are no answers yet when it comes to position battles in the SCC and I didn't expect to necessarily learn that. You know, again you're trying to read between the lines on are they favoring one guy or another guy or where do we sit when it comes to, you know, certain a quarterback or those are the big battles we're talking about. But we didn't really get anything. Florida's wide open, Bama's wide open, Tennessee's wide open. You know, Arkansas's wide open. There really aren't a bunch of answers that came from that. But again, at SEC media days you really don't expect that. Finally my final thing that I feel I took away and I'm taking away from SEC football media days. Kirby Smart has officially transitioned to that Nick Saban role where he is the dean of the sec, right? He is the dean of the sec. He is the guy that I feel like he's kind of the talking head, the figurehead. He is the person that represents the conference like he is the one person. When he speaks, everyone listens, everyone stops what they're doing. Everyone tunes in here. What does Kirby think about this? Right. SEC going to break away. What does Kirby have to say about it? Non game conference schedule. What's Kirby got to say about it? He has slid into that role and it makes sense, right? Most certainly the most successful head coach in the league. That one has been there. He's one of the longest tenured. I believe he might actually be the most tenured if I'm thinking correctly. Yeah, certainly one of the most tenured might be the most tenure. I have to go back and look at that. But either way he is the guy we all turn to and say Kirby, what do you think he's taken on that Nick Saban role? He has taken on that role. There is no question. One final thing I actually will add as a bonus, there's a battle amongst the first year head coaches to make the biggest splash. Now coming on the field is where you're going to get the biggest splash. But Will Stein saying that we're going to win big because of me. John Sumrall with his just I mean you pick your quote. I mean that the flare coming off of him is. Is crazy. Those two guys are probably a little bit different than say an Alex Golish who I think was much more reserved or Ryan Silverfield who was confident and I'm not taking anything away but a little bit more reserved. It felt like John Somerall, Will Stein really stole the show as far as the first year head coaches are concern but guys, those are My biggest takeaways from SCCV todays again, I, I do think we learned some things. I was really, really happy that the chatter around the event this week, it was not a repeat of SEC spring meetings where everything was about legislation and portal and nil and, and the SEC breaking off and not, you know, those things still were present. But it was more so about every single coach taking the podium having the opportunity to sell themselves and sell their program. And I think that's what we got. And the SEC network guys of course spent their time talking about the respected teams and again, I know you're like Chris, well, no doubt they did. You'd be surprised because it seems like all the chatter all offs he's been about the off the field stuff and that not so fun stuff to talk about. So yeah, really fun week. Really exciting week. This is always a week that I really look forward to and I think we did learn some interesting things as we get ready for ball camp and of course the 2026 season. So guys, we'd love to hear your thoughts here. We're getting some comments really, really quickly. My guy Dave Garrick's in the chat. Dave Garrick, I appreciate you my friend. Really, really good stuff. Thank you so much, my friend. The love and support one of the, One of the OGs who's been around quite a while when it comes to supporting SEC unfiltered. Riley says Hail State. Excited to get you breakdown of the good, the bad, the ugly of Mississippi State. Riley says I'm not sure he. I'm not confident that he's the answer at head coach for us when it comes to Jeff Lebby. Riley says we just need stability to head coach because we haven't had that since Mole left four head coaches since 2019. Yeah, with the, the unfortunate, the unfortunate Mike Leach passing. It has been absolutely crazy what has happened down there in Starfield. I promise, guys, we are gonna get into Mississippi State. For all of our state folks that are tuned in, I'm going to get there. And again, really appreciate you all that are tuned in to the live show. Really cool to have y' all tuned in live. That being said, guys, what I want to jump to is this. My official head coach rankings entering the 2026 SEC football season have officially been released. So without further ado, let's pull up my list. I'll run through each of my selections. We start at number 16, Kentucky's Will Stein. I loved what Will Stein had to say at SEC many days. Guys, the reason he's at 16 is very simple. He's never been a head coach before. I, I mean it's, it's just as simple as that. It is not doubting Will Stein and his abilities. It's not me predicting future success or lack thereof. It's just he has not been a head coach before. I think that is pretty self explanatory. At number 15, I've got Mississippi State's Jeff Levy. Lot to prove in year three for Jeff Levy, guys. I do think he's on one of the hottest seats in the sec. I mean listen, when you've won one conference game in two years and I understand that he inherited a really tough situation. I understand that Mississippi State is a really, really difficult job. I get all that. But I got to see something in year three if he's going to climb this list. I know there's some first year coaches in this league that are ahead of him, but at least those guys that are headed in, they've actually had success and won at some level somewhere else. This was Jeff Lebby's first head coaching job. I mean to this point, again, totally understand the job he inherited. But you are what your record says you are, which is he hasn't been very good. Lots to prove. Like I mentioned in year number three, at number 14, I've got Auburn's Alex Golish. You know, again, the only reason down this low is because he enters the SEC as a newcomer and record against some of the other guys in front of him that also come from the G5 ranks. Here's the thing with Goalish man. Like he had a great last year at South Florida, but I mean it's not like the resume is crazy. You know, I, I think there's a big question mark here. Without excluders. I, I love, I think he's an upgrade from Hugh Freeze. I mean I think he's going to bring some, some organization and culture and identity to Auburn. He talked about that at SEC meeting today. I think he's going to bring that. But I, I don't know. I mean it's, it's your guess is as good as mine. Is he the right guy for Auburn? Is he? The answer they're looking for is is Alex Gollish going to take over into a college football? I don't know. It's just a big question mark for me. At number 13, I've got Ryan Silverfield over at Arkansas. People have used the phrase underwhelming to describe this higher and, and I get it to a degree. That said, and Ryan Silverfield pointed it Out. Look at his record against some of the other G5 guys that were hired. He's beat up on Alex Golich and John Sumrall in his career. He's in one of the most difficult spots in the SEC just based off what he has inherited and, you know, what he's got standing in front of him, the conference he's in, the support or lack thereof that he has. So, you know, I want to see Arkansas do well. I want to see Arkansas be successful. I'm excited to see if Ryan Silverfield can prove himself in this league. He's at 13 for me right now. Number 12. I do have John Sumrall from Florida. Guys, a lot of this list is just simply who are you taking? If you had to pick amongst these head coaches, rank them based off of who you'd take? And I'm sorry, I'd take John Sumrall over Ryan Silverfield just flat. That's just what it comes down to. I think they're. The margins are razor thin in regards to who's a better head coach and who's not. John Sumrall, one big at two. Lane took also. Here's the deal. John Sumrall took a team to a college football playoff. That to me, gives you the nod over all the other G5 coaches that have been hired. There's some people out there saying he should be even higher than he is. Let's see him. Let's see him do it in the sec. And I'm high on John Sumral. I think he's awesome. Perfect fit for Florida. Let's just see him do it in the SEC. That's all I'm saying. Number 11, I got south Carolina, Shane Beamer again. I think he's on the hottest seat in the sec. It's just been such a mixed bag at South Carolina. You know, one year they're overachieving and out shooting expectations, and the next year they have expectations and they fall short. He's done a great job on the recruiting trail. He's done a great job in regards to retention. I mean, you don't. You don't bring back Lenora Sellers, Dylan Stewart, Nick harbor by accident. So he's done a great job on that front. They've just got to win more consistently. And guys, he's this low because of some coaching malpractice we saw a season ago as well. I mean, listen, South Carolina fans can kick and scream and hate my guts for saying it, but I mean, guys, the Texas A and M game happened. It happened. The three OCS that failed, they were all hired by one guy, Shane Beamer. There's only one person that can be held accountable for it. So you can be mad at me, you can be mad at anybody else. I think saying Shane Beamer's on the hot seat this year, it's. It's not even remotely a hot take. It's the rational take. It's the normal take. If you have any form of expectations for the program, yes, there should be pressure on Shane Beamer. He's a. He's a. A lovable character for South Carolina fans. He fits in well. He loves the plays. He wants to be there. I hear that a lot. This is a wins and loss business, and I. I think he. The stock on Shane Bieber plummeted last year, not just because of a 4 and 8 record, but because of how they got there. The swing and miss on Mike Shula, the coaching malpractice, losing games late. A lot of it comes down to coaching. The A M game was the cherry on top. Shane Beamer, 11 for me, feels like the right spot. At number 10, I've got Eli Drinkwitz of Missouri. This is one. Even looking at the list right now, guys, I could go higher, but listen, there's a lot of really, really good head coaches in the league, and I put Eli Drinkitz down here. When are you going to get me over the hump, Drink? When are you going to get me over the hump? I. I think at Missouri, he has done a really, really good job. He's done a great job at Mizzou. He has. I just need to see more. You know, it's. You've kind of. You're building this. You're building this identity of we're just good enough, but we can't win the big one. That's been your right. That's becoming your identity, if you will. So, yeah, I mean, can we get over the hump? Can we take it to the next level? I think he's done a solid job there, but again, there's just. There's other coaches in this league that I think are better flat out. And number nine, I've got old Mrs. Pete Golding. Speak of the devil. Listen, I know this is Pete's first head coaching job. I totally understand, and I get it. It was Lane Kiffin's team and Charlie Weiss Jr. Was still there. Blah, blah, blah. You go out and beat Kirby Smart, you earn my respect, you have a team one win away from going to a national championship. You got my respect. Pete Golding will probably be the most volatile on this list from the standpoint of based off how this season goes, he goes up or down. But I'm buying stock in Pete Golding. I think what he did last year, he's been in this league a long time. The guy knows defense. He's led some really successful defenses and I think he's the perfect fit for Ole Miss. And you saw him at the podium this week. I think he's got what it takes to win big in this league. At number eight, I've got Vanderbilt's Clark Lee, one of the biggest risers from last year's list to this year's list. Well, when you take a team to go 10 and 2, best season in school history, you produce a quarterback that is in the Heisman trophy ceremony, you deserve to rise. I think what Clark Lee did was incredible. I think what Clarkley has done at Vandy is incredible. Now the big question is what's next? How do you follow it up? Right. That is the big question. But yeah, Clark Lee deservingly so one SEC head coach of the year last year should have been a college football playoff team. I was a travesty that attended to Vandy did not make a college football playoff. That said, what is next for Vanderbilt football? That will probably even more so define who Clark Lee is as a head football coach. But I loved what he had to say at SEC media days. Hey, progress is not the destination. We'll see how that carries over into 20, 26. And number seven, I've got Tennessee's Josh Hype on. I can hear the Vandy folks getting upset, kicking, screaming. How in the world can you have Josh Hypel ahead of Clark Lee? Especially after what Clark Lee did to him last year. I mean guys, let's look at the overall record. I mean if we're going to go off that well, look what he did last year. Well, what about all the other years? You know, we can't just nitpick and say one game and Josh Hypel has taken his team to a college football playoff. Now I understand it's harder to win at Vandy than it is at Tennessee. I get that. But I've also got some not favoritism. I just, I still think Josh Hyp is a really good head football coach. I, I do and I think he will prove it this year. And number six, I've got Oklahoma's Brent Venables. The only reason Venables is this low is again kind of like the Shane Beamer question. And I understand injuries have played a factor Some other things have played a factor, but show me consistency. 6 and 7, 10 and 3, 6 and 7, 10 and 3. Now what? Now what? Right? I'm not saying you got to go 10 and 3 or go 10 and 2. You don't even have to make the College Football Playoff. But it can't revert back to what it has been. Oklahoma goes 9 and 3, 10 and 2 this season. He will skyrocket up this list. But right now, you're still kind of like, you know, great year last year, but you're one bad season away from being right back on the hot seat, you know. So Brent Venables is a. Is a mastermind defensively. He's one of the best minds defensively in all of college football. I think he did a great job and who he hired with Ben Arbuckle as his OC Did a great job getting John Mateer on campus, and it paid off last year. I just want to see you follow it up, that's all. I just want to see you follow it up. At number five, I got Texas A M's Mike Elko. I think what he's done with that program in College Station, leading into a playoff in his second season, had a really successful first year, in my opinion. He's brought a level of discipline, toughness. You talk about a great defensive mind as well. Let's see if the Holman Wiggins decision at offensive coordinator is the right one for Mike Elko. You notice so much of what makes a head football coach successful. We talk about. It's really just who you surround yourself with. Did you make the right staff decisions? That's so important when it comes to grading these head coaches. But Mike Elko has brought. He has brought a level of consistency. I feel like I know what I'm getting out of Texas A and M. He's raised the floor there. He's raised the expectations. Go into a college football playoff in year two, a really, really successful campaign. You're one win away from going to an SEC championship game. You hosted a playoff game. I think the next step for Mike Elko, beat Texas and win a playoff game. We'll see if he can do it in year three. And number four, I've got. And I just noticed that this is the wrong list. This is the wrong list, ladies and gents, because look at this mid show. Switch up. Because this is actually the right list. Because we had a late change when it comes to head coach rankings. I do apologize. How about that? Because I changed this last minute. Number four, I've got LSU's Lane Kiffin. As you can see, I went back and forth on the board. Lane Kiffin at number four. I have Lane Kiffin. The reason I made that switch. Might as well get into it. The reason I made that switch is because I think when you sit down and you look at the body of work, I understand Kaylin aboard. Underwhelmed is part of his culture at Alabama, you know, where the lack of physicality, lack of discipline. I hear you. But look at Kaylin aboard's record against the likes of Steve Sarkeesian, Kirby Smart, Dan Lanning, some of the best in the game. He's led a team to a national championship. He's led multiple teams to the playoff. Lane Kiffin has not done that. Lane Kiffin is a fantastic offensive mind and has evolved into a fantastic head football coach. Four is not a shabby ranking in the slightest, but for Lane Kiffin to move up this ranking. I understand last year he tech. He. He led Ole Miss to the College Football Playoff. He also was not around a coach in said College Football Playoff. The three ahead of Lane Kiffin have far more accolades than what Lane Kiffin has. That's the big question I have for Lane Kiffin. I mean, listen, LSU's banking on the idea that he is going to be the best version of himself as a head coach in Baton Rouge. They very well might be right, and I think they probably will be right. But it is a question mark because Lane Kiffin before last year had never won anything of significance. Let's call it for what it is. He had never won anything of significance, never been to an SEC title game, had never been to a playoff. And last year, it clicked. A guy named Trinidad Chambliss became a star overnight. Kawan Lacey set a program record in regards to rushing, and that was all she wrote. Ole Miss had the most magical season in the history of their program. So they're banking on that. With more resources, more funding, more tradition, Lane Kibbut could do that. I say to you all, that's still a big question mark for me. Me. Can Lane Kiffin win the big one? Can he? Will he be the guy that LSU invested all these resources in, all this money in? That's the only reason he's not ranked higher, but it is a significant reason. And number three again, I've got Alabama's Kayin Deor. Well, Kayin Deor is at three because he has done those things again. He took a Teeno national championship. He's been to the playoff. He's been to An SEC title game. He's done those things. I understand the stock on Caitlin Debor is low right now because of the way Bama looked at the end of last season because the way they looked under his leadership the last two years. I get it. I also don't know that we give enough credit how hard of a job he took following up the greatest coach in college football history in Nick Saban. I, I, again, I don't know that we really give enough credit to that. That said, there's no excuses. I'm not sitting here saying like let's bail him out, but like, that is something to factor in. Kayla Devore's record against some of the best in the country is still one of the very best. And while I know there's a lot of pressure on this year, look at the resume. Caitlyn Devore has done plenty. You could do a lot worse than Kayn de Boer. And number two, I've got Texas's Steve Sarkeesian. I still put a lot of stock in what he did in 23 and 24 back to back final four appearances. Now they've got a breakthrough. I totally understand that. It's, it's past time. And I, I'll tell you this, there will not be a head coach that plummets more in my rankings than Steve Sarkeesian if they don't do what they need to do this year because there are no more excuses. Flat out, right. Missing the College Football Playoff again with Arch Manning would be inexcusable. That's putting it lightly. I will not go on record like some have and said he should be fired. But I mean, you talk about a guy that's got every possible resource you could imagine. Texas is rolling out Lambos at recruiting visits. There's just no excuse. Look at the money they spent in the portal. Think about how long he's been at Texas. I mean, listen, he took the horns of the SEC title game again, back to back Final four finishes. Those things have to be accounted for. I don't think Sark's nearly as bad a coach as some people want to make him out to be. But this is a big year. It's put up or shut up for Texas. Arch Manning back all the pieces they added. You bring in Will Muschamp on defense to do one job, beat Georgia if you run into him. That's why he was brought in there. So the time is now for Steve Sarkeesian. And finally, guys, number one. This one's pretty easy. George is kirby smart. He is a master Motivator. There is not a better game day coach in all of college football. There is not a coach who does a better job of making halftime adjustments. There's not a coach who does a better job of motivating his football team, speaking to his football team. You listen to Kirby Smart talk about the game of football and makes you want to run through a brick wall. Imagine what he does behind closed doors with his team. The accolades speak for themselves. Backto back national champions in 21:22 guys. He has set the bar so high at Georgia. They have won the SEC the last two years and we're asking if Kirby's lost his fastball, if Georgia's missing a beat. Oh my goodness, Georgia. Can they get back? Georgia's better than 99.9 of programs out there. But because they're not winning the whole thing, it's a quote unquote failure. It's a, it's, it's not a successful season. It's not an a plus season. That's where we are. But you can have the debate. Is it Kurt Signetti? Is it Kirby Smart? Is it somebody else? As far as the best head coach in all of college football. There is not a head coach in college football. I would take over Kirby Smart from the standpoint of motivating my football team, getting my football team ready to go win a big game, building my program. There's not a head football coach I would take over Kirby Smart. Simply put. So those are my head coach rankings going into 2026 season. Would love to hear you guys thoughts. Do you agree with me? Do you disagree? How would you power rank the head coaches of the sec Guys really appreciate you all tuning in. Really, really fun stuff as always. Kiffin, Will Whiff. John Sumral at 12 was pathetic. Big Gator fan. What has he done to be higher than that? I get it. He took too lane to the playoff but I mean there are guys ahead of him that have actually had success in this league. I think John Sumrall is a good coach. I think John Summerall is going to have success. Wait till you see my record prediction for Florida. I think John Sumrall is going to have success right out of the gate. But let's let him have success first before we crown him. That's all I'm saying. Let's let him have success first before we crown him. Luke. RJ says Saban thinks George is better this year than last year. I also think so. Think about the questions Georgia had going into last season. I mean Gunner Stockton was a Major question mark. Offensive line was a question mark. There were some questions on defense. I think Georgia is a much more complete team this year than they were a season ago. J.D. gardner, Gamecocks 4 and 8 or 10 and 2? Are you asking me which one is more likely or that you're saying they're going to be boom or bust this year? Because, I mean, it's. I will say this. I do think they're a bit boom or bust. I think if you're a fan of South Carolina, the worst case scenario is that South Carolina goes 7 and 5. I think that is the worst case scenario. Because if you're a Gamecock fan, you want answers. You want answers. Are you the guy or are you not the guy? And if he goes seven and five and you bring him back, you're just kind of continuing this vicious cycle. I mean, let me ask you a question. Are you going to sign a quarterback better than Lenora Sellers at any point? Are you going to sign an edge player better than Dylan Stewart at any point? Are you going to sign a better athlete than Nick harbor at any point? Now, that does not mean these guys are irreplaceable or that you could not field a better team. But I'm just saying, like, if you can't show real progress with those three guys, if Lenora Sellers leaves the campus of the University of South Carolina after this year and you haven't sniffed a college football playoff, which I, I know you did in year one, I get it. But out of three years, two of the three were unsuccessful. I mean, it feels like the time to strike is now. You know, like, this is the year it has to come together. Lenora Sellers is a junior. Dylan, they're all older. All these players are older. This is what you've been building for. You know, back in 2024, when he was a freshman, I think everyone, including myself, would have taken the bet that South Carolina will be in the playoff his junior season. I, I don't think that would have even been a crazy. Everybody would have taken that bet. Everyone would have. So. Luke R.J. i thought this was the Chris Phillips show. Luke R.J. it is. We, we talk a lot of everything on the Chris Phillips Show. I try to get as many questions and comments as I can, but, yeah, I'll just keep them coming. We'll, we'll get throughout. We'll get to them throughout the show. SEC football, too. What's going on, man? Appreciate you tuning in and taking the time. Luke RG Said, I think Lane Kiffin's gonna win at LSU like Saban did at Bama. I, I can't call that. I, I just Saving and what he did, saving and what he did's a one of one, man. I, I can't say anybody's gonna be like that. Kendall Browns is going to save Shane Beamers as Luke rj. He very well might. I mean, I, I will give you this. It is the best OC hire they have made since he's been there, I'll give you that. Kendall Briles is actually someone you look at and say, man, he actually had success. I mean, he was the guy that led Arkansas, that offense when they won nine games. He's had success in this league. So at least give you that. Why it took so long to get there, I don't know. Stephen Martin says great content like usual. Chris. Stephen, I appreciate it, man. Thank you so much. All right, guys, let's keep it moving. Really exciting Thursday here at SEC Unfiltered here at the Chris Phillips show. Guys, we are going to keep it moving. Excuse me. We're going to keep it moving here. Continue along and we're going to get into this. I'm hoping that I stall. Excuse me. I'm hoping I stall long enough for. By the end of the show. By the end of the show, we have the SEC unfiltered tour graphic ready to go. Even if we don't, it is no big deal. But with that being said, the 2026 season just around the corner for the Mississippi State Bulldogs. Year three of Jeff Lebby as they try to do something that they have not been able to accomplish since he took that job, finish with a winning record and show real signs of promise and hope for the future. Guys, when we look ahead to this year's Mississippi State football team, let's start and let's set the scene, set the stage. How did we get here? Let's look back at what happened a season ago. Mississippi State went 5-817-IN SEC play. They did end the season losing the Duke to Mayo bowl to Wake Forest. You might recall Mississippi State was one of those teams that a 5 and 7 team got invited, went to Charlotte, lost Awake Forest. Probably the best thing to come out of that game was the fact that when Camario Taylor went down with an injury, it was not nearly as serious as we all thought it was upon initial review. But you know, it's interesting, guys, because obviously each year builds on itself, right? And year three is extremely important. So setting the foundation lead to year three. What is an important year? It is worth talking about, right? So year two was actually a. There were positives. I won't say it was a positive. I'm not going to sit here and say anytime you have a losing record that that's a positive. But there were some positives to take away. Number one, Mississippi State started 4 0, right? You forget that they started 4 0. They had the big win over Arizona State at home. Things were looking up. Right. Also, Mississippi State won their first SEC game under Jeff Levy. They beat the Arkansas Razorbacks, and Levy was finally able to get that monkey off his back and score his first SEC win. Because you might recall, in year one, they went over. So that was a positive. I mean, another positive. You hate to take moral victories, but it is what it is. You hung in there tight against some of the best teams in the sec. You took Tennessee down to the wire. You took Texas down to the wire. You played Ole Miss tough for at least a half or a little bit over a half. But the cons, you only won one SEC game. You did not necessarily earn your way to a bowl bid. It was given to you. I'm not trying to take away from it, but, I mean, you went 5 and 7. The other con was you started 4 0, and you still couldn't find a way to win two of your last eight games to get the bowl eligibility. And the games I mentioned against Tennessee and Texas, guys, they were there for the taking. I mean, the Texas game, I don't know if many of y' all remember this, but I thought that game was over. I said, hey, congratulations, Mississippi State. Jeff Leby, first SEC win. What an upset. I still don't know how Mississippi State lost that football game. You had Tennessee on the ropes, got them to overtime on your home field, and you could not get it done. So there were pros, there were cons, but it sets up what's a big year for Jeff Leby. And that's where I want to go next. Guys, Jeff Lebby, entering his third season at Mississippi State. You know, I did my hot seat power rankings earlier this week, or actually, it was late last week. Whenever it was, we talked about it. Jeff Leby may not be on the hottest seat in the SEC, but it's 1A, 1B. I mean, I think it's him and Shane Beamer. If there are going to be head coaching changes, you look to Starkville as one of the possible destinations. I. And so it leads us into. And we can talk about this throughout. What is the minimum expectation? Guys, I was down there last year for The Egg Bowl, I'm grateful to say a friend of mine is someone who is actually on Mississippi State staff. I won't say who it is obviously, or what he does, but, you know, I talked to him right after the Egg bowl last year and he was very candid with me and telling me, chris, we have been told by leadership at Mississippi State, 7 and 5 is the number at minimum earning your way to postseason play. But they want to see real progress in year three. Seven and five is kind of like the feeling of, hey, man. Like this is. This should be the year three jump. Seven and five is the goal of where we want to get to. So, I mean, guys, with that in mind, and I think year three, in this new era of college football, love it or hate it, however you want to feel about it, you don't get five, six, seven years at most places to build a program. By year three, it's kind of like, okay, year three is. This is who you are. Year one, depending on where you're at, you use year one, it's a transition year. Year two, take a step forward. By year three, it's your football team, right? These are your players. Your culture is fully ingrained. It's time to take a massive leap forward. Time to take a step in the right direction. By year three, the trajectory has to be positive. I don't know that Jeff Levy can survive another three or four or five win season. I just. I don't know that he could. That being said, guys, what does this football team look like this season? Let's talk about the 2026 Mississippi State Bulldogs. Starting on the offensive side, you did add Philip Montgomery to the offensive staff. I think that was a really underrated addition. A guy who's had a ton of success and he's going to look to lead and look help the lead. I should say an offense that. Guys, I think there is a lot of reason for optimism and excitement. And we talk about year three of the Jeff Levy era. Well, guys, Jeff Levy, if you're really this offensive mastermind, this offensive guru that people say you are, at minimum, the offense has got to be clicking because, folks, they have weapons. And it starts at quarterback with Kamario Taylor. Now, is it a little bit of a question mark? Sure. Just because we've seen him in such limited action. But guys, if you saw him against Ole Miss, if you've seen him in any other action where he's played, this dude is an electric factory. I mean, straight up electric. He can do things that not many guys in this league can do. He can make guys miss. He can take off out of the pocket. He's got great arm strength. It feels like he's got great moxie and awareness. Guys, he's the highest rated quarterback recruit in program history. When you land the highest rated court, I mean, think about the quarterbacks who have gone through Mississippi State. There have been some damn good ones. How about a guy named Dak, right? I think that rings a bell. No pun intended. You get a guy like that on campus, man, you got to cash in immediately. Right? And Camario Taylor is a guy that again, he can do it with his arm, he can do it with his legs. He just makes big plays and he makes big things happen. So his first full year was a starter. Let's see what he can do. But I'm really excited about Camario Taylor. Fluff Bothwell is back at running back. Obviously injuries sort of derail what his 2025 season could be. He is a really nice player at tailback. Anthony Evans III is back at wide receiver, an exciting player on the outside. You add Marquis Johnson from Mizzou, who I think is a really nice pickup via the portal. Sam west is back at tight end. You do add Riley Williams, the Oregon State transfer at that position. Offensive lines a major question mark. Right? Two starters are back on the O line. You did add DJ Chester from LSU and LJ Prudholm from Arkansas via the port portal. But guys, the offense has got to click and again, there's a lot of reason for excitement when you got a guy like Kamario Taylor who again I think is one of the most, could be one of the most exciting players in this conference. Fluff Bothwell, who I think is extremely underrated and Anthony Evans on the outside who guys think about this. The last I believe two seasons, I know for sure last season the leading receiver in this conference has been a Mississippi State bulldog. They have been really productive at the receiver position. So you've got this three headed monster at the quarterback, running back, wide or your positions. If your offensive line, that's the big question here. If they can hold up their end of the bargain. This should be a really, really productive offense in my opinion. It should be at minimum top half of the league. At minimum. Right. Could this be a top five offense in the sec? I mean I, I think it could. I think there's a lot of reason for optimism here. Now there's still a lot of question marks. Again, Camario Taylor is not a sure fire thing. What does his first season in the center really look like? But boy, I will roll the dice with a guy like that who again is the number one highest rated quarterback recruitment program history and can make the electric plays that he can and has the weapons at his disposal that he has. What does the offensive line give you? The offense just has to click for Mississippi State. There is no excuse in year number three of Jeff Levy for the offense not to be good. And the offense is the least of my concerns when it comes to Mississippi State because as we move into the defense and what that looks like, guys, that's got to be where the big questions lie. You did bring in, bring back Zach Arnett to start. Well, this is a guy, he just can't leave. Starpool. You bring Zach Arnett back to help boost this defense and really just completely turn around this defense because they, they've been terrible guys. They have been absolutely God awful since Jeff Levy got there. They have finished last or next to last the last two seasons. Who would have thought Coleman Hutzler wasn't the right hire. That was one we weren't really high on. But Zach Garnett guys, when he was there lead the defense. I mean we're talking about a. Yeah, like Mississippi State has always been known for these ferocious defensive lines and like at minimum you knew you were in for a fight because the defense was always really salty. I mean they have produced some fantastic players across. The defensive front just hasn't been there the last couple years. Right. So can he get the defense turned around? How quickly can he get it turned around? Calvin Dinkins, DJ Reed, Jer Bledo, all man the interior. You do add Amari Williams from Florida State to help out with a pass for us. Will Witson is back as well at the edge position. Jalen Smith, Zakari Tillman are both back at linebacker and the secondary should be a strength. You've got Isaac Smith and Kelly Jones who are returning in two fantastic players. Two guys who could play themselves into getting their names called pretty early on in the NFL draft. So I think there are pieces here. I think secondary should be really solid. Again, a lot of veteran leadership at linebacker which should help with implementing Zach Garnett's scheme early. But to me guys, this is the big question when it comes to Mississippi State because I think you're going to have an offense that can compete. It's just how quickly does the defense come around? Pass rush is a major question. Major, major question. They need to hit on Amari Williams. They need some of these guys on the defensive front to really splash and really pan out. But they them guys, let's move it to special teams. Kyle Fer's back at kicker. He's fourth in the program in program history in points. Fantastic player for Mississippi State. Had a big 2025 campaign. I believe he set the individual season record for points in a season. If I do recall Ethan Pullum back at punter. You got some really interesting and fun options when it comes to return man. Anthony Evans, Marquis Johnson, Colin Wilson, they could all factor in the return game. So listen, you're a team like Mississippi State, you're trying to overachieve, you're trying to make some things happen. Flipping the field in special teams. Pump return, touchdown, kick return, touchdown. I mean, guys, we talk about special teams. Think about how much special teams hurt Mississippi State a season ago. Ryan Niblett, that name ring a bell at all? It cost you the Texas game. Flat out, it cost Mississippi State that Texas game. So if anybody knows how important special teams are, it should be Mississippi State fans. That being said, guys, as we give our overall outlook for Mississippi State, take a look at what our friends over at Kalshee say about the Bulldogs. As far as win totals. Kalshee gives Mississippi State a 67 chance to win four or more games, 50% chance to win five or more games, 37 chance to win six or more. For some reason, they don't have a percentage chance to win seven or more. They, they give them an 11 chance to win eight or more. And if you're really feeling frisky, 8% chance to win 12 games. So you set kind of the over under, it's right at about, right at about five and a half. That's where you see the big drop off, five and a half. And I, I, I think that number, that number feels about right because when you look at Mississippi State, nine starters are back, three on the offensive side, six on the defensive side. And as we take a Look at the 2026 schedule, how does the schedule set up for Hail State? Well, you start non conference play Ulm at home at Minnesota. Week two is really, really interesting. And a game I think is a tone setter, no doubt for Mississippi State season. I think if you're going to overachieve, if you're going to hit six wins, if you're going to get to a bowl game, feels like Minnesota probably needs to be part of that equation. You open up SEC play at South Carolina. This is another massive, massive game for Mississippi State. Heck, it's a massive game for South Carolina as well. It's one of the most, it'll be a very under the radar contest because the winner of that game probably ain't winning a national championship or factoring in to the College Football playoff picture, let's just be totally honest. But it is a massive game for each respective program because I tell you this, the coach that loses that football game is going to be, it's going to be dire, right? It's, it's going to be tough to recover from that. So can you get off to a 10 start in SEC play? Can you get off to a 30 start? That's going to be a huge game to open up conference play for Mississippi State, your SEC home opener. You get the Missouri Tigers, Alabama is back on your schedule. The following week they come to Starkville. Then you have a bye week. Then you're at lsu, Oklahoma at home at Texas. What a three game stretch that is. The month of October is not kind. Then you have Vandy at home to kick off November you get Auburn at home, Tennessee Tech, and then at Ole Miss of course in the Egg bowl to close out the season. I mean listen guys, Mississippi State has a tough schedule. They have a tough schedule every year. I mean lather, rinse, repeat, right? Mississippi State and having a tough schedule just goes hand in hand. Like I said guys, I think going 30 and non cons pivotal. And then you start to look at the SEC schedule, right? South Carolina is massive. Auburn is massive, Vandy is massive. Missouri is massive. Because you realistically, I mean, who knows, Bama at home, I, I think that one's going to be really tough. At LSU is going to be extremely difficult. Oklahoma at home, really difficult. At Texas, really difficult. And then hey, the Egg Bowl, I mean, who knows, who know that game is so unpredictable, so wacky. Who knows what Ole Miss looks like. Year one of Pete Golding. It is a schedule though. Again, can you get off to a hot start? Can you get off to a hot start? Because I mean, when you get into October, guys, there's a very good chance you have a defeated October just because of how difficult that schedule is. And then can you finish strong? Vandy, Auburn, Tennessee, Tech, Ole Miss. Can you go three and one? Can you go two and two? Right? So I would say the beginning of the schedule, the end of the schedule, a lot of opportunity, middle of the schedule, just survive, just survive the middle. I mean guys, if you can win one out of Bama, lsu, ou, Texas, boy, you have really done something. You have really accomplished something special. So with that being said, guys, the overall outlook for Mississippi State like I started off this conversation with. And I want to bring it back full circle. How hot is Jeff Levy seat? Let's just bring the question to this. What does Jeff Levy need to do to return as head coach of the Mississippi State Bulldogs in 2027? I think you got to reach a bowl game. I think you got to get to a bowl game. I think you have to get to a bowl game. You got to win multiple SEC games. I mean, you're gonna have to, like, you don't have a choice. I mean, if you're. If you're gonna win five games, you got to win multiple SEC games. Like, the big question is, what can. What must Jeff Lebby do to show real promise and progress with this program? Here's the tough thing about Mississippi State, though. It is a really difficult job because, listen, I love college baseball. Many of you probably know that. But when your number one sport is openly college baseball, that doesn't help the football program. It just doesn't. So it's. It's just really difficult for me to sit here and say that, yeah, man, going five and seven shows the, the positive trajectory we're looking for. Like I said, from what I was told after the egg bowl by somebody who works on that staff, 7 and 5 is their goal. 7 and 5 is what they're shooting for. I think with this offense, Mississippi State can be a really, really fun team to watch. I think they can be a team that upsets the established order. What. What is the, the old phrase flips the. The milk cart or the flips the wagon? I don't even know. Whatever it is, they can be a thorn in the side of somebody. I. I think Mississippi State will get somebody this season. I. I do. Will it be enough to get to 6 and 6? Will it be enough to get to 7 and 5? I don't know. But let me answer my own question. What does Jeff Levy need to do to return in 2027? Here's what I think the expectation should be in year three, seven and five or better. He's 100% back. Job well done. Six and six should still be retained. I think he should still be retained. If you get into postseason play five and seven, I'd let him go. I'd let him go. But then again, I, I don't know. Mississippi State has a much bigger problem than. I think the head coaching position. Four and eight are worse. He should be gone. I. There is just no excuse for it if you go 5 and 7 and you win multiple SEC games. The tough thing about that and why that's such a gray area is because it's like, hey, well, we showed progress. We want, we doubled our SEC win total from last year. And I think Mississippi State, here's the, here's the, here's the real problem with 5 and 7 Mississippi State. I said baseball is the number one sport. I think it is. But they have made an investment into football. They have, they have. I mean there, there have been donors that have stepped up. I think six and six are better is the goal, man. I think six and six are Better. Jeff Levy's 100 back five and seven or worse. It might be time to go a different direction. But the big key is this. The offense should be there. Can they get back to playing? Can, can Zach Arnett bring a defense that has finished dead last in the SEC over the last couple years? Can he get it back to respectability? Can they stop a nosebleed? Can they get to the middle of the pack on defense? I think that's a very fair first year expectation or first year goal if you will. I don't think he's going to work miracles overnight. I don't think he's going to bring this defense out to be in top five or top three in the league. But just be half decent. If you can do that with what you got on the offensive side with the weapons that you have, I, I could argue 6 and 6 should be the minimum expectation. You could argue there's enough there. Anything short of that is missing the mark. So it is a huge year for Mississippi State upcoming this season. Camario Taylor should be one of the most exciting and one of the most dynamic players. He could be the player that is makes the biggest splash of these newcomer quarterbacks. He has that type of potential. He has that type of wow factor at the quarterback position. But a huge year for Jeff Levy. Year three upcoming in Starfleet. Guys, love to hear your thoughts. How do you feel about the Mississippi State bulldogs heading into 2026? The countdown to kickoff for Hail State is officially on. Guys, really appreciate y', all, each and every single one of you tuning in. Let's see. Riley, loser of state. South Carolina is going to fire their head coach the next day. You know, that probably is a little bit extreme, but that'll be the feeling at least. I will say this. I think it would be more detrimental for South Carolina because a lot of that fan base believes they should go win nine or 10 games for state. There's more opportunities. I just don't think there are a ton of opportunities so that's probably one. You need to take advantage of it. You need to steal it, if you will. Let's see running back through your questions. Turkey Slammer go big. Orange ball's gonna be nasty in 2027. Next year is our year is what Turkey slammer says. Next year's the year of the Vols. Okay, we'll see. We shall see. My graphics guy just came up with the graphics. Let's see. Hopefully he can make this update really quick and I can show you the guys this graphic. Let's see. State should have been an eight win team last year. Leby blew the Tennessee, Florida and Texas games with his shitty game management. I mean, what do y' all think? State fans, y' all are tuned in. There's some state fans tuned. I'd love to hear y' all Yalls thoughts. What is the minimum expectation for Jeff Lebby? How many games does Jeff Lebby need to win to keep his job going into 2027? You know, people think I'm only hard on South Carolina, only hard on Shane Beamer. That's just simply not the case. I'm the same son of a. To everybody. I can assure you. I'm the same guy to everybody. So I think Jeff Levy's seat is legitimately hot. I think Jeff Levy's seat is legitimately hot. And I think it should be. I think it should be hot. Luke RJ Everyone wants to win the Natty. It just can't happen. Not enough wins to go around. I mean. Luke RJ I agree, which is why I say like setting Natty or bust for anybody's crazy. I. It really is. I mean, it's just. Luke RJ I know you know this. It's just tough with college football now because we've just set these expectations of playoff or bust. What does or bust mean, playoff or failure, if you didn't make the playoff? Well, I throw that season away. And that's just. To me, that's not how college football should be viewed, man. Like, it's almost. Doesn't it feel like, doesn't it feel like in a BCS format or even in the 4 team there was still value in. In bowl games to a degree, because people weren't under this illusion that their team was one of the best teams in the country. You know, like, I'm not going to name a single program, but it's like if you only. If only two teams can go to the Natty and only one can win it, you're like, you kind of know, going in a season hey, do we really have realistic. A realistic shot to win the whole thing? Most people be like, nah, there were four or five, maybe six teams that felt like we got a team that could do it, but everybody else was okay with, man, let's go win an Outback Bowl. Let's go win a Capital One bowl. Let's go win a Rose Bowl. That's crazy that. That has lost value. Like, it's crazy to me. It's crazy to me that there's. Bowl games are meaningless when you get a trophy for them. You get a trophy for playing in a bowl game. That used to be looked at as, like, a reward for players, you know, and like to. I just. I don't buy into the notion that. And I don't like the idea that a season, a college football season is meaningless unless you win the national championship. Because, like, even making the playoff, they don't give you a trophy for making the playoff. Unless I have missed that, which, if they do, that is the most participation trophy ever. They don't give you a trophy for making the playoff, ladies and gentlemen. I. I just. That's why I don't love the idea of taking away the SEC title game. You want to take away another game that means something, another game that. Another opportunity for. For a team to win a ring, to win a trophy. I. I don't like that, man. You know, you used to be able to win the east, win the west, then you could win the sec, then you could win a bowl game, then you could win an Addy when the Rose bowl, win the Orange bowl, win the Fiesta bowl, whatever. I mean, you want to take. You already took away divisions, so you can't win a division. Can't even compete for a division. I mean, I think having divisions, you could argue, kept people really excited. It kept them really engaged because it's like, hey, man, we're only a game out of the east race now. It's like, brother, we're four games out of first. We have no shot. You know, I. I just. And I get it. Like, there's. There's no going back. I totally understand. But that. That's just. That's where I come from. It just. It just kind of sucks. It. It just kind of sucks. So. All right, that being said, guys, let's close out the show with this. It is time. It is officially time, folks. I am very proud and very excited to announce the 2026 SEC Unfiltered Football Tour, powered by our friends over at Outlaw Light Beer. It is officially being called the SEC Unfiltered Outlaw Beer bar tour. So we are doing things much differently than we have in the past. I came to you about a month or so ago, which at that time the plan was we were going to throw a tailgate tour. We were going to go to six different locations, six different cities, six different campuses, and throw tailgates at said places. Well, after meeting with our friends over at Outlaw Beer and talking to our friends over at Outlaw Beer, they decided it would be a much more feasible goal and much more feasible task, if you will. Just made more sense for us as a whole if we were to throw events at at bars on these campuses instead. So as you can imagine, that changed my decision making as far as where to go, what games to attend, because not every city that's a great tailgate city is a great bar city. Just is what it is, right? So I had to completely go back and revamp this schedule because of what I just stated. Right? And I will admit to you, I've spent the last two seasons on the road traveling 14 straight weekends each of the last two football seasons. I have come to meet and befriend so many fantastic people. There's so many SEC cities that I went to for the first time that I've grown to love. There's some of my favorite destinations to visit and I had to whittle it down to six. And that was one of the most difficult things that I've ever had to do in my career as far as game planning and some of the places I had to leave off of the list. So without further ado, let's get into it. This is our official schedule for the upcoming 2026 SEC football season. The specific bars, those locations, those will be released at a later date because we're still working out the details in some of the cities. But this is the official SEC Unfiltered Outlaw Beer Bar Tour for the 2026 season. So we will not be hitting the road for the first two weeks of the season. Our first trip comes, as many of you have guessed, as many of you would expect. Week number three, September 19th. Ole Miss, LSU, Oxford, Mississippi. Guys, this one was a no brainer. I. I mean, this was one that we just could not go throughout this season and leave this one off the list again. Bars, exactly where we're doing this will be announced at a later date. I've got some great places in mind though, that we were at last year. Really, really excited to get to Oxford. It's going to be a straight up mad house. I cannot Wait for that one. So week three, Ole Miss LSU. Two weeks later we will hit the road. Week number five, October 3rd Columbia, Missouri for the Missouri Florida game. That is homecoming for Miz. Columbia, Missouri is slept on guys. Is one of the best bar towns in the sec. This was one, I will admit to you was not on the first rendition of this list. Was not on the tailgate tour list. But once it became a bar tour I knew we had to include Columbia Missouri. So we'll be there. Mizzou Florida homecoming matchup. Mizzou invented homecoming if you didn't know. Gonna be a really fun one. One week later, October 10th, week six we will be in Tuscaloosa Alabama for the Alabama Georgia showdown. Another great bar town. One of my favorite cities in the sec. I've been to Bama Georgia the last two years, guys. It's just unlike anything else I have attended. So it was a no brainer for us to get back number one to Tuscaloosa and number two for this game. Cannot wait to get back down to T town the following week. So we're going to go three weeks in a row in the middle of the season. October 17th. Week number seven, Athens, Georgia Georgia verse Auburn again. Bar tour. Athens, Georgia is an O brainer. It just flat out is. This is another one I will admit to y'. All. Athens was not on the tailgate tour schedule. When they said bar tour folks, take your pick. They got hundreds of them. Athens, Georgia, my favorite college town in the sec. I think the best college town in all, all the country. Really, really excited to get back to Athens and I've never been to a Georgia Auburn game. So really looking forward to that great rivalry, the Deep South's oldest rivalry as they call it. Week seven, October 17th. We will be in Athens. Fast forward about a month later. So we go three straight weeks and then we take a few weeks off. Week number 11, November 14th Baton Rouge, Louisiana LSU hosting Texas. You knew we had to get down to the Bayou to go see Lane Kiffin and them Tigers. And I most certainly wanted to see Texas at some point this season. We will do it down in Baton Rouge. Love getting down to VR. Thought about doing Week 1 against Clemson, but I just, I felt like this was a can't miss game. I think this will be a better football game. I think it'll be a more exciting football game. I mean think about what could be and what probably will be on the line that late in the season. Love the bar scene too in Baton Rouge. Those people love to party. They Know how to do it up big. So again, Baton Rouge for me was a non negotiable, a place that I had to get. Just had to get back down to Baton Rouge and our final destination, week number 12. So the following week, November 21st, we are headed to Rocky Top, Knoxville, Tennessee as Tennessee hosts the LSU Tigers. Lane Kiffin's return to Neland Stadium. I know he's been back previously with Ole Miss, but his re return, if you will, first time there as LSU's head coach. Being in the state of Tennessee, of course, guys, I mean had to get down to Knoxville. It just, there's no way I could have went an entire season and not made the trip to Knoxville, Tennessee. Really, really pumped. Again, great bar scene down there in Knoxville as well. Really, really stoked to hang out with the balls once again. So this is what the schedule looks like. We are going to update this graphic ever so slightly and take those kickoff times off because there's really no need to have those on there. But this is the official SEC unfiltered Outlaw light Beer bar tour that will take place this season. Six stops. Like I mentioned, guys, it was, it was very difficult to whittle this down to six. Very, very difficult. I liked the fact that we, we went against the grain on a couple of these. Like going to Missouri was something I think folks wouldn't expect going to. Well, I guess probably all the others are. Once you could, you could expect but tried to pick some different games. Again in this situation, it's not just about, it's not just about what's the biggest game, but where could we go and throw the most successful event. I feel confident in all six of these that these will be fantastic destinations, fantastic locations. Cannot wait to get to each of these respective stops. And again we're going to be seeing 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8. We're going to be seeing nine different teams. So we're going to see over half the league we're going to see over half the league this season in some form or fashion. Again, there's some places that were left off that I hated to not go. Norman, Oklahoma, Gainesville, Florida. Yeah, some others as well that I just, I, you know, Fayetteville, Arkansas. There were others that I, I have a lot of love for that I, you know, Austin, Texas. There were some that I, I just, I love getting to. But again guys, these are the decisions I made and it is what it is, is. And this is where we're going. And you know, if you don't see your city on the list maybe next year and we will switch it up next year and do our very best to spread the love. But these are the ones. I am so excited to get to these six locations. It is going to be a fantastic season, a really exciting season and I cannot wait to get back on the road and hang out with you all. And more details to come as we get closer to each of these dates, but really, really excited for what we got in front of us. Man, it is going to be a football season unlike any other for SEC Unfiltered guys. That being said, that's going to do it all for us. Really good stuff. I do have to run. We got a big radio hit coming up here in Nashville in about 30 or 40 minutes or so, so I'm gonna get out of here. Guys, again, thank you all so much for your continued love and support. Things like the SEC Unfiltered Tour, they wouldn't happen. They said they just simply would not happen if you guys were not here. Showing us love, showing support back in the brand, man, it means the absolute world. I think that's it for us for the week. On the standpoint of live shows, if something comes up, I may go live tomorrow, but most likely probably not. So again, guys, make sure as always, you hit that like and subscribe button on YouTube. Check us out where you get your podcast all across your favorite social media platforms as well as our website, sccmtoder.com make sure you follow me at C Philly 19 stay tuned to the Chris Phillips Show Chewing Clock. All of our content. Again, make sure you're locked in because content right now is bleeding out of the eyeballs. Again, guys, can't say thank you enough. Appreciate you all tuning in. Have a great rest of your Thursday and have a great weekend as well. And we'll talk to you all on the other side. Cheers. SA. What's up with it.