College Football Unfiltered

Georgia's Carson Beck and Alabama's Jalen Milroe rank among preseason Heisman Trophy frontrunners.

But, forget awards for a moment. Does one of these quarterbacks have to battle to retain his starting job?

At Georgia, that's not the case. Beck remains Georgia's QB1. End of discussion.

What about Milroe? A new coaching staff adds uncertainty to the quarterback competition, but, to hear Milroe tell it, he's hitting it off with Kalen DeBoer, and he looked to have a handle on the offense in Alabama's spring game. 

On today's episode, host Blake Toppmeyer of the USA TODAY Network is joined by Chase Goodbread of the Tuscaloosa News and the Athens-Banner Herald's Marc Weiszer to recap the spring games for Alabama and Georgia, discuss quarterbacks and set expectations for 2024.

What's a realistic bar for DeBoer's first season? What's Georgia's lingering question exiting spring practice?

A discussion of those topics and more.

Stay connected on Twitter with Blake (@btoppmeyer) and John (@JohnAdamsKNS) and stay up to date on SEC football news by subscribing to KnoxNews: knoxnews.com/subscribe.

John Calipari's whopper buyout saddled him to Kentucky. Not anymore, though, as Calipari prepares to exit out the side door to Arkansas.

This looks like a potential win-win-win for Arkansas, Kentucky and Calipari, and one of the nation's biggest basketball jobs is now on the market.

Where will Kentucky turn?

On today's episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams weigh in on Kentucky's search to replace Calipari. Each host offers two swing-for-the-fences candidates (Bruce Pearl!?!), plus a couple of fallback options.

They also touch on the candidacies of Alabama's Nate Oats and Baylor's Scott Drew.

Later in the episode, a discussion on the importance of Kalen DeBoer's first Alabama football spring game, and what LSU's Brian Kelly said about the Michigan job.

Stay connected on Twitter with Blake (@btoppmeyer) and John (@JohnAdamsKNS) and stay up to date on SEC football news by subscribing to KnoxNews: knoxnews.com/subscribe.

Can we agree Kirby Smart is the SEC's top football coach? A better debate: How to rank SEC schools by football coach plus their men’s basketball coach. Would Georgia remain No. 1 in such a ranking? What about Alabama? Where does Tennessee factor into the mix?

On today's episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams rank their top eight SEC schools in terms of football plus men’s basketball coaches.

In some instances, the school's football and basketball coach each rank near the top of the SEC. In other cases, one coach does the heavy lifting.

The hosts disagree on which school should be No. 1.

Stay connected on Twitter with Blake (@btoppmeyer) and John (@JohnAdamsKNS) and stay up to date on SEC football news by subscribing to KnoxNews: knoxnews.com/subscribe.

The ball tipped, and the upsets began.

Then the second round tipped, and chalk held strong. Each of the four No. 1 seeds remains in the NCAA Tournament in the Sweet 16, but does that mean we think it'll be all favorites in the Final Four? Nope.

On today's episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams revisit their March Madness predictions.

Three of Toppmeyer's Final Four picks remain in the tournament, while two of Adams' picks went down in the first round after he overvalued the SEC and went all in on Kentucky and Auburn. Clean the slate. Fresh picks ahead ... including a No. 5 seed to the Final Four? 

Stay connected on Twitter with Blake (@btoppmeyer) and John (@JohnAdamsKNS) and stay up to date on SEC football news by subscribing to KnoxNews: knoxnews.com/subscribe.

Get your brackets finalized. Decide whether you want to lean into that No. 13 over a No. 4 upset pick. Lock in your Final Four.

The Madness is nearly here.

With eight SEC teams in the NCAA Tournament, including four that are either seeded No. 2, No. 3 or No. 4, could this be the year the conference produces a national champion for the first time since the 2012 Kentucky Wildcats?

On today's episode, Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams are putting the pigskin on the shelf in favor of hoops and America's favorite tournament.

They handicap the toughest region, make their Final Four and upset picks, and they agree on which team will be the last one standing from the SEC.

Stay connected on Twitter with Blake (@btoppmeyer) and John (@JohnAdamsKNS) and stay up to date on SEC football news by subscribing to KnoxNews: knoxnews.com/subscribe.

In the spirit of March Madness, we're ready to seed the SEC – but here's the twist. We're seeding for football.

Now, you might be thinking, "This sure sounds like an SEC football power ranking, doesn't it?" Well, yes. It's exactly that. But, this is the time of seeds, brackets and upsets, so why call this a power ranking? It's seeding, darn it!

On today's episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams offer their 2024 power rankings – or seeding, rather.

This pecking order is not necessarily reflective of how they see the conference standings. A team's schedule draw will affect the standings. Rather, this seeding is based more on a team's merits.

We can agree that Georgia should be the SEC's No. 1 seed and Vanderbilt is a deserving No. 16. In between, though, there are disagreements on the order.

Later in the episode, the hosts pivot to hoops with predictions for the SEC Tournament.

Stay connected on X with Blake (@btoppmeyer) and John (@JohnAdamsKNS) and stay up to date on SEC football news by subscribing to the free SEC Unfiltered newsletter: bit.ly/SECUnfiltered

Steve Spurrier weighed in on the state of Florida football under embattled coach Billy Napier, and the HBC's assessment came off as anything but a ringing endorsement.

Florida Times-Union columnist Gene Frenette quoted Spurrier questioning the direction of Napier's Gators in a recent column. The most biting quote?

“There’s a feeling around the Gators of, 'What the heck are we doing?'” Spurrier said.

Yes, indeed: What the heck is going on at Florida? By most appearances, in all kinds of weather, the Gators aren't sticking to together.

On today's episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams react to Spurrier's comments and assess Napier's standing at UF.

Their assessment: Napier faces turbulent times ahead.

Later in the episode, the hosts answer Hugh Freeze's question: Why not Auburn? 

Also, the latest on College Football Playoff expansion talks.

Stay connected on Twitter with Blake (@btoppmeyer) and John (@JohnAdamsKNS) and stay up to date on SEC football news by subscribing to KnoxNews: knoxnews.com/subscribe.

The contract originates in the state of Texas, and the deal is a big one.

In those two ways, the contracts for Longhorns coach Steve Sarkisian and former Texas A&M coach Jimbo Fisher are similar. Maybe it's true that everything is just bigger in Texas – even the paychecks. Sarkisian's salary now jumps to $10.3 million, while Fisher enjoys his record-breaking $77 million buyout.

Peel back the layers, though, and you'll see several arguments against Sarkisian being a Fisher 2.0. 

On today's episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and Nick Kelly weigh in on Sarkisian's payday and why it makes sense for Texas. The Longhorns are betting Sarkisian's elevator is still going up. There's evidence to support that.

Later in the episode, a status update on the situation at Alabama, where Kalen DeBoer prepares for his first spring practice in the SEC. The hosts identify the three biggest questions facing Alabama in 2024.

Stay connected on Twitter with Blake (@btoppmeyer) and John (@JohnAdamsKNS) and stay up to date on SEC football news by subscribing to KnoxNews: knoxnews.com/subscribe.

The 12-team College Football Playoff evolved before it ever debuted.

The expanded playoff that's set to launch this season originally had been devised as a 6+6 format. That is, automatic bids for the six-best conference champions, plus six at-large bids.

But, after that format got approved, realignment crippled the Pac-12.

So, on Tuesday, the CFP Board of Managers voted to change the playoff to a 5+7 format – automatic bids for the five-best conference champions, plus seven at-large bids. The CFP contract lasts another two seasons. For 2026 and beyond, no approved playoff format exists.

On today's episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams react to this modified 12-team playoff format and speculate as to what might be in store for the playoff beginning with the '26 season.

This much seems likely: SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey will have an influential voice in shaping the playoff's future, just as he swung a big stick in determining this 12-team playoff format.

Stay connected on Twitter with Blake (@btoppmeyer) and John (@JohnAdamsKNS) and stay up to date on SEC football news by subscribing to KnoxNews: knoxnews.com/subscribe.

The SEC teems with talented quarterbacks in 2024, ranging from proven veterans to ballyhooed freshmen. The quarterback talent only stands to improve with Texas and Oklahoma joining the SEC.

Eight of the SEC's soon-to-be 16 teams return their starting quarterbacks, and even a few of those breaking in new starters will be led by familiar faces.

On today's episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams draft SEC quarterbacks in an attempt to build the best four-quarterback depth chart.

Toppmeyer prefers proven talent, while Adams rolls the dice with freshmen.

Later in the episode, why the College Football Playoff's decision to keep ESPN as its exclusive TV partner works for the SEC. Plus, the latest on Tennessee's lawsuit against the NCAA.

Stay connected on Twitter with Blake (@btoppmeyer) and John (@JohnAdamsKNS) and stay up to date on SEC football news by subscribing to KnoxNews: knoxnews.com/subscribe.