College Football Unfiltered

Four SEC teams play a nonconference rivalry game with an ACC team each season, but the SEC's other members don't have a fixed non-league clash they play annually.

We're here to make some suggestions.

For Alabama, how about a matchup of blue bloods? There are multiple opportunities to reignite some old Southwest Conference clashes. Football-proud Nebraska and Penn State would make for good annual opponents for an SEC team, too.

On today's episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams suggest a nonconference rival for each of the SEC's 10 teams that do not currently play a rivalry game with a member of the ACC.

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.

Oklahoma and Texas will begin SEC competition in 2024. We still don't know what format the SEC's football schedule will take at that time.

Divisions are going away, but as to whether the league's members will approve eight or nine conference games, that debate continues. A schedule format decision is expected within two months.

On today's episode, Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams debate the merits of the schedule formats still under view. They agree: SEC members need to see the light and approve going to nine conference games.

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.

Careful, Jimbo Fisher. Your ego is showing – again.

The Texas A&M coach refused to admit that Bobby Petrino could implement schematic upgrades within an offense that ranked among the SEC’s worst last season. In fact, Fisher said scheme is irrelevant.

On today's episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams unpack potential reasons why Fisher dug in his heels rather than acknowledge that Petrino is his savvy hire brought in to accelerate the Aggies’ offense.

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.

Pour one out for the four-team College Football Playoff. This is its final go before the playoff expands to 12 teams in 2024. A bigger playoff will bring more SEC teams into contention. In fact, in the past nine years, nine SEC teams would have made a 12-team playoff at least one time.

How many SEC teams would make a 12-team field, if it were in place this year?

On today's episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams debate that topic.

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 tied its conference record by qualifying eight teams for the NCAA Tournament, and the conference boasts the No. 1 overall seed, Alabama.

Otherwise, the conference didn't earn much respect in seeding. Fourth-seeded Tennessee is the SEC team with the second-highest seed. 

On today's episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams put football on the back burner for a week to dissect the SEC's chances for a strong showing in the Big Dance.

They consider sleeper teams, offer their Final Four picks and one of the hosts picks an SEC team to win the national championship.

Nick Saban is getting upset, and he wants you to know it.

For years, Alabama's coach stumped for a nine-game SEC schedule. That change is likely coming in 2024, but now Saban is whining about the teams Alabama will have to play. Auburn, LSU and Tennessee are Alabama's assigned rivals in this proposed model. Saban thinks that's unfair.

Surely, he can't expect the SEC to reverse course now. It would look like it is caving to Saban's demands. So, what's he up to?

On today's episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams discuss why Saban might have an ulterior motive beyond griping about a tough draw of rivals.

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.

LSU is the SEC West's most well-rounded team, but don't expect the conference's preseason media poll to reflect that.

Not since 2012 have sportswriters who cover the SEC picked a team other than Alabama to win the West. Usually, Alabama is a smart choice, but the Crimson Tide faces more questions than usual this offseason – including, who is the quarterback? Meanwhile, LSU has a proven quarterback and a coach coming off a win over Nick Saban.

Not only should the Tigers be favored to win the West, their level of talent returning makes them a dark horse for the College Football Playoff.

On today's episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams offer their SEC dark horses and overhyped teams, as we sit six months from kickoff of the 2023 season.

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.

Even as Bryce Young, Stetson Bennett and Hendon Hooker depart for the NFL, the SEC boasts a handful of proven veteran quarterbacks, as well as some highly touted but untested younger players. 

But who would you select first if you could build a depth chart around one of the SEC's quarterbacks? An established starter like LSU's Jayden Daniels or Arkansas' KJ Jefferson. A high-ceiling veteran like South Carolina's Spencer Rattler or Tennessee's Joe Milton? Or, maybe even a wild card like the Vols' five-star freshman Nico Iamaleava?

On today's episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams each draft four SEC quarterbacks as they try to build the best four-deep quarterback depth chart.

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.

When Oklahoma and Texas join the SEC in 2024, a few rivalries will be restored, but a handful of others will reduce to being played once every two years.

The SEC has not approved a scheduling model for its expanded alignment, but there’s momentum to move to a nine-game conference schedule. One popular model discussed is a 3-6 schedule model, in which team would be assigned three rivals to play annually.

On today’s episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and Christina Long play matchmaker and debate the three rivals for each team.

Some choices are obvious: The Iron Bowl, Egg Bowl, Red River aren’t going anywhere. But making the puzzle pieces fit gets tricky and leads to the sacrifice of some second- or third-tier rivalries, as well as a few odd pairings. How does a Florida-Oklahoma rivalry sound?

Long takes exception to a few of Toppmeyer’s rivalry alignments. In particular, why is he angling to chop Kentucky-Tennessee and Arkansas-LSU?

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 top quarterback recruit in the 2023 signing class is either Tennessee’s Nico Iamaleava or Texas’ Arch Manning, depending on your ranking service of choice. But who is poised to break out first?

September schedules and coaching pressure may have something to say about that.

On today's episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams examine the expectations for these five-star recruits and explain why they think Manning will earn his first start before Iamaleava.

Their reasoning isn't all about Manning and Iamaleava, either. Tennessee's Joe Milton made a strong impression in the Orange Bowl.

Later in the episode, they debate whether Oklahoma or Texas will be the first to win a national championship after joining the SEC, and they explain why they're warming up to Alabama's coordinator hires of Tommy Rees and Kevin Steele after initially feeling unimpressed.

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.