Alabama has never finished a season outside of the top 10 in the AP poll since the 2007 season, Saban's first year on the job.

Now that Georgia has won its first national championship since the 1980 season with a 33-18 triumph over Alabama on Monday in Indianapolis, we're set to learn whether the Bulldogs have longevity.

On this edition of "SEC Football Unfiltered" a podcast from the USA TODAY Network, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams outline why Georgia's staying power under Kirby Smart will be more similar to Alabama's under Saban than LSU's under Orgeron. 

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.

Throughout the eight years the College Football Playoff has been in place, 12 of the 16 semifinal games have been decided by more than 14 points.

That included both semifinal games this season. 

No. 1 Alabama defeated No. 4 Cincinnati 27-6 in the Cotton Bowl before No. 3 Georgia thumped No. 2 Michigan 34-11 in the Orange Bowl.

Some pundits think expanding the playoff would create closer games and more varied outcomes.

On this edition of "SEC Football Unfiltered," a podcast from the USA TODAY Network, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams examine the case for an expanded playoff and whether it would generate more compelling games and create more parity within a sport that has become dominated by a handful of teams, led by Alabama.

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.

No shortage of quality college football jobs came open during this year's coaching carousel.

LSU ranks among the top five jobs in the sport. It came open. So did another marquee SEC job: Florida.

On this edition of "SEC Football Unfiltered," a podcast from the USA TODAY Network, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams rank the hires for these six high-profile jobs.

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.

College football coaches predicted that loosening transfer restrictions on athletes would yield a free agency-like system, and that's come to fruition after the NCAA changed the rules last spring to grant immediate eligibility to all first-time transfers.

The transfer portal is bursting at the seams, and it's not just full of bums and project players. Already, former Oklahoma starting quarterback Spencer Rattler has transferred to South Carolina.

Also in the portal are former SEC starting quarterbacks Bo Nix of Auburn, Max Johnson of LSU and Zach Calzada of Texas A&M. Each of those three players will be immediately eligible at his next school, whether that's a destination inside or outside the SEC.

On this edition of "SEC Football Unfiltered," a podcast from the USA TODAY Network, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams suggest SEC landing spots for these transferring quarterbacks. 

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.

If the Georgia football team is to win a national championship this season, it's not going to be through the arm of its quarterback.

These Bulldogs were fashioned as a throwback.

For 12 games, Georgia used a menacing defense and an offense built around its rushing attack to ascend to No. 1 in the nation.

But those linchpins didn't hold in a 41-24 loss to No. 2 Alabama on Saturday in the SEC Championship Game in Atlanta.

On this edition of "SEC Football Unfiltered," a podcast from the USA TODAY Network, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams debate whether Georgia should change quarterbacks for the playoff.

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 opened the bank vault, stroked a big check, and got its man.

Southern Cal's moment in the spotlight after hiring Lincoln Riley from Oklahoma didn't last long. LSU seized the attention by lifting veteran Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly away from one of the sport's most iconic jobs for the chance at a richer paycheck and fertile recruiting ground on the Bayou.

Kelly received a 10-year contract worth $95 million, plus incentives.

But did LSU make a home-run hire or overspend in a panic buy to wrap up a coaching search that had entered its seventh week?

On this edition of "SEC Football Unfiltered," a podcast from the USA TODAY Network, host Blake Toppmeyer and guest cohost Nick Kelly of the Tuscaloosa News evaluate LSU's hire.

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

Florida became the third marquee college football job to open this season when the Gators fired Dan Mullen amid his fourth season on Sunday. The Gators join LSU and Southern Cal with openings considered to be among the top-15 jobs in college football.

Other Power Five jobs available include Washington, Washington State, Virginia Tech and TCU.

Suffice it to say that this year's coaching carousel will offer an even wilder ride than usual.

On this edition of "SEC Football Unfiltered," a podcast from the USA TODAY Network, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams each pitch three candidates for their cohost to evaluate for the Gators.

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.

Arkansas, Mississippi State and Ole Miss rank as the toughest jobs in the SEC West. 

Second-year coaches Sam Pittman, Mike Leach and Lane Kiffin are making them look relatively easy.

Each team secured an important victory on Saturday.

On this edition of "SEC Football Unfiltered," a podcast from the USA TODAY Network, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams evaluate the speedy program turnarounds being orchestrated by Kiffin, Pittman and Leach.

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.

If Florida is going to fire embattled coach Dan Mullen, it must consider two questions: Who can the Gators legitimately expect to hire? And is Florida confident it will outrank LSU and Southern Cal on the vacancy pecking order?

LSU and USC got a jumpstart on their coaching searches in October and September, respectively. Do the Gators really want to enter that brew now?

On this edition of "SEC Football Unfiltered," a podcast from the USA TODAY Network, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams examine Mullen's hot-seat status and debate whether Gators athletics director Scott Stricklin should retain Mullen or reboot.

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.

Georgia almost certainly will be ranked No. 1 when the first College Football Playoff rankings are unveiled on Tuesday night.

Sorry to spoil the surprise.

After that, it's going to get interesting. 

On this edition of "SEC Football Unfiltered," a podcast from the USA TODAY Network, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams debate how they'd order the top seven teams in this week's rankings.

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.