The mercury is rising on the SEC’s hot seat before the season even begins.

Multiple SEC coaches face potential make-or-break seasons. Sam Pittman (Arkansas) and Billy Napier (Florida) are battling the most heat prior to their openers, but Clark Lea (Vanderbilt) and Shane Beamer (South Carolina) also will encounter critical seasons.

On today's episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams take the temperature of those four jobs.

Beamer is the only member of the quartet above .500 during his tenure, but the Gamecocks are coming off a season of regression. If Pittman’s record doesn’t rebound after last year’s tailspin, he could trigger a performance clause in his contract that would allow Arkansas to fire him for a discount. Napier’s Gators face one of the nation’s toughest schedules. Lea’s last SEC win came in 2022.

The hosts predict three of these four coaches will be fired, but they disagree on which three and debate the timing of the firings.

Greg Sankey says the SEC is 16 strong today and will remain at 16 strong tomorrow.

What about the day after that? How about next year? Sankey has less to say about that subject.

Meanwhile, fissures linger in the ACC. Florida State wants out of the ACC. The Seminoles and Clemson are both suing the ACC. That's not the sign of a league in harmony.

If FSU, Clemson and others defect, where would they go?

On today's episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams discuss the possibility of additional SEC expansion and whether the SEC's standing would be damaged if FSU and Clemson wound up in the Big Ten.

The SEC might be content at 16, but the risk of standing on the sideline amid further realignment would be the Big Ten growing stronger and narrowing the competitive gap. Adding FSU and Clemson would bring the B1G closer to the SEC. And, for the first time, the Big Ten would penetrate the South.

Later in the episode, Toppmeyer and Adams react to some of Nick Saban's spiciest quotes from SEC media days.

If Georgia is No. 1 in the SEC, then who's No. 2?

The media who cover the SEC will vote to predict the standings next week. The elimination of divisions adds intrigue to the vote. The Bulldogs likely will be picked to win the conference.

But, will the media go with newcomer Texas at No. 2? Or, maybe blue blood Alabama? Others like Ole Miss shouldn't be ignored, either.

On today's episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams weigh in on who they expect to be No. 2 in the media's vote. They also offer how they're predicting the top five spots in the SEC standings. They agree on Georgia at No. 1, but then the debate gets interesting. Alabama barely makes their top-five cut.

Later in the episode, Toppmeyer shares insights from his recent interview with Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer, who is embracing lofty Year 1 expectations.

The move that put the realignment carousel into motion three years ago finally is complete. Oklahoma and Texas are members of the SEC, and the nation's most powerful conference literally partied for days in celebration.

The realignment of this conference and these brands was enough to shake up college sports. This marks the third SEC expansion in the past four decades. Oklahoma and Texas are the SEC's best-ever expansion prize.

But, who's No. 1?

On today's episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams debate which of these two powers is the top plunder for the SEC. On this, they agree: Oklahoma and Texas outweigh any of the SEC's past additions, but they disagree whether the Sooners or Longhorns rank as the signature prize.

When the clock struck midnight on July 1, the SEC tweeted first to welcome Texas. Then, it welcomed Oklahoma. Also, the SEC Network visited Austin for a live broadcast before maneuvering to Norman a day later. Should we make anything of that? Is Texas the top add?

Perhaps not.

As a 16-team conference with Oklahoma and Texas on board, the SEC is an undeniable super league.

The SEC doesn't need to expand again. But, don't rule out the SEC wanting to, especially if the ACC fractures.

SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey says the conference is focused on its current membership, but he didn't entirely shut down the idea of further expansion, when asked directly.

On today's episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams unpack Sankey's comments and why they might point toward the possibility of the SEC becoming interested in ACC members, if the ACC's media rights deal doesn't hold.

Florida State and Clemson are suing the ACC, amid an ongoing battle with the ACC's contract that has, thus far, glued its membership in place.

Toppmeyer and Adams offer differing opinions on which four ACC schools the SEC should target, should those schools become available.

Later in the episode, an examination of the College Football Hall of Fame candidacies of Mike Leach and Les Miles.

You’ve heard of hot takes. You’re probably familiar with cold takes.

But, do you know of lukewarm takes?

They might be the truest predictions of all, and hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams are serving a helping of those lukewarm SEC football takes on today’s episode.

What constitutes a lukewarm take? It’s an against-the-grain prediction that doesn’t rise to the piping-hot level of a hot take.

A surprise SEC team will be ranked come October? Yep. We’ve got an idea about which one.

How many coaches will be fired? Several. More than the number who are on the hot seat right now.

A sleeper in the Heisman Trophy race? Certainly. Call your bookie with this bet.

Also, are Missouri and Ole Miss actually playoff teams? Thoughts on that, too.

Later in the episode, an examination of ESPN’s Football Power Index and some peculiarities within the teams it projects to be top playoff contenders.

The first 12-team College Football Playoff projects to be an SEC party. Nine SEC teams profile as playoff hopefuls, but not all of them can qualify.

Four playoff teams from the SEC seems reasonable. What about five? That’s a stretch, but doable if the SEC catches a few breaks.

On today's episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams unpack the SEC’s playoff outlook and handicap the hurdles standing in the way of the SEC qualifying as many as five teams.

Start with the Big Ten, which is the only conference that could threaten to qualify as many teams as the SEC. But, three qualifiers seems more likely for the Big Ten than five.

What about Notre Dame? The Irish snagging an at-large bid hurts the SEC’s chances for five, but Texas A&M might wreck Notre Dame in Week 1.

The Big 12 is the sleeper agent that could spoil the SEC’s five-qualifier quest.

Later in the episode, Toppmeyer and Adams highlight four sneaky-good nonconference games to watch this season. 

Georgia's backup quarterback is suing an SEC coach. Welcome to college football in 2024.

In a lawsuit filed this week, Jaden Rashada is suing a top Florida booster, a former recruiting staffer and Gators coach Billy Napier after Rashada's NIL deal with Florida unraveled while the quarterback was a blue-chip prospect.

Rashada's attorney says the quarterback was defrauded. He's seeking millions in damages. 

On this edition of "SEC Football Unfiltered," host Blake Toppmeyer is joined by the Gainesville Sun's Kevin Brockway to unpack the lawsuit and what it means for Florida and Napier, its already embattled coach. 

This lawsuit might never see the inside of a courtroom, but, regardless, it's the latest blow for a coach who went 11-14 the past two seasons, and it's bad press for Napier's recruiting efforts. Already, Florida was off to a slow start to its 2025 recruiting class. The Gators also face a daunting schedule. Just how warm is the seat getting for Napier?

Later in the episode, Toppmeyer is joined by David Eckert of the Mississippi Clarion Ledger to preview a season of big expectations for Ole Miss and Lane Kiffin.

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.

Either Georgia or Ohio State will be preseason No. 1. But just how heavily are those teams favored to win the national championship?

The SEC will be even more of a juggernaut than usual, following the arrival of Texas and Oklahoma. Georgia's schedule will include games against Clemson, Texas, Alabama, Ole Miss and Tennessee. That's a rugged road before the playoff arrives. Ohio State is loaded but will transition to a new starting quarterback.

On today's episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams consider this question: If you were predicting the national champion and could either take Georgia and Ohio State or the field, which would you choose?

It's a tough question, because Georgia and Ohio State are deserving frontrunners, but navigating a 12-team playoff presents more potential pitfalls.

Later in the episode, an examination of John Calipari's unusual strategy he says he's considering for Arkansas basketball.

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 is as strong as ever. That’s what a preseason top 25 from 247Sports suggests, anyway. The website updated its rankings while spring practice concluded. Nine SEC teams are ranked in the top 25, including eight inside the top 15.

Those rankings indicate that about half of the conference enjoys realistic aspirations of contending for the College Football Playoff. The SEC and Big Ten account for each of the top nine spots in the rankings. It really is a Power Two world.

On today's episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams consider these rankings and whether each SEC team is overrated, underrated or appropriately rated. They also discuss how many SEC teams realistically could qualify for the inaugural 12-team 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.