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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.

Oklahoma and Texas will begin SEC competition in 2024. We still don't know <a href="https://www.oklahoman.com/story/sports/college/sooners/2023/03/12/sec-football-schedule-still-could-land-on-eight-games-when-ou-texas-join/69997673007/" aria-label="Link what format the SEC's football schedule will take at that time">what format the SEC's football schedule will take at that time</a>.
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, <a href="https://twitter.com/btoppmeyer" aria-label="Link Blake Toppmeyer">Blake Toppmeyer</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/johnadamskns" aria-label="Link John Adams">John Adams</a> 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.

SEC Football Unfiltered features hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams of the USA TODAY Network serving opinion, debate and analysis on trending college football topics within the Southeastern Conference. No subject is off limits, and no one is above rebuke. Take off the filter and revel in the banter.

SEC Football Unfiltered features hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams of the USA TODAY Network serving opinion, debate and analysis on trending college football topics within the Southeastern Conference. No subject is off limits, and no one is above rebuke. Take off the filter and revel in the banter.

SEC Football Unfiltered

If SEC football sticks with 8-game conference schedule, then CFP committee should hold it accountable

The media must be skeptical of Lane Kiffin's ability to make Year 1 a smashing success at LSU. Also, Auburn is flying under the radar as a sleeper team.

That's our reaction here at "SEC Football Unfiltered" to the conference's predicted order of finish that came out last week. LSU ranked No. 5 in the pecking order, and Auburn was No. 12.

On today's episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams debate the reasons why the media poll is so hesitant toward LSU, and they make the case for Auburn being underrated, too.

They also offer a pair of overrated teams.

Toppmeyer and Adams disagree on which team is the SEC's frontrunner. Is it Georgia or Texas?

Toppmeyer also asks Adams an interesting question: If the Big Ten has three national championship contenders (Ohio State, Indiana and Oregon), does the SEC also have three?

The media must be skeptical of <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/ncaaf/2026/05/21/lane-kiffin-hero-villain-lsu-football-ole-miss-exit/90141946007/" aria-label="Link Lane Kiffin's ability">Lane Kiffin's ability</a> to make Year 1 a smashing success at LSU. Also, Auburn is flying under the radar as a sleeper team.
That's our reaction here at "<a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/sec-football-unfiltered/id1574375094" aria-label="Link SEC Football Unfiltered">SEC Football Unfiltered</a>" to the conference's predicted order of finish that came out last week. LSU ranked No. 5 in the pecking order, and Auburn was No. 12.
On today's episode, hosts <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/staff/2648210001/blake-toppmeyer/" aria-label="Link Blake Toppmeyer">Blake Toppmeyer</a> and <a href="https://www.knoxnews.com/staff/2647548001/john-adams/" aria-label="Link John Adams">John Adams</a> debate the reasons why the media poll is so hesitant toward LSU, and they make the case for Auburn being underrated, too.
They also offer a pair of overrated teams.
Toppmeyer and Adams disagree on which team is the <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/ncaaf/2026/07/24/arch-manning-texas-football-predictions-lane-kiffin-sec/90980658007/" aria-label="Link SEC's frontrunner">SEC's frontrunner</a>. Is it Georgia or Texas?
Toppmeyer also asks Adams an interesting question: If the Big Ten has three national championship contenders (Ohio State, Indiana and Oregon), does the SEC also have three?

The media must be skeptical of Lane Kiffin's ability to make Year 1 a smashing success at LSU. Also, Auburn is flying under the radar as a sleeper team. That's our reaction here at "SEC Football Unfiltered" to the conference's predicted order of finish that came out last week. LSU ranked No. 5 in the pecking order, and Auburn was No. 12. On today's episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams debate the reasons why the media poll is so hesitant toward LSU, and they make the case for Auburn being underrated, too. They also offer a pair of overrated teams. Toppmeyer and Adams disagree on which team is the SEC's frontrunner. Is it Georgia or Texas? Toppmeyer also asks Adams an interesting question: If the Big Ten has three national championship contenders (Ohio State, Indiana and Oregon), does the SEC also have three?

Which two SEC teams were underrated in preseason predictions at media days?

Who are college football's top 25 coaches? USA TODAY recently released its rankings, and, in a bit of a stunning development, Tennessee's Josh Heupel was nearly left off the list entirely. He checked in at No. 24.

Hey, don't blame us. 

On today's episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams examine the case for Heupel being the SEC's most underrated coach.

Toppmeyer had a ballot in USA TODAY's coach-ranking project. He discloses where he ranked Heupel and explains his surprise that his colleagues view Heupel so differently. He also offers another SEC coach he believes is underrated in the USA TODAY list.

Adams agrees with Toppmeyer that Heupel is vastly underrated in this USA TODAY pecking order, but Adams lightly pushes back on where Toppmeyer ranked Lane Kiffin. Adams would've voted Kiffin a little bit higher than his cohost did, but Adams didn't get a vote. Adams tasks Toppmeyer with securing him a ballot for the vote in 2027.

Who are college football's <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/ncaaf/2026/07/13/college-football-coaches-rankings-top-25/90846445007/" aria-label="Link top 25 coaches">top 25 coaches</a>? USA TODAY recently released <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/ncaaf/2026/07/13/college-football-coaches-rankings-top-25/90846445007/" aria-label="Link its rankings">its rankings</a>, and, in a bit of a stunning development, Tennessee's Josh Heupel was nearly left off the list entirely. He checked in at No. 24.
Hey, don't blame us.&nbsp;
On today's episode, hosts <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/staff/2648210001/blake-toppmeyer/" aria-label="Link Blake Toppmeyer">Blake Toppmeyer</a> and <a href="https://www.knoxnews.com/staff/2647548001/john-adams/" aria-label="Link John Adams">John Adams</a> examine the case for Heupel being the SEC's most underrated coach.
Toppmeyer had a ballot in USA TODAY's coach-ranking project. He discloses where he ranked Heupel and explains his surprise that his colleagues view Heupel so differently. He also offers another SEC coach he believes is underrated in <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/ncaaf/2026/07/13/college-football-coaches-rankings-top-25/90846445007/" aria-label="Link the USA TODAY list">the USA TODAY list</a>.
Adams agrees with Toppmeyer that Heupel is vastly underrated in this USA TODAY pecking order, but Adams lightly pushes back on <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/ncaaf/sec/2026/07/07/sec-football-coach-rankings-2026-kirby-smart-lane-kiffin/90738486007/" aria-label="Link where Toppmeyer ranked Lane Kiffin">where Toppmeyer ranked Lane Kiffin</a>. Adams would've voted Kiffin a little bit higher than his cohost did, but Adams didn't get a vote. Adams tasks Toppmeyer with securing him a ballot for the vote in 2027.

Who are college football's top 25 coaches? USA TODAY recently released its rankings, and, in a bit of a stunning development, Tennessee's Josh Heupel was nearly left off the list entirely. He checked in at No. 24. Hey, don't blame us.  On today's episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams examine the case for Heupel being the SEC's most underrated coach. Toppmeyer had a ballot in USA TODAY's coach-ranking project. He discloses where he ranked Heupel and explains his surprise that his colleagues view Heupel so differently. He also offers another SEC coach he believes is underrated in the USA TODAY list. Adams agrees with Toppmeyer that Heupel is vastly underrated in this USA TODAY pecking order, but Adams lightly pushes back on where Toppmeyer ranked Lane Kiffin. Adams would've voted Kiffin a little bit higher than his cohost did, but Adams didn't get a vote. Adams tasks Toppmeyer with securing him a ballot for the vote in 2027.

Who is the most underrated SEC coach? Why it might just be Josh Heupel

We've got the College Football Playoff all figured out. Well, we'll give it our best guess, anyway.

The dog days of summer are the perfect time to cook up our first CFP bracket predictions, but here on "SEC Football Unfiltered," we arrive at our picks a little differently: It's a team effort.

Hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams are each responsible for supplying six teams. No overlapping picks. No overriding the other host's choices. Keep going 'til we hit 12 qualifiers.

The selections begin in a chalky manner, before Adams sprints to pick a Big 12 qualifier so that Toppmeyer won't pick BYU.

The final count looks like this: four playoff qualifiers from the SEC, plus a final Big Ten pick from Adams that makes Toppmeyer come unglued.

We've got the College Football Playoff all figured out. Well, we'll give it our best guess, anyway.
The dog days of summer are the perfect time to cook up our first CFP bracket predictions, but here on <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/sec-football-unfiltered/id1574375094" aria-label="Link &quot;SEC Football Unfiltered,&quot;">"SEC Football Unfiltered,"</a> we arrive at our picks a little differently: It's a team effort.
Hosts <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/staff/2648210001/blake-toppmeyer/" aria-label="Link Blake Toppmeyer">Blake Toppmeyer</a> and <a href="https://www.knoxnews.com/staff/2647548001/john-adams/" aria-label="Link John Adams">John Adams</a> are each responsible for supplying six teams. No overlapping picks. No overriding the other host's choices. Keep going 'til we hit 12 qualifiers.
The selections begin in a chalky manner, before Adams sprints to pick a Big 12 qualifier so that Toppmeyer won't pick BYU.
The final count looks like this: four playoff qualifiers from the SEC, plus a final Big Ten pick from Adams that makes Toppmeyer come unglued.

We've got the College Football Playoff all figured out. Well, we'll give it our best guess, anyway. The dog days of summer are the perfect time to cook up our first CFP bracket predictions, but here on "SEC Football Unfiltered," we arrive at our picks a little differently: It's a team effort. Hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams are each responsible for supplying six teams. No overlapping picks. No overriding the other host's choices. Keep going 'til we hit 12 qualifiers. The selections begin in a chalky manner, before Adams sprints to pick a Big 12 qualifier so that Toppmeyer won't pick BYU. The final count looks like this: four playoff qualifiers from the SEC, plus a final Big Ten pick from Adams that makes Toppmeyer come unglued.

If SEC football sticks with 8-game conference schedule, then CFP committee should hold it accountable

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