SEC Football Unfiltered

SEC Football Unfiltered

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.

Episodes

March 10, 2026 47 mins

If Indiana can be a football school, then why can’t Florida be a basketball school? Todd Golden is looking to emulate Billy Donovan and coach the Gators to back-to-back national championships. As the SEC Tournament arrives, Florida has won 11 straight and is making a beeline for a No. 1 seed in March Madness.

In the meantime, can anyone stop Florida in Nashville?

On today’s basketball-themed episode, hosts Blake Toppmey...

Mark as Played

By now, you're quite familiar with the big names. Arch. Trinidad. Gunner.

The SEC is stocked with an impressive collection of quarterbacks for 2026. But, even as the headline stars suck up a lot of oxygen, we detect a handful of quarterbacks flying below the radar who could be poised for big seasons.

On today's episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams highlight four SEC quarterbacks who are not being talked about enough. Allow...

Mark as Played

The last round of SEC expansion re-established the Texas-Texas A&M rivalry, but conference realignment has taken more than it's given on the rivalry front. Not only that, but the SEC's elimination of divisions also will stop some rivalries from occurring annually. Both inside and outside of the SEC, games that were once part of the fabric of college football are no longer played every year.

On today's episode, hosts Blake ...

Mark as Played

Say this for the Big Ten’s quest to expand the College Football Playoff: It doesn’t become fixated with any particular idea.
While the SEC remains stuck on a 5+11 playoff plan the Big Ten refuses to accept, the B1G’s playoff think tank has devised yet another proposal.
This one centers on 24 teams.
On today's episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams play a round of fact or fiction and debate whether ...

Mark as Played

Can the SEC put an end to the Big Ten's national championship streak? That quest begins with four SEC teams, although one ACC team might be the most dangerous threat to the Big Ten's string of dominance in 2026.

On today's episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams go head-to-head drafting their top six national championship contenders.

Adams, with the first pick in the draft, plucks a frontrunner from the SEC, but Toppmeyer ven...

Mark as Played

When the Big Ten refused to compromise on the 16-team playoff that the SEC desired, that left the SEC with a choice: Go to 24 teams, or stay at 12? The SEC chose 12.

Did it make the right call?

On today’s episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams unpack the inability for the SEC and Big Ten to reach a compromise on playoff expansion.

Also, a debate of whether the SEC erred by adding a ninth conference game, in light of th...

Mark as Played

Dabo Swinney named names. The Clemson coach is blowing the whistle with allegations of tampering by an SEC school. 

Swinney says he's decided to sic the feeble NCAA on Mississippi coach Pete Golding, after Swinney accused the Rebels coach of tampering to plunder a player off Clemson's roster.

Oh, boy.

On the one hand, kudos to Swinney for actually naming names. Many coaches bellyache of tampering, but few come with any evidenc...

Mark as Played

When Indiana won its first national championship in program history, the Hoosiers shattered college football's permission structure. Fans could always hope. Now, Indiana gave fans of lovable losers permission to believe.

Who cares about history? That matters less than ever.

That should be good news for a few programs inside the SEC.

On today's episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams debate whether the "next Indiana" could be ...

Mark as Played

The mighty SEC has fallen off its perch. It no longer rules college football. For the third straight season, the SEC has been shut out of the national championship game. If Indiana beats Miami, that will mark three straight national titles for the Big Ten.

How does the SEC get the crown back?

Start in Texas. The Longhorns failed to live up to the hype in Arch Manning's first season as starter, but they finished the year in strong f...

Mark as Played

The SEC's hopes rest on the shoulders of Trinidad Chambliss and Ole Miss. While most of the SEC flopped in the postseason, the Rebels have become the toast of college football, as they continue to win even after Lane Kiffin's exit.

Can the Rebels reach the finish line? If so, can the Heisman Trophy redirect its way into Chambliss' hands? The latter won't happen. The former? Maybe.

On today's episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John ...

Mark as Played

The Big Ten is thriving so far this postseason. With a couple of exceptions, the SEC is wilting.

And what of the coaching carousel? Did the Big Ten club the SEC there, too? You could make that case.

LSU scored the big fish by securing Lane Kiffin. Mostly, though, SEC schools hired promising but largely unproven up and comers, while Big Ten schools like Michigan and Penn State landed veteran winners with solid resumes.

On today's ep...

Mark as Played

The College Football Playoff’s first round served two competitive games and two blowouts. The reaction to that: Many fans and media types are demanding a change to the CFP bracket format.

Is that an overreaction to two lopsided games, or a worthy response? Let’s remember, last year’s playoff served up four first-round duds. So, at least this year provided an upgrade. That doesn’t mean this system is perfect.

...

Mark as Played

Diego Pavia reacted to his second-place Heisman Trophy finish as only he would.

"F all the voters," Vanderbilt's quarterback wrote on social media.

Hey, he's talking about us! We're the voters.

On today's episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams reveal their Heisman Trophy ballots and sound off on Pavia's response to not winning. 

We take no significant offense to Pavia criticizing sportswriters and their votes. After all...

Mark as Played

Did the CFP committee get the playoff bracket right? Well, that depends on your perspective and your rooting interests. The bubble became awfully crowded, so not everyone was going to come away happy.

Overall, Alabama and Miami seem like fair choices, but the course the committee charted to reach that destination became an exercise of the absurd.

On today’s episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams offer their biggest gri...

Mark as Played

If you’d formed a list of candidates LSU should pursue after it fired Brian Kelly, it might have looked like this:

1. Lane Kiffin

2. Revert to option 1 and get it done.

LSU got it done. Lane has landed in Baton Rouge. Now, what does it all mean?

For Kiffin, leaving Ole Miss on the doorstep of the playoff marks a sharp pivot in his redemption story and revives his renegade past. At LSU, he'll enjoy every advantage to win ...

Mark as Played

Two SEC schools will lose the Lane Kiffin sweepstakes. To the victor goes Kiffin, and all that accompanies this mercurial renegade. To the losers go ... a coaching search.

In the meantime, Kiffin's current team pursues a playoff bid. Ole Miss must win the Egg Bowl to solidify its playoff footing. Never mind the Kiffin drama, says Rebels quarterback Trinidad Chambliss, because the team remains "locked in" on winning the Egg Bowl and...

Mark as Played

Greg Sankey once mused about the SEC staging its own College Football Playoff. He didn’t follow through, but his conference has an outside shot of claiming half the spots in a 12-team playoff.

Not bad, eh?

The bubble’s getting awfully crowded, so what’s the most realistic outcome for the SEC?

On today’s episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams consider the playoff fortunes of the SEC’s seven teams...

Mark as Played

The buyout gods rested. The money cannon ran out of gunpowder. The firing squad took a weekend off.

Folks, we just got through a Sunday with no college football coaches fired. Do you believe in miracles?

Are the firings finished for this season? Well, about that ...

On today's episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams discuss a few SEC coaches who might not be out of the woods yet. Kentucky's ...

Mark as Played

The firings will continue until morale improves.

Auburn became the latest SEC school to succumb to misery, firing Hugh Freeze on Sunday to put an end to his awful tenure. This becomes Auburn’s third firing in six seasons at a program that once punched at the highest level.

As the Tigers limp toward what would be a fifth consecutive losing season, it begs the question: Is this still a good job?

On today’s episode, hosts ...

Mark as Played

Brian Kelly came to LSU talking like Nic Cage from "Con Air" and promising national championships. He left a fired coach, with no national titles but plenty of buyout money on the way.

LSU is hiring, adding an injection of rocket fuel into the coaching carousel. Of course Lane Kiffin will be attached to this search, but he's not the only brand name worthy of consideration.

On today's episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams de...

Mark as Played

Popular Podcasts

    If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.

    Betrayal Season 5

    Saskia Inwood woke up one morning, knowing her life would never be the same. The night before, she learned the unimaginable – that the husband she knew in the light of day was a different person after dark. This season unpacks Saskia’s discovery of her husband’s secret life and her fight to bring him to justice. Along the way, we expose a crime that is just coming to light. This is also a story about the myth of the “perfect victim:” who gets believed, who gets doubted, and why. We follow Saskia as she works to reclaim her body, her voice, and her life. If you would like to reach out to the Betrayal Team, email us at betrayalpod@gmail.com. Follow us on Instagram @betrayalpod and @glasspodcasts. Please join our Substack for additional exclusive content, curated book recommendations, and community discussions. Sign up FREE by clicking this link Beyond Betrayal Substack. Join our community dedicated to truth, resilience, and healing. Your voice matters! Be a part of our Betrayal journey on Substack.

    Dateline NBC

    Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com

    The Breakfast Club

    The World's Most Dangerous Morning Show, The Breakfast Club, With DJ Envy, Jess Hilarious, And Charlamagne Tha God!

    Crime Junkie

    Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by Audiochuck Media Company.

Advertise With Us
Music, radio and podcasts, all free. Listen online or download the iHeart App.

Connect

© 2026 iHeartMedia, Inc.