The ball tipped, and the upsets began . Then the second round tipped, and chalk held strong. Each of the four No. 1 seeds remains in the NCAA Tournament in the Sweet 16 , but does that mean we think it'll be all favorites in the Final Four? Nope. On today's episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams revisit their March Madness predictions. Three of Toppmeyer's Final Four picks remain in the tournament, while two of Adams' picks went down in the first round after he overvalued the SEC and went...
Mar 27, 2024•40 min
Get your brackets finalized. Decide whether you want to lean into that No. 13 over a No. 4 upset pick. Lock in your Final Four. The Madness is nearly here. With eight SEC teams in the NCAA Tournament, including four that are either seeded No. 2, No. 3 or No. 4, could this be the year the conference produces a national champion for the first time since the 2012 Kentucky Wildcats? On today's episode, Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams are putting the pigskin on the shelf in favor of hoops and America'...
Mar 20, 2024•44 min
In the spirit of March Madness , we're ready to seed the SEC – but here's the twist. We're seeding for football. Now, you might be thinking, "This sure sounds like an SEC football power ranking, doesn't it?" Well, yes. It's exactly that. But, this is the time of seeds, brackets and upsets, so why call this a power ranking? It's seeding, darn it! On today's episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams offer their 2024 power rankings – or seeding, rather. This pecking order is not necessarily ref...
Mar 13, 2024•41 min
Steve Spurrier weighed in on the state of Florida football under embattled coach Billy Napier, and the HBC's assessment came off as anything but a ringing endorsement. Florida Times-Union columnist Gene Frenette quoted Spurrier questioning the direction of Napier's Gators in a recent colum n. The most biting quote? “There’s a feeling around the Gators of, 'What the heck are we doing?'” Spurrier said. Yes, indeed: What the heck is going on at Florida? By most appearances, in all kinds of weather,...
Mar 06, 2024•46 min
The contract originates in the state of Texas, and the deal is a big one. In those two ways, the contracts for Longhorns coach Steve Sarkisian and former Texas A&M coach Jimbo Fisher are similar. Maybe it's true that everything is just bigger in Texas – even the paychecks . Sarkisian's salary now jumps to $10.3 million , while Fisher enjoys his record-breaking $77 million buyout. Peel back the layers, though, and you'll see several arguments against Sarkisian being a Fisher 2.0. On today's e...
Feb 28, 2024•29 min
The 12-team College Football Playoff evolved before it ever debuted. The expanded playoff that's set to launch this season originally had been devised as a 6+6 format. That is, automatic bids for the six-best conference champions, plus six at-large bids. But, after that format got approved, realignment crippled the Pac-12 . So, on Tuesday, the CFP Board of Managers voted to change the playoff to a 5+7 format – automatic bids for the five-best conference champions, plus seven at-large bids. The C...
Feb 21, 2024•39 min
The SEC teems with talented quarterbacks in 2024 , ranging from proven veterans to ballyhooed freshmen. The quarterback talent only stands to improve with Texas and Oklahoma joining the SEC. Eight of the SEC's soon-to-be 16 teams return their starting quarterbacks, and even a few of those breaking in new starters will be led by familiar faces. On today's episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams draft SEC quarterbacks in an attempt to build the best four-quarterback depth chart. Toppmeyer pr...
Feb 14, 2024•48 min
The “Power 2” are super buddies all of a sudden after last week’s announcement that the Big Ten and SEC are forming an advisory group aimed at solving some issues facing college sports . Will this alliance produce a breakaway, at least in football, of the NCAA’s two richest and most powerful conferences? Could the Big Ten and SEC say farewell to the College Football Playoff in a few years and launch their own postseason exclusive to the “Power 2?” Sure, it's possible. Likely? Probably not. At le...
Feb 07, 2024•44 min
If you couldn't have Kirby Smart coaching your team, which SEC coach would you want? As of a month ago, the answer should have been obvious: Nick Saban . But, the retired GOAT is out of the equation , leaving Smart all alone on the top tier of college football coaches. Within the SEC, who forms the second tier? On today's episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams draft SEC coaches in an attempt to collect the best group of coaching talent. It’s no mystery who’s going off the board first: Sma...
Jan 31, 2024•46 min
The SEC Championship Game stands to acquire some new flavor in 2024. Three times in the past six years, the December clash in Atlanta featured Alabama vs. Georgia. And if Nick Saban had returned as coach in 2024, that theme may well have repeated. But now, after Saban's retirement and the transfer of several prominent players? Eight or nine wins suddenly looks more realistic for Alabama in Kalen DeBoer's debut season than a return to Mercedes-Benz Stadium and another date with Kirby Smart. On to...
Jan 24, 2024•51 min
New coach , meet the old coach – the one who’s not leaving, just changing duties. Alabama introduced Kalen DeBoer on Saturday as Nick Saban’s successor, and during his introductory remarks, DeBoer addressed the GOAT in the room (seated in the front row) when he said Saban would retain “100% access” to the Alabama program. Saban, after six national championship’s as the Crimson Tide’s coach, will remain employed by Alabama athletics in an advisory role. On today's episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer a...
Jan 17, 2024•37 min
Who gets to be the man to replace The Man? Who even wants that assignment? The greatest of all time has retired . Nick Saban announced Wednesday that he’s handing off the reins of Alabama football after six national championships with the Crimson Tide and seven overall. Alabama fans mourned the news. Elsewhere in the SEC, there were probably grins. For nearly two decades, Saban and Alabama crushed everyone in their path. Who can continue such dominance? On today's episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer ...
Jan 11, 2024•53 min
Michigan won the national championship without having to face Georgia , but would that have mattered? The Wolverines rattled off wins against Ohio State, Alabama and Washington. Cheating allegations aside , they’re deserving champs. And yet … we can’t help but wonder how a Michigan-Georgia national championship would have gone. On today's episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams consider who would have won a matchup of those teams. And, while we’re on the subject of hypotheticals, would the...
Jan 10, 2024•46 min
Michigan is one victory away from winning a national championship while under separate NCAA investigations into allegations of recruiting violations and impermissible sign-stealing. Hardly the scandals of the century, but enough to cast the Wolverines into the black-hat role. They remain unfazed. The investigations, though, have some wondering whether a Michigan national championship would be deemed illegitimate. Nonsense. The way we see it, if Michigan beats No. 2 Washington on Monday, then the...
Jan 05, 2024•55 min
Lane Kiffin is making us reconsider how we think about recruiting classes . Entering Wednesday, the first day of the December signing period, Ole Miss’ 2024 recruiting class ranks No. 21 nationally. Not bad. Not great. And not all that relevant. That’s because Kiffin’s roster-assembly strategy features a strong focus on transfers, which are not factored into recruiting rankings. Ole Miss’ transfer haul ranks No. 1 in the nation. Give the “Portal King” his crown and scepter. He’s done it again. O...
Dec 20, 2023•49 min
Joe Burrow and Billy Cannon, you have company. Jayden Daniels became the third player in LSU history to win the Heisman Trophy . The senior quarterback claimed college football's top honor Saturday by a comfortable margin. Ask us, and we say voters got this right. As the nation's best player, Daniels was a deserving winner. Now, we turn the page to 2024. On today's episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams offer eight players to watch for the 2024 Heisman. Of course, quarterbacks dominate th...
Dec 13, 2023•56 min
These aren’t the ‘ four best teams. ' Not by our count. The College Football Playoff selection committee explained its decision to swap out Florida State , the undefeated ACC champion, from the playoff field in favor of Alabama, the SEC’s one-loss champion, as a mission to insert the “four best teams” into the field. The committee also conjured up some other previously unheard of reasoning as justification for making the unprecedented move of rejecting an undefeated Power Five champion from the ...
Dec 05, 2023•51 min
Seven teams will play in conference championship games this weekend with a realistic shot at College Football Playoff qualification , while an eighth (Ohio State) sits at home with a longshot avenue toward backdoor entry. If the higher-ranked teams hold serve – Georgia, Michigan, Washington and Florida State – then it’s a tidy field of four undefeated teams from Power Five conferences. If at least one of those undefeated teams fall, though, then the committee will face some hard choices. On toda...
Nov 28, 2023•59 min
This isn't a banner season for the SEC. While Georgia and Alabama chase the College Football Playoff, two teams chase new coaches, and several teams are in danger of missing bowl games. Welcome to rivalry week, which is a sideshow to the SEC's ongoing coaching searches before next week's clash between Alabama and Georgia. On today's episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams provide one-sentence summaries of each SEC team's season or the state of the program. From firings to flops, they summa...
Nov 21, 2023•59 min
Texas A&M is a top-20 college football job with top-five resources, and the job is vacant after the firing of Jimbo Fisher. Fire up the carousel, and bring on the big-name coaches ! The Aggies don't have a national championship pedigree, but they have the fertile recruiting terrain, financial support and facilities to make this a very appealing job. Money is no object for Aggies boosters, either. Texas A&M is the best job on the market. Is it good enough to attract Lane Kiffin, Dan Lanni...
Nov 14, 2023•57 min
Alabama and Georgia are on a collision course for Atlanta, while the hot seat smolders elsewhere in the South, and at least one SEC quarterback has a chance at the Heisman Trophy . Buckle up! These next four weeks leading up to Selection Sunday are about to get really, really interesting. No SEC coaches have been fired, but the coaching carousel is begging to begin its motion. On the playoff front, Georgia, Alabama and dark-horse Ole Miss remain in the mix. LSU's Jayden Daniels for Heisman? Don'...
Nov 07, 2023•59 min
Go ahead, watch Tuesday’s CFP rankings reveal rankings reveal. Become miffed if you think your team gets snubbed by the committee’s pecking order. But, remember, how you’re ranked on Halloween isn’t a great predictor of which team will win the national championship. On today's episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams examine the résumés for the five remaining undefeated teams from Power Five conferences. They agree on who should be ranked No. 1. They also agree that the committee will rank ...
Oct 31, 2023•58 min
Texas A&M faces two bad choices: Swallow Jimbo Fisher's monstrous buyout, or stomach Fisher's ceaseless mediocrity. Get a bunch of oil tycoons in a room, and let’s see how they react to this dilemma. The SEC’s hot seat is cooking , and Fisher has company. Arkansas’ Sam Pittman epitomizes how quickly a coach can descend from beloved to bewildered. Pittman froze up and goofed in a critical moment during the Razorbacks’ sixth straight loss, an embarrassing 7-3 defeat Saturday to Mississippi Sta...
Oct 24, 2023•56 min
Tennessee’s upset of Alabama became a defining moment of the 2022 season. Rivalries provide the backdrop for college football’s greatest games, and when the Vols beat the Crimson Tide for the first time since 2006, joyful fans lit cigars, tore down the goal posts, marched them out of the stadium and baptized them in the Tennessee River. Show us an NFL scene that matches that. Tennessee beat Alabama 52-49 in a game in which the quarterbacks combined for 840 passing yards. Don’t expect a repeat of...
Oct 17, 2023•57 min
As the SEC's season hits its midpoint, let's take stock of where things stand. Who are the conference's top offensive and defensive players? Whose coaching performance deserves acclaim, and who is already in wait-til-next-year mode? On today's episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams bust out some hardware. They struggle to anoint a coach worthy of this prestigious midseason honor, before settling on Missouri's Eliah Drinkwitz. As for players, LSU's Jayden Daniels , Georgia's Brock Bowers a...
Oct 09, 2023•54 min
Georgia is No. 1 , but the Bulldogs aren’t dominating as if they’re the nation’s best team. Auburn’s offense is one-dimensional, but Georgia struggled to get past the Tigers . Even so, Top 25 poll voters are reluctant to remove a team off the No. 1 spot unless it loses. That’s especially true for a two-time defending national champion. But, should Georgia be ranked No. 1 entering its clash with No. 20 Kentucky? On today's episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams share how they’d fill out th...
Oct 03, 2023•59 min
Alabama regained a pulse , and the three-headed race for the SEC West is back on. Yes, Alabama, LSU and Texas A&M have one loss apiece. Each came against a nonconference opponent, though, and the West’s projected frontrunners won their SEC openers to restore order to the division. Big games loom in November, but we’ll gain clarity in the meantime. LSU is a slim favorite this week against Ole Miss before Alabama tries to atone for a 2021 loss to Texas A&M when it visits the Aggies in two ...
Sep 26, 2023•55 min
Tennessee tumbled from the national top 10 with its loss to Florida, Alabama had a four-quarter tussle on its hands against lowly South Florida, and Georgia needed a second-half rally to beat South Carolina. The struggle is real for the SEC’s projected frontrunners. Of the teams the media projected would finish in the top three of each SEC division, only Georgia (3-0) remains undefeated. Oh, and it’s only Week 4. On today's episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams rank their level of concer...
Sep 19, 2023•57 min
Texas mauled Alabama on Saturday, to the extent that you had to wonder whether this was the final punch on the chin of Nick Saban's fading dynasty . The team with the better quarterback won. Led by Quinn Ewers, Texas blitzed Alabama in the fourth quarter. Tide quarterback Jalen Milroe threw two critical interceptions. After an offseason of quarterback uncertainty, is a change in order? Would it even matter? On today's episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams examine Alabama's loss to Texas ...
Sep 12, 2023•52 min
Remember that meme where a Western Kentucky player looks to a camera during a 2011 game against Kentucky and says, "They supposed to be SEC!" with a delighted grin of mockery? That line came to mind in Week 1, when three SEC teams went down against ranked opponents. Utah crushed Florida . North Carolina destroyed South Carolina . Florida State picked apart LSU . They supposed to be SEC? The nation's preeminent conference got humbled. On today's episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams unpac...
Sep 05, 2023•50 min
