Our 7 lukewarm SEC football predictions, from coaching firings to Kalen DeBoer’s Alabama debut

Have you heard hot takes. You’re probably familiar with cold takes.

But do you know warm takes?

They may be the truest predictions of all. In this edition of “Unfiltered SEC Football,” a USA TODAY Network podcast, hosts Blake Toppmeyer It is John Adams serve up a serving of lukewarm SEC football games.

What constitutes a warm take? It is a prediction against the current this doesn’t reach the hot level of a hot outlet.

Will a surprise SEC team be ranked in October? Yes. We have an idea which one.

How many coaches will be fired? Several. More than the number that is in the spotlight now.

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

TOPPMEYER: Ohio State football wants you to pay $50 to watch practice. (I would pay $0.)

ADAM: The biggest threats to the SEC’s overall playoff spots besides the Big Ten

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Let’s go to the shots:

Vanderbilt wins an SEC game

Predicting that a team will beat a conference opponent may not seem like a spicy approach until you consider that it’s Vanderbilt. The Commodores have been winless in SEC play in three of the last four seasons. But Clark Lea will rally the ‘Dores to sneak past a conference opponent this year, much to the delight of the construction crew in attendance. – Adams

Missouri won’t make the college football playoffs

The Tigers are a modern preseason top-10 team and also a frequent playoff pick. This is for a good reason. They enjoy a favorable schedule and return enough firepower from last year’s 11-win team to remain interesting. But they also had some opportunities last season, escaping with narrow wins against Kansas State and Florida. Another tightrope walk could be more treacherous and result in a 9-3 record: a good year, but not a playoff year. – Toppmeyer

Alabama fans will be more optimistic next January than last January

In January 2024, Alabama fans were dealing with a bitter loss to Michigan in the Rose Bowl on top of Nick Saban’s retirement. Next January, they will be inspired by Kalen DeBoer’s first season. DeBoer’s debut probably won’t result in a national championship, but he will do enough to instill confidence in the future. – Adams

Florida will be a Top 25 team in October

Florida’s schedule, which features games against 11 Power Four opponents, is brutal. And it could end with Billy Napier being fired. But the Gators’ toughest games lie in the second half of the season. There is a path to a hot start, even if it is followed by disappointment. – Toppmeyer

Tennessee’s Iamaleava has good Heisman odds for a redshirt freshman, but not as good as Ewers, the Texas quarterback who joins Georgia’s Carson Beck as the sports betting favorite. Ewers is good. Expect Iamaleava to be great. – Adams

Ole Miss will produce a top-five defense in the SEC

That might be a little far-fetched, but consider Ole Miss among the teams that could compete for a national championship. Why? Lane Kiffin used handoffs to address the defense. A program that focuses on attack should enjoy a more defensive complement. – Adams

Four SEC coaches will be fired

The temperature is rising around Napier, Florida, Sam Pittman, Arkansas, and Lea, Vanderbilt. And never rule out the possibility of a coach exploding at high speed and running into a gunfight or finding himself in enough trouble off the field to result in a shooting. Four dismissals might be enough, but not much in this pressure cooker of a conference that only gets tougher with the arrival of Texas and Oklahoma. – Toppmeyer

Later in the episode

– ESPN released its Preseason Football Power Index. What’s with the FPI hate for Ole Miss and is the metric too high in Alabama and Oklahoma?

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Blake Toppmeyer is an SEC columnist for the USA TODAY Network. John Adams is a senior sports columnist for the Knoxville News Sentinel. ssign up for Unfiltered SEC Football podcast and check out the Unfiltered SEC newsletter delivered straight to your inbox.

This article originally appeared in the Nashville Tennessean: SEC Football Predictions: Kalen DeBoer Expectations? Lane Kiffin peaking?