Blake Toppmeyer
USA TODAY
Knoxville, TN, United States
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Past articles by Blake:
Inside Brian Kelly's plan to beat Nick Saban, his LSU 'dream,' and that accent
'Run the damn play.' LSU ran Snake, a play Brian Kelly decided on two days earlier. The Tigers toppled Nick Saban's Alabama. Kelly fits at LSU, yes? → Read More
Why Tennessee basketball is more likely to reach March Madness Sweet 16 than lose to Louisiana
Are you thinking about picking 13th-seeded Louisiana to upset No. 4 Tennessee basketball in the first round of the NCAA Tournament? Resist that urge. → Read More
March Madness sleepers? Upsets? Final Four locks? Here's the SEC teams poised to make noise
The SEC tied its conference record with eight qualifiers for the NCAA Tournament, but the conference didn't earn much seeding respect other than Alabama. → Read More
Could a 2-loss SEC football team miss 12-team playoff? Crazy, right? Not quite
Surely any two-loss SEC football team would make the 12-team College Football Playoff. Or, so I thought. An astute reader set me straight. → Read More
Tennessee basketball an easy upset? Whoa, hold up ... Trust Vols early, Alabama later
Why will Tennessee basketball survive Louisiana in the NCAA Tournament first round? Drake and Texas come to mind. → Read More
5 burning Tennessee football questions as Vols approach spring practice
The Joe Milton vs. Nico Iamaleava quarterback battle is the easy narrative entering Tennessee's spring practice, but there are other pressing questions. → Read More
If Ole Miss basketball hires Chris Beard, then win-loss record outweighs arrest record
Chris Beard is available for hire, within an industry where your arrest record matters less than your win-loss record. In slinks Ole Miss basketball. → Read More
Nick Saban barks up wrong tree about Alabama football schedule rivals. SEC can ignore him
While griping about Alabama football's earmarked rivals in a nine-game SEC schedule, Nick Saban refuses to see the forest for the trees. → Read More
Why Nick Saban is bemoaning Alabama's possible rivals, including Tennessee football, LSU
Nick Saban is crying foul over Alabama's rivals in a possible 9-game SEC schedule. Surely, he's up to something, but maybe not what it first seems. → Read More
Georgia football has a discipline problem that calls for action from Kirby Smart
Once is an incident, twice is a pattern and three times is a problem. Kirby Smart has a discipline problem within Georgia's football program. → Read More
Tennessee football, baseball or basketball? Which Vols team is best bet to win national title?
A little thing like a three-game suspension can't stop Tony Vitello or his Tennessee baseball team. This Vols train is Omaha caliber. → Read More
Here are our top candidates to be SEC football's dark horse, overrated teams in 2023
LSU is the SEC West's most well-rounded team. Don't expect the preseason media poll to reflect that. While Brian Kelly's Tigers lurk below the radar, what about Alabama? → Read More
Whether clueless or callous, Nate Oats' leadership of Alabama basketball is 'godawful'
Alabama basketball coach Nate Oats must be either clueless or callous, as evidenced by repeated gaffes in response to tragedy. → Read More
Lane Kiffin borrows Brian Kelly's quarterback move. I call it the blackjack model
In Jaxson Dart, Lane Kiffin had the equivalent of a "soft 18" blackjack hand. He hit, adding transfers in an aggressive move to raise Ole Miss' ceiling. → Read More
If Pac-12 crumbles, don't expect SEC to covet the scraps. Listen to Greg Sankey
The Pac-12's sunsetting media rights deal makes it vulnerable to raids, but SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey has not hinted at any interest in such far-flung expansion. → Read More
Which SEC football team can pull a Tennessee in 2023? Start with the Vols
Pulling a Tennessee last season meant smashing expectations and reaching the Orange Bowl. In 2023, who will pull a UT and exceed projections? → Read More
Ranking SEC quarterbacks: Jayden Daniels, KJ Jefferson, Spencer Rattler or Joe Milton top choice?
Jayden Daniels and KJ Jefferson are proven commodities. Spencer Rattler and Joe Milton are veterans with high ceilings. And what about Nico Iamaleava? → Read More
No Tennessee-Kentucky or Auburn-Florida? Readers reject my SEC football schedule rivals ideas
I proposed rivalry assignments for a potential nine-game SEC football schedule in 2024. Our readers had ideas of their own to preserve other matchups. → Read More
We assigned three rivals for each SEC football team. Here are our glaring omissions
The SEC hasn't approved a schedule model for its 16-team future, but it may finally embrace a nine-game league slate. We take a stab at assigning rivals, while acknowledging key omissions. → Read More
Why Texas football will be a better SEC rival for Tennessee Vols than Oklahoma
Who is the "real UT?" What's the better shade of orange? Where would Texas be without Tennessee's volunteers? Texas-Tennessee has the ingredients to be a rivalry. → Read More