Chris Lowe’s SEC Lists Needed A Rethink (I Fixed them)

List season turns college football into a debate sport, so I grabbed two of the loudest SEC lists and put them under a microscope. We react to Chris Lowe’s On3 rankings for the top SEC quarterbacks and SEC head coaches, then rebuild both lists from the ground up using the stuff that actually predicts Saturdays: coordinator continuity, system fit, health, and the difference between real production and preseason hype.

At quarterback,  I explain why Arch Manning deserves the top spot heading into the season, why John Mateer is set up for a major leap, and why last year’s playoff glow doesn’t automatically lock anyone into No. 1. We also get into the messy middle of the SEC QB conversation, including Marcel Reed’s upside, Gunnar Stockton’s steady profile, the case for Auburn’s Byron Brown as a proven dual-threat, and the concerns that follow Sam Levitt and Lenoris Sellers when injuries and accuracy show up in the details.

Then I pivot to SEC head coach rankings and reshuffle the top tier with zero patience for “vibes only” placement. Kirby Smart stays at the top, but we argue Kalen DeBoer should be ranked higher than he is, question where Steve Sarkeesian belongs given Texas expectations, and talk through Lane Kiffin, Mike Elko, Brent Venables, and the debate around newer head coaches like Alex Golish and Pete Golding.

I close by reacting to a viral WNBA take about Caitlin Clark and why hot-take culture keeps trying to push stars out right after they grow the game. Subscribe, share this with a friend who loves arguing rankings, and leave a review with your SEC top 3 QBs and your top 3 coaches.

Thanks for listening to The 3rd Down Conversation. If you enjoyed today's episode, be sure to subscribe, leave a review, and share it with another sports fan. Remember, every down matters but the conversation states here. Until next time, keep the chains moving and keep the conversation going. 

Transcript

List Season And Quick Welcome

SPEAKER_01 0:01

It is officially list season in the colors football world. And Chris Lowe of OM3 has a couple of lists that I just gotta talk about. I gotta address them. So let's talk about it. Welcome to the third down conversation. Your place for sports and entertainment. I am the turnip seed. Let's talk about it. Yes, welcome on into the third down conversation, my good people. Please remember to like and subscribe to the show because so you can always get the latest and the greatest from the third down conversation.

Chris Lowe’s SEC QB Top Ten

SPEAKER_01 0:54

Chris Lowe of On3. The first list that we need to talk about, his ranking of the top ten quarterbacks in the SEC. Before I jump into my issues with this list, let's look at his top ten. He had Trinidad Shameless as number one quarterback for O Miss. Arch Manning, number two from Texas, Gunnar Stockton, number three of Georgia. John Mateer, number four of Oklahoma, Sam Levitt, number five of LSU. Lenores Sellers, number six from South Carolina. Marcel Reed, number seven from Texas, AM. And at number eight, there is Byron Brown. Of course, he's at Auburn. Number nine, we've got Camario Taylor of Mississippi State. And to round out the top ten, we have Kenny Minchie of Kentucky at number ten. Okay, so number nine, number ten, quarterbacks from Mississippi State and Kentucky. I think those are fine. Like, not even gonna touch those. I'm gonna work from eight all the way up. Alright? Well, actually, I work from one all the way down. Everyone is on the Trinidad Chamberless hype train. Trinidad had an amazing season last year. Got old missed to the playoffs, won a game in the playoffs. Well, actually, two games in the playoffs, one of those games being against Georgia, played really, really well against the national champion runner up, which was Miami. So I get why people are like, it's gonna be Trinidad, he's gonna be the best quarterback in the conference. I'm not believing that. He also lost his office coordinator. So he has a brand new system that he has to learn, brand new terminology.

Why Arch Should Be No. 1

SPEAKER_01 3:26

That has to matter. Because of that, Trinidad can't be number one. The obvious number one quarterback in the conference has to be Arch Manning. It has to be. He has been in Steve Sarkeesian's offense for three solid years. Knows the terminology, has all the tools, has all the talent. And based on how he finished last season, he clearly should be the number one ranked quarterback in the conference coming into this season. Number two should be John Mateir. Like last year, John Mateir got a lot of hype, a lot of praise coming over from Washington State with his offensive coordinator. I felt he was going to struggle with uh last season being his first year in the SEC, and he did. He also hurt his thumb, but he did struggle. I think year two, with this being his third year in the same system, because as I just stated, he came from Washington State with his offensive coordinator. So year two in the league, year three in the offense, he's about to take off, in my opinion. I truly believe Oklahoma's gonna have a great season, and that's going to be due to John Mateir. He's finally going to be what everybody thought he was going to be last year. Much like how people thought Arch was going to be really good last year. This is the year that Arch and John Matteer both take off. So Arch is number one, John Matteer is number two. At number three, this is where I feel comfortable putting Trinidad at Chamberless. I don't believe what he did last year was a complete fluke or completely based on Lane Kiffin, but I do believe a large chunk of that was because of Lane Kiffin. And due to him losing Lane Kiffin and also losing his offensive coordinator, I think he takes a couple of steps back. I don't think he'll be as good as he was last year. So Trinidad should be number three.

Mid-Tier QB Debates And Red Flags

SPEAKER_01 6:01

At number four, I'm going Marcel Reed. Now I've done a brief synopsis of this of the top quarterbacks in SEC a few episodes ago, and I've kind of had some tweaks. I didn't have Marcel Reed at number four the last time I kind of talked about this, but now I do. And it's due to the fact that this is again going to be his third year in the system. And I just think that matters. The reason why he's a little behind Trinidad, John Mateer, and Arch is he kind of gets happy feet when he's in the pocket, which kind of mess up his form a little bit. I'm thinking this year that gets fixed or at best tweaked a little bit. And I think that's gonna help him be a better quarterback. So Marcel Reed is number four for me. At number five, there is where I put Gunnar Stockton. Gunnar is just consistent. Like he's just consistent. He's gonna make the right reads, he's gonna make the right uh throws, he can hit the easy ones, he can hit a few deep ones, but that those short to intermediate, Gunner's gonna eat you up. He can also lead the pocket, he can take a lick. But his consistency is the reason why he's top five to me in the SEC. At number six, I like Byron Brown of Auburn. Don't try to call me a homer. I can back this up. He is one of 12 players in NCAA history to throw for 3,000 and rush for 1,000. And now people are gonna say, well, he did it at South Florida. I don't care. I don't care. Do you understand how hard that is to do? When you add that, along with coming over to Auburn with his head coach and his head offensive coordinator, none of the offense changed. It's the same offense he's been in since he was a freshman. He has all the tools, he has all the all the talent. At number seven is Sam Levitt. And most people probably think I'm crazy about that one. But the last time we saw Sam Levitt play well was two years ago when he led Arizona State to the playoffs. Since then, he's been hurt. Like LSU aren't really sure whether they're what they are getting because he hasn't been able to go through spring. So you gotta take that into consideration when you're ranking these quarterbacks. He may go out there and ball and prove that he is as good as people think he is. And I truly believe he's only getting the hype that he's getting because of Lane Kiffin. If he wasn't with Lane Kiffin, I think things would be different. And at number eight, that is where I place Lenores Sellers. Lenores has a lot of athletic ability, can really run the ball, hard to tackle, can keep plays alive, but his accuracy is a problem. It is a major, major problem. Which is why I have Matt Number eight on my list. And then, of course, Camario Taylor of Mississippi State and Kenny Minchie of Kentucky would be in those just last two. Again, we weren't really focused on those two, but just to recap, what Chris Lowe should have had. Number one, Arch Manning. Number two, John Mateer, number three, Trinidad Shameless. Number four, Marcel Reed. Number five, Gunnar Stockton. Number six, Byron Brown. Number seven, Sam Levitt. And number eight, Lenore Sellers.

SEC Head Coach Rankings Introduced

SPEAKER_01 10:35

The next list I want to address from Chris Lowe. And Chris Lowe, you'll never hear this, but bro, I promise it ain't no beef. I just think your list needs a lot of tweaking. That's all. Just a little bit. But the next list that uh Chris Lowe made is the SEC head coach rankings. And then for this one, he did all 16. So here is his ranking. He's got Kirby Smart at number one, he's got Sart of Texas, number two, Lane Kiffin, number three, Kellen De Boer, number four, Mike Elko of Texas AM, at number five, Josh Heipel of Tennessee, at number six, Eli Drinkowicz, number seven, he's at Missouri, Clark Lee, number eight of Vanderbilt. Number nine, he's got Brent Venables of Oklahoma. Number 10, John Somerall of Florida. Number 11, he has Shane Beamer of South Carolina. Number 12, he has Pete Golding of Ole Miss. Number 13, Alex Golish of Auburn. Number 14, Jeff Levy of Mississippi State. Number 15, Ryan Serville. He's at Arkansas. And last but not least, number 16, he has Will Stein of Kentucky. Now for this list, I want to focus on that top 13. So Mississippi, Arkansas, Kentucky. You can kind of just they're there. No disrespect, by the way. They're there, but we're only going to focus on the top 13.

Reordering The SEC’s Top Coaches

SPEAKER_01 12:32

The number one is Kirby Smart on Chris Lowe's list. And I'm going to give Kirby that. I'm going to give Kirby that. It is debatable, in my opinion, if he's the best coach in the SEC. But he has been the most consistent in the SEC. He has a national championship. He is the only coach in the SEC who has a national championship. So we will give Kirby that respect. He's number one. Number two. Auburn fans don't hate me. Bama fans are about to love me. It should be Kalen DeBoore. He should be the second ranked coach on this list. He literally stepped in and took over for Nick Saban. That first year, he wins nine games. Arguably should have been in the playoffs. Year two, he goes 10-2, makes the playoffs, wins a game. He beat Kirby Smart. He's also beat Sark when he was at Washington and made a national championship appearance while at Washington. He is the only coach in the SEC that has a winning record against Kirby Smart and Steve Sarkeesian. And let Chris Lowe tell it, those are the two best in the conference. No other coach in the SEC can say that. So Kalen Nabor should be number two. Number three, that is where I would put Steve Sarkeesian of Texas. The reason I feel he's third and not two is simply because he should have been able to do more at Texas outside of what he's currently done. They have only one appearance in the playoffs since Texas has come over to the SEC. And with a program like that, they should be there consistently, in my opinion. So this will be a big season for the Lonehorns. Third year with Arch Manning, who's supposed to be a generational talent. They've got weapons in the backfield. They've got weapons outside. This has got to be the year. I feel like if they do not make the playoffs, there might be some rumblings about making a coaching change because they are spending a lot of money, millions of dollars on that roster and missing their playoffs in Austin, Texas, it's just not acceptable. So, Steve, you're number three. Number four, I've got Mike Elko. I've got Mike Elko. They made the playoffs last year. This is Texas AM. They have consistently improved from year to year. After they got rid of Jimbo, they went and got a guy who's all about the process and building the culture the right way. And it shows Texas AM at one point in time were all bells, no whistles. They had all the talent in the world, but could never quite put it together. They're very dangerous with Mike Elko, though. Defense is solid, offense is pretty solid as well. What Mike Elko has currently built and how he's turned that program around, he is the fourth best coach in the SEC. At number five, that is where I place Lane Kiffin. Now on Chris Lowe's list, Lane is number three. And I've got him two slots behind that. And it's simply because Lane, much like the 4th of July, fireworks, fireworks, fireworks, but instead of a big bang and a big display of fireworks, it's kind of like a whimper with Lane. Always kind of fizzles out and just doesn't quite meet the expectation that has been built over, that has been built up over the season. Even when Ole Miss did well and was going to make the playoffs, I mean, he left. So I can't give him any credit for that because we don't know how they would have performed under Lane because they were losing those big games when Lane Kiffin was the coach. His inability to beat Georgia. And then Ole Miss goes and beat Georgia in the playoffs without him. That has to say something about the culture that he was instilling at that time and how he was approaching those big games. So Lane has never won anything, but he's number five for me. Number six is Brent Venables of Oklahoma. Brent is a defensive mastermind. And last year he got that offense fix. And what happened? They make the playoffs. I think that's only just the beginning for Brent in Oklahoma. I think they're going to make another great run at it this coming season. I like what he's built over there. So for me, he's number six. At number seven, I go Eli Drinkowitz. He's completely turned that Missouri program around. It was left pretty much dead. Eli gets there and completely revamps him, changes that offense. He has a lot of Gus elements in his offense. So Missouri fans, be careful about that. But again, I like what he's built. I like what he's built. They typically win between, you know, eight, nine games a year, usually always ranked. Number seven, Eli Drinkowicz. At number eight, that's where I would place Joyce Heichel. He's over at Tennessee. They are a solid program, but Tennessee to me seems to not beat winning programs. Just last year, they went like eight and four. But of those eight wins, they did not beat a team with a winning record. So while that performance last year looked great, if you look at the details, it really wasn't. They've also come up short in some big games under Josh Hyper. So for me, he's number eight. Number nine, that is where I would put Clark Lee or Vanderbilt. Most people would say Clark Lee should be higher. What he's doing at Vanderbilt is unprecedented. The last person to do what he's done was um James Franklin. And now Clark Lee, who was an alumni of uh Vanderbilt, has Vanderbilt looking like a weld or machine. I almost had him a couple of notches higher, but I need to see Clark and Vanderbilt go out and perform without Pavia. If he can produce another Pavia light player, then he would go up in the rankings as far as I'm concerned, but I'm not sure he can. And I'm kind of crossing my fingers and hoping he can't because they gotta play Auburn every year, and we don't need that, okay? We do not need Vandy being good. We need an easy W. So uh number nine, Vanderbilt. I mean number nine, Clark Lee. At number 10, I have Alex Golish there of Auburn. Now on Chris Lowe's list, Alex Golish is 13. That's behind Pete Golden, Shane Beamer, and John Somerole. And I bring up those three names because how can Alex Golish be behind Pete Golden? And he's never run a program before. I mean, he was literally the interim coach slash permanent head coach for Ole Miss for two games. And because he won two playoff games, one against a group of five, and then he beats Georgia. Whoop-de-doo. I mean, I ain't poo-pooing that, but it's one game. That doesn't mean he's a better coach. Two games. So that ranking for me is a problem. Shane Beamer, he's getting fired this year. I mean, he he he is. He's not better than Alex Golish. He hasn't been able to sustain anything at South Carolina, even though he has Lenore Sellers, who is a really good quarterback. Lastly, John Somerole should not be in front of Alex Golish because Alex Golish has shown the ability to rebuild a program. When he went to South Florida, they had won four games in four years. While Summerall, on the other hand, was at Troy after they had been rebuilt. Then he went to Tulane after they had been rebuilt. So Summer Rall is good at sustaining momentum. But can he actually create momentum? That remains to be seen. Because of those reasons, I've got Alex Golish at number 10 because he's shown the ability to build a program. At number 11, that is where I would put John Summerall. I'm not being bitter about Summerall. He was about to come to Auburn. Not being bitter about it. I just think that he is a quality coach. He's able to sustain a program. I'm not so sure if he's able to turn one around. And that's what I want to see. He's going to have the perfect opportunity to prove me wrong. He's at Florida. They've got the resources. So we're going to see what happens. At number 12, that's where I would put Pig Golden. So he's 12 on my list, just like he's 12 on Chris Slow's list. We just differ as who he is actually in front of. I like how he stepped in when Lane was doing all this stuff he was doing. Him going and beating Georgia in the playoff, I thought it was a super cool moment. I was happy for him. But as far as him as a coach, I need to see it. And I like he hasn't shown it. Two games isn't enough for me. And 13, remember, we were only focusing on that top 13. That is where I put Shane Beamer. And I hate to say it, but he's about to get fired. Let's just, I'm just being honest. He's about to get fired. So just to recap, number one, Kirby Smart. Number two, Kellen DeBoore. Number three, Steve Sarkeesian. Number four, Mike Elko. Number five, Lane Kiffen. Number six, Brent Venables. Number seven, Eli Drinkowitz. Number eight, Josh Heipel. Number nine, Clark Lee. Number ten, Alex Golish. Number 11, John Somerole. Number 12, Pete Golding. And number 13, Shane Beamer. To

Caitlin Clark And Hot Take Culture

SPEAKER_01 24:50

close out the show, I'm going to play a clip that has nothing to do with college football. I saw this clip and I just couldn't, I couldn't help myself. What you're about to hear is Emmanuel Acho of Speak. Do not go listen to his show. Talk about how the WNBA does not need Caitlin Clark anymore.

SPEAKER_00 25:24

The W at this junction in time would be better without Caitlin Clark because she is a bigger distraction than she is an additive. Caitlin Clark has gotten the WNBA over the necessary threshold they needed. Now people are watching. Now we realize, oh, there's talent in the W. Talent that's actually even greater than Caitlin Clark. And I'm not just talking about bigs like Asia. I'm talking about the Olivia Miles. I'm talking about the Paige Beckers. Hell, I'm talking about the Kelsey Mitchells. Caitlin got the necessary eyes there. But now that the eyes are there, we don't necessarily need her anymore. Caitlin did what only Caitlin could do, and we don't necessarily need her to do anymore. Thank you, Caitlin. We can take it from here. Now you're saying that the WNBA needs to be cognizant of where they put Caitlin Clark on posters. The WNBA and the officials need to alter the rules for Caitlin Clark. The WNBA and opposing players need to treat Caitlin Clark more gently. Caitlin Clark's coach needs to be cognizant of how she talks to her in public because it's gonna look like there's an issue. Unless we can take off our gloves for Caitlin Clark and stop trying to act like she's a messiah, the WNBA could and would be better off without Caitlin Clark, at least without this version of everybody coddling and caressing and catering to Caitlin Clark.

SPEAKER_01 26:43

Those comments are they're worse than asinine statements. It's plain stupid. Like it's it's dumb. And that's no disrespect to him, but it's clearly clickbait, and he got me with it because what he is saying doesn't even make sense at all. That's like you go into your favorite restaurant, and you go to this restaurant because they have crab claws, and you love crab claws. You like, you love them. And you go and you sit down, you got your mouth all watery for some crab claws, and the waiter comes to your table and they're like, How can I help you? What would you like? And you go, I want the crab claws. And they say, We don't have the crab claws anymore, but we got a lot of other good stuff that we know you're like because you come here all the time. And your response is probably gonna be, Well, I come here all the time because of the crab claws. If you ain't got the crab claws, why am I here? And that's essentially what Archo is saying. Caitlin Clark, thank you for getting us attention. Caitlin Clark, thank you for making people interested in the WNBA. Caitlin Clark, you were great. We appreciate it. Now, can you leave? Why would you ask the cash cow to leave? No one that he mentioned, from Paige Beckers to Aja, like this is no disrespect to any of them. Paige can hoop, but they don't move the needle the way Caitlin does. There have been players prior to Caitlin that could do what she does, but they couldn't move the needle. Why does Caitlin move the needle? I don't have a clue. Maybe it's something about her aura, maybe it's how she carries herself. But the fans love it. And now they don't need her. That's stupid. And then he goes on to talk about how, oh, they get they get they could they gotta call to her and players gotta be careful with her, and then you know, her coach gotta make sure she don't speak to her a certain way. Brother, the NBA, the WNBA should should, you know, make up different rules. Brother, it's called protecting your asset. They do it in male sports all the time. The most important player in the NFL is a quarterback. There are rules in place to protect said quarterback. In the NBA, they protect the stars. Why do you think LeBron gets the treatment he gets? Stuff gets the treatment he gets. KD and Edwards, Victor Wim, like Victor Wimbanyama. Of course, you protect your stars, they are the moneymakers. Like what you're saying doesn't even make sense. Because in male sports, they do it all the time. So in female sports, don't do it. That's stupid. It doesn't, it doesn't make sense. And the sad thing about what Archo is saying, he wouldn't say this about Angel Reese. I'll let you speculate why, but he wouldn't. He hyper up. Sad, sad statements. Again, don't go watch his show. Don't even look at his clips. Because he's nothing but a he's nothing but a hot take artist and just want clicks and views at this point. This has been the third down conversation.

Final Thoughts And Sign Off

SPEAKER_01 30:51

I am D turnip C. Please remember to like and subscribe. Jesus loves you, and I'm out. Peace.