Tag: Greg McElroy

ESPN analyst believes Clemson should be the No. 1 ranked team for the 2025 season

McElroy sees Clemson as college football’s top team in 2025.

ESPN’s Greg McElroy has sparked a conversation about Clemson’s standing in college football heading into 2025, boldly suggesting that the Tigers should be considered the top team in the nation.

“Honestly, they should be No. 1,” McElroy said on his show, McElroy & Cubelic in the Morning. “Most people won’t put them there, but they probably should be.”

Despite winning the ACC Championship and earning a spot in the 12-team College Football Playoff, Clemson hasn’t been widely viewed as the team to beat in early 2025 projections. However, McElroy sees things differently. He credits Clemson’s resilience during their playoff matchup against Texas and the strong group of returning players as reasons why the Tigers deserve the top spot.

“Look at their production coming back,” he added. “They played well against Texas, even after a rough start. This is a team that improved and finished strong.”

As for Ohio State, McElroy doesn’t share the same optimism, despite their 2024 national title. He questioned whether the Buckeyes should open next season as the No. 1 team, noting the significant losses they’ve suffered.

“It’s hard for me to put them there,” McElroy said. “They had a special team this year, but I don’t think that automatically means they should start next season at the top.”

Greg McElroy totally jinxed Drew Allar right before devastating interception

“I trust him.” Oops!

If Drew Allar wants to point any fingers of blame on anyone before throwing a game-changing pick in the loss to Notre Dame, he can do that with Greg McElroy.

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With 47 seconds left and Penn State tied with the Fighting Irish at 24, the ESPN analyst had this to say: “For the most part, all season long, his whole career, Drew Allar’s made good decisions. He’s got 50-plus touchdowns, only 9 career interceptions. It’s not likely a guy that’s gonna put the ball in harm’s way. I trust him.”

Oops. Guess what happened not long after. He threw an interception, and Notre Dame won.

That’s rough.

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ESPN analyst makes prediction for Clemson vs. Texas College Football Playoff matchup

McElroy makes his picks for Clemson vs. Texas.

ESPN analyst Greg McElroy has a grim outlook for Clemson’s first-round College Football Playoff matchup against Texas. The Tigers are 12-point underdogs, and McElroy believes the Longhorns will dominate the game.

“I think it’s going to be one-sided,” McElroy said. “I think this thing gets out of hand. I think it’s a bad matchup for Clemson. I think Texas will force Clemson to take the underneath stuff. They’ll rally up, and then when the field condenses in the red zone, Clemson is going to have a really difficult time running the football.”

McElroy pointed to Clemson’s struggles in the run game as a major issue, particularly if Phil Mafah can’t recapture his early-season form.
“Unless Phil Mafah reverts back to who he was in the first eight or nine games of the year, I cannot envision Clemson having a lot of success running the football. I think they’ll try to run Cade Klubnik, but I don’t know how successful it will be,” McElroy added.

He also highlighted Texas’ disciplined defensive front as a key factor in neutralizing Clemson’s offense.

“I think Texas wins this thing going away. I just don’t know if Clemson will be able to score to keep up,” McElroy concluded.

Clemson and Texas kick off at 4 p.m. on Saturday in Austin.

Greg McElroy names 3 SEC teams as CFP locks

Greg McElroy considers Georgia, Tennessee and Texas to be CFP locks. He thinks one playoff spot is up for grabs

ESPN college football analyst Greg McElroy thinks 11 teams are College Football Playoff locks including three teams from the SEC.

McElroy thinks that the Texas Longhorns, Georgia Bulldogs, and Tennessee Volunteers are all locks to make the playoff regardless of what happens in the SEC championship game.

Georgia and Tennessee are two of McElroy’s three two-loss teams that he thinks are playoff locks along with the Ohio State Buckeyes.

McElroy has Oregon, Penn State, Notre Dame, and Indiana are all also playoff locks. Of course, the highest ranked Group of Five champion (currently Boise State), ACC championship winner (SMU versus Clemson) and Big 12 championship winner (Arizona State versus Iowa State) are all guaranteed a playoff berth.

So that leaves one remaining spot up for grabs among Miami, Alabama, Ole Miss and South Carolina. Last week, the selection committee ranked Alabama ahead of Ole Miss and South Carolina, so it is hard to envision the order of those rankings changing unless the committee is really impressed with South Carolina’s win over Clemson.

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The interesting thing to watch will be if the committee ranks two-loss Miami behind three-loss Alabama. The committee previously ranked a one-loss Miami team over a two-loss Alabama team, but the committee has been known to favor Alabama when in doubt (see the final two playoff rankings in 2022 and 2023).

One dark horse that McElroy did not mention is the SMU Mustangs. SMU is a one-loss team entering the ACC championship and if they lose to Clemson, then the Mustangs have a strong case to still make the playoff as the No. 11 seed.

How to watch College Football Playoff rankings show

TV Channel: ESPN

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College Football Playoff rankings release date:

Date: Tuesday, Dec. 3 at 7:00 p.m. ET

ESPN’s Greg McElroy warns Longhorns fans, ‘Texas needs to win out’

The Texas Longhorns must win out, including rivalry game against Texas A&M Aggies, to guarantee a playoff spot according to ESPN’s Greg McElroy.

The Texas Longhorns schedule and resume are taking a beating by the college football national analysts. Many analysts, like CBS Sports’ Josh Pate, don’t think Texas should get into the college football playoff if they lose another game, even though Texas is No. 3 in the current playoff ranking.

You can add ESPN’s Greg McElroy to the mix of pundits that think the Longhorns are in trouble if they lose to A&M at the end of the regular season.

The former Alabama QB doesn’t think Texas’ resume stacks up either. UT’s opponents have all had subpar seasons. “I think based on Texas’ resume, there is a real chance, a real chance, that Texas doesn’t have a Power Five win over a team above .500 in the event in which they lose to Texas A&M next weekend,” McElroy said on his Always College Football Podcast.

On the surface it seems like the Horns are in a good position in the third spot in the rankings. But McElroy doesn’t think that matters. “Texas is currently sitting at No. 3, but if they lose to Texas A&M, we have already seen the committee use precedent, already this year, of dropping eight-plus spots.”

If Texas drops eight or nine spots in the final week of the regular season they could be out of the playoffs all together. “I think Texas needs to win out to guarantee themselves a playoff spot,” McElroy said. “Sounds crazy to many to think a team currently ranked No. 3 is potentially in playoff mode the next two weeks, but that’s where I think the world is.”

SEC analyst is high on Notre Dame chances to win the College Football Playoff

High praise for the Irish, hopefully he’s right

It’s a big odd when an SEC analyst has high praise for a Notre Dame football team, but that is exactly what happened on Thursday.

Former Alabama quarterback [autotag]Greg McElroy[/autotag] was asked by former Georgia defensive end David Pollack if the Irish had a legit chance to win the College Football Playoff, and the answer was a resounding yes.

McElroy went over some of his criteria he’s looking for in a championship contender, which includes a quarterback that has experience, a take-over-the-game defensive line, and enough good skill position players.

While he’d rather have the skill players as wide receivers, McElroy believes the pair of backs in Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price make up for the lack of explosiveness on the outside.

Also mentioned was the fact that tight end Mitchell Evans is coming on, and the young offensive line has made improvements over the course of the season. McElroy didn’t shy away from liking Notre Dame’s chances, which should give the Irish hope that they can make a run in the CFP.

Jan 6, 2024; Houston, TX, USA; ESPN analyst Greg McElroy talks to the media during media day before the College Football Playoff national championship game against the Michigan Wolverines at George R Brown Convention Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

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Greg McElroy on ‘brand bias’ keeping Clemson in the College Football Playoff rankings

McElroy has had a lot to say about the Tigers of late.

As Clemson football checked in at No. 20 in the latest College Football Playoff rankings, ESPN analyst Greg McElroy expressed skepticism over the Tigers’ spot, even questioning if they should be ranked at all.

McElroy argued that Clemson’s football’s record and recent performances, particularly losses to Louisville and Georgia, don’t warrant their Top 25 inclusion. He emphasized that while Clemson’s past success under Dabo Swinney has bolstered their brand, this season has shown struggles against top competition. This comes a week after McElroy was already harping on how the Tigers shouldn’t be ranked.

“Clemson is at 20. I’m not sure they should be ranked, if you want my personal opinion,” McElroy said. “Not because I don’t think Clemson is capable. They’ve beat a lot of really good teams convincingly — well, I take that back. They’ve beat some solid teams convincingly, but the two really good teams they’ve played, they’ve not been competitive, against Georgia and Louisville. So if Clemson were to have been a little lower, I wouldn’t have had a problem with that. If they had been outside the Top 25, I would have understood as well.”

McElroy specifically pointed out that Clemson’s best win is against a 5-4 Virginia team, which he views as insufficient for their current ranking. He also cited brand bias, suggesting that Clemson is benefiting from their historical reputation. He raised similar critiques earlier in the season, suggesting that Clemson’s inconsistency makes them undeserving of a Top 25 position, especially when compared to other ACC teams with more impressive wins, like Miami and SMU.

It’s always interesting when an analyst calls out bias, as a lot of them are filled with their own. If we want to go down that rabbit hole, we can always find countless situations where an SEC guy like McElroy is biased towards ‘his’ conference. McElroy being on the call for the Clemson vs. Pittsburgh game makes things all the more interesting.

Clemson needs a strong showing in their upcoming games, starting with Pitt, to prove they belong in the rankings. The Tigers remain hopeful of securing a high enough ranking for the expanded playoff format, though McElroy insists that recent losses and a lack of standout victories are holding them back.

ESPN’s Greg McElroy, ‘This is the Texas we’ve been waiting for!’

ESPN analyst Greg McElroy praises the Texas Longhorns’ return to early season form, led by a great performance from Quinn Ewers.

After a blistering start to the 2024 season, the Texas Longhorns fell into a late October slump. UT was overwhelmed by the Georgia Bulldogs and almost lost to Vanderbilt.

But after a bye week to reset and let injuries heal, the Horns crushed the Florida Gators in a return to early season form. Especially Texas QB Quinn Ewers.

The junior signal caller completed 19 of his 27 passes for 333 yards. He averaged 12.3 yards a throw and didn’t turn the ball over. Ewers also tossed five touchdown passes, one shy of the school record, before giving way to Arch Manning with a win secured.

The Texas defense didn’t let up until UT was up 42-0 and the game was well in hand.

ESPN’s Greg McElroy took notice. The former Alabama QB said, “This is the Texas we’ve been waiting for. We’ve been waiting for this! And I’m so happy it came to the surface, finally! Because it’s been a while.”

McElroy points out Texas played more like they did early in the campaign, “We saw this Texas against Michigan, but it’s been a while. It feels like Texas has been kinda playing with their food a little bit.”

The improvement on the offensive side of the ball is what really caught the ESPN analyst’s attention. “Their offense … has just kinda lacked a little bit to me. We know that they can defend. That’s a really good group, a championship calibre defense. But the offense has been the thing that’s been kind of holding me back a little bit. This was a complimentary win.”

McElroy took a close look at the Texas QB, “Let’s look at Quinn Ewers’ performance because that has been an area of concern since the oblique injury. This was only the second game this year in which he had multiple touchdown passes and no turnovers. And the first time he’s done it since Michigan. I think it was fair to be concerned. But I also think it’s fair to acknowledge that it’s still in there. He’s still got it. He did a great job in this game.”

 

ESPN analyst Greg McElroy on how Clemson ‘has no business being in the CFP Top 25

McElroy does not believe in Clemson.

ESPN analyst Greg McElroy has openly questioned Clemson football’s inclusion in the College Football Playoff rankings at No. 23. Reacting to the initial CFP Top 25 rankings, McElroy expressed his confusion, saying, “I still am trying to figure out why Clemson…is in the top 25,” and pointed out that Clemson’s best win this season is against NC State, a 5-4 team.

McElroy doesn’t believe this record justifies a Top 25 ranking, especially when teams like Missouri (No. 24) are also under scrutiny. He noted that Missouri has at least a win over Vanderbilt, whereas he feels NC State hasn’t shown that level of quality.

McElroy also highlighted Clemson’s inconsistency this season, especially after a recent loss to Louisville, which hurt their ACC Championship and playoff aspirations. He acknowledged other ACC teams like Miami (No. 4), SMU (No. 13), and Pittsburgh (No. 18), suggesting that Clemson’s résumé doesn’t stack up comparably. Clemson will look to rebound in their next game against Virginia Tech at Lane Stadium, aiming to strengthen their case amid CFP discussions.

This week’s CFP Top 25 is the first of six weekly rankings, with the final reveal scheduled for December 8, Selection Day.

ESPN analyst Greg McElroy on how ‘dramatic’ the ACC title race could be

McElroy breaks down how dramatic the ACC title race could be.

Could the ACC be heading towards a chaotic finish? ESPN’s Greg McElroy sees it going that way.

On his Always College Football show, McElroy explored a tricky scenario involving Clemson, Miami, and SMU, all of whom remain undefeated in conference play. The twist? None of these teams face each other during the regular season, potentially setting up a complicated outcome.

“There is a possibility where you have a 12-0 Miami, and an 11-1 Clemson and SMU, with their only losses coming to out-of-conference opponents,” McElroy said. “Remember, Clemson lost to Georgia, SMU lost to BYU.”

McElroy looked further into each team’s odds: “Miami has a 30 percent chance to run the table. SMU has a 14.4 percent chance. Clemson has a 13.8 percent chance to run the table.”

The confusion lies with ACC tiebreaker rules, which McElroy finds unclear. “Now, I looked at the ACC tiebreakers, and I gotta be honest, they don’t make sense to me,” McElroy added. “If you can interpret it, please help me out because I don’t know.”

He suggested a situation where Miami wins the ACC, Clemson loses the conference championship, and SMU stays 11-1. “Imagine the fallout from that,” McElroy said, highlighting how the team that avoids a title game could benefit by not taking a second loss.

McElroy concluded, “It could be very dramatic. If you like drama, this might be the league for you.”