Tag: Greg McElroy

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 rĂ©sumĂ© 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.”

ESPN analyst Greg McElroy has ‘strange feeling,’ predicts upset in Texas vs. Georgia

ESPN’s Greg McElroy thinks ‘desperation’ will drive a Georgia Bulldogs upset of the Texas Longhorns in Austin.

ESPN’s Greg McElroy is no stranger to the SEC. McElroy was a quarterback at Alabama and won the 2010 BCS national championship over Texas. He also has ties to Texas. He attended Southlake Carroll High School, where he won a 5A state championship. That is the same school Texas QB Quinn Ewers attended.

A game analyst for ESPN, McElroy also hosts the “Always College Football” podcast. Each week, the former ‘Bama QB breaks down the big games and gives his prediction. The biggest game of the week is Georgia at Texas.

“I can’t wait for this game. I love this matchup. I think it’s going to be a blast. An absolute blast. You wanna talk about pros. if you’re an NFL scouting director, take a peek. Go to Austin this week.” — Greg McElroy

The former quarterback naturally focuses much of his analysis on the quarterbacks, Carson Beck for Georgia and Quinn Ewers for Texas.

“Is the offseason, I watched every single snap of Carson Beck from 2023. I watched them all. I thought he was phenomenal last year. … Think about how many great quarterbacks were in college football last year and he was in the top five in multiple categories. So far (in 2024) it just hasn’t been there for him. He’s 19th in QBR. He’s thrown five interceptions. That’s 74th. His off-target has nearly doubled from where it was a year ago. … The numbers are not good. It does feel like it’s in there. We saw it in the second half against Alabama. If we can get that version of Carson Beck in this game, then Georgia will win. But he got to play his best football. Because he hasn’t been at his best this year. So is this the game?” — Greg McElroy

McElroy turned his attention to Ewers.

“Can Quinn Ewers take advantage of a suspect Georgia secondary? The one thing I love about Quinn Ewers, and I don’t think he gets enough credit for this, he’s a big game hunter, man. This guy plays really well in big games. … He’s also got a great supporting cast. Gunnar Helm has been incredible at tight end for them. Matthew Golden has been awesome. Ryan Wingo, the freshman, man has he come on. Isaiah Bond, I know he had the ankle injury … he’s hoping he’ll be in a pretty good spot. Georgia’s secondary gave up 306 passing yards last week. 190 came in the second half.” — Greg McElroy

So, who does the ESPN expert pick?

“I have a really strange feeling about this game. I’m going to be honest with you. I think it’s going to be high scoring. I think both offenses are going to be able to move the football. I think that Georgia, for whatever reason, is going to play their best football game. Because Georgia, while no one is really talking about this, no one is really saying the quiet part out loud, but if Georgia loses this game it is far from a foregone conclusion that they’re in the college football playoff. They still have to go to Ole Miss. They still have to play Tennessee at home. It is not a guarantee that Georgia is in the playoff in the event they lose this game. Texas, however, things look pretty good for the Longhorns. So you know what I’m getting? I think I’m getting a desperate Georgia football team. I think I’m going to get Georgia’s best punch. And I think Georgia goes to Austin and pulls the upset.”

Georgia at Texas kicks off at 6:30 p.m. CT Saturday night on ABC.

Greg McElroy high on Tigers’ potential down the stretch: ‘Do not sleep on LSU’

Greg McElroy thinks LSU is poised to make some noise in the second half of the season.

It hasn’t always been pretty, but after dropping a heartbreaker in Week 1 to USC, LSU is 5-1 to start the season and now has a lot of momentum on its side after a huge win over Ole Miss on Saturday night.

Now, the Tigers are starting to think about the College Football Playoff again, and Greg McElroy, who was on the call for ABC in Baton Rouge on Saturday night, is thinking the same thing.

“Do not sleep on LSU,” McElroy said on his “Always College Football” podcast, per On3. “I’m just telling you right now. I watched that game, I called that game, I was in the building for that game. This LSU team, I think, was outplayed for most of the game – most of it, okay. I thought Ole Miss left a few plays on the board. Ole Miss had a fourth down & one that was stopped behind the line of scrimmage inside the LSU 10. Ole Miss missed a field goal high and right
They had a drop by their best offensive player downfield that, if they catch it, he scores and it’s a different-looking ball game. They had about four different fourth-down opportunities, it felt like, to get off the field. Ole Miss, I thought, outplayed LSU, really, from start to finish. But LSU is one of those teams where they’re always seemingly capable of creating a matchup that will beat you.”

McElroy is especially high on quarterback [autotag]Garrett Nussmeier[/autotag], who he called “the real deal.” He thinks Nussmeier will continue to improve as the Tigers give teams fits down the stretch.

“They are going to be a real problem, a real problem, for a bunch of teams down the stretch,” McElroy said. “Maybe LSU somehow backdoors their way into the SEC Championship. I don’t know how it happens but their schedule is kind of manageable. Like, I’m telling you. This LSU team? The arrow is pointing up – big-time up. They were fortunate this weekend that Ole Miss made some critical mistakes that allowed LSU to steal it but their best football is in front of them.”

Tigers fans will hope McElroy is right as LSU looks to close the season strong and reach the CFP for the first time under coach Brian Kelly.

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At least one pundit is back in on the Fighting Irish

At least one pundit believes in the Irish.

Former college quarterback and current analyst Greg McElroy is back in on the Notre Dame Fighting Irish after the Irish beat Louisville 31-24 on Saturday.

A lot of pundits are still not seeing the Irish as a top-10 or playoff team, but McElroy thinks the Irish could be — if they get back to playing to their potential, and if they can do it for a full game.

“The boobirds were out after Week 2, weren’t they?” McElroy said on his podcast. “You go, and you lose to Northern Illinois. They look great against A&M in the fourth quarter of the football game, and then Northern Illinois comes to town, and you get beat up along both lines of scrimmage.”

“Sometimes, you can point to upsets, and you say, ‘All right, well, little flukey, right. (It’s) unlikely that that happens again,'” McElroy said. “Well, that wasn’t the case against Northern Illinois. Northern Illinois just flat-out beat them along both lines of scrimmage.”

Sep 28, 2024; South Bend, Indiana, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish long snapper Rino Monteforte (39) prepares to snap the ball on an extra point in the fourth quarter against the Louisville Cardinals at Notre Dame Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Cashore-Imagn Images

That was the bad. Here’s the good.

“You look at it, Riley Leonard, it’s his fifth game as the starting quarterback of the Irish, and this was his first with multiple touchdown passes,” McElroy said. “All right. He hit (Jaden) Greathouse on the one, and then I love the designed screen throwback to (Jeremiyah) Love, which was a big touchdown down the left side. So, there’s an awful lot to like about what we saw from Mike Denbrock.

“I really liked what we saw from Mike Denrock the offensive coordinator, a highly, highly compensated offensive coordinator,” he added. “Bring him up from LSU, and this is the type of performance that you would anticipate.  My goodness, they have improved drastically. That was a good defense that they played against. That was a really good defensive line. I think that’s a group that has talent in the back end, and I thought Notre Dame’s offensive performance was rock solid.”

McElroy praised quarterback Riley Leonard’s growth and development. He then went on to speak highly of the defense, especially with the injuries it has been dealing with.

He ended by pointing out that the Irish have been playing well in 15-minute chunks.

“I’d love to see it for 60 minutes because we haven’t yet seen it for 60 minutes from Notre Dame,” McElroy said. “We’ve seen it in really 15-minute increments, whether it’s the fourth quarter against Texas A&M, whether it’s the one quarter of dominance and brilliance against Louisville in the first quarter. I’d love to see it for 60 because if they can do it for 60, they could play with anybody.”

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