Greg McElroy’s latest Top 15 comes with a few familiar names at the top, but the ESPN analyst’s list starts to separate itself from the usual national picture once you get past the front end. On his Always College Football podcast this week, McElroy laid out a ranking that keeps Georgia in the top spot, gives Indiana a huge nod at No. 2, and pushes UCLA all the way into the Top 10.
Georgia has the clearest claim to No. 1 after its road win over Alabama, a result McElroy treated like the defining performance of the season so far. The Bulldogs also moved to No. 1 in the AP Top 25 by a wide margin, so there’s hardly any debate about where they belong right now.
Indiana checks in next, and McElroy clearly views the Hoosiers as more than just a nice story. They’re 6-0 after an undefeated season a year ago, and Curt Cignetti’s team has now gone an incredibly long stretch without a loss. Josh Hoover has settled in well after coming over from TCU, and the next major measuring stick arrives this week against Ohio State.
Miami lands at No. 3, and the Hurricanes’ placement reflects both what they’ve already done and what they’ve avoided so far. They’ve already handled Wake Forest, which McElroy pointed to as one of the ACC’s better teams, and they’ll get another chance to prove themselves this weekend against Florida State. The offense has been the headline, but McElroy’s bigger question is whether the defense can keep moving in the right direction and turn Miami into a complete team.
Notre Dame follows at No. 4 after steering through a start that has been much steadier than what Marcus Freeman teams have often produced early in recent seasons. Wins at North Carolina and against Wisconsin have aged well, but the real pressure point is coming fast.
A trip to unbeaten BYU looms this weekend, and then Miami comes to South Bend on Nov. 7.
Those two games could shape the Irish’s playoff path.
Alabama drops to No. 5 after the loss to Georgia, but McElroy’s ranking makes clear that the Tide are far from out of the picture. They’re still in the SEC title race and still very much alive in the playoff discussion. Tennessee on the road is next, and LSU is the only other major obstacle McElroy highlighted down the stretch.
Texas lands at No. 6 after taking its first loss of the season to Oklahoma. It was the kind of game that leaves plenty of “what if” questions, from Arch Manning’s two interceptions to a handful of plays that never broke Texas’ way.
Even so, McElroy still has plenty of respect for the Longhorns’ résumé thanks to the early win over Ohio State and the Tennessee victory. The next four games, though, are brutal: Ole Miss, Mississippi State, at Missouri, and at LSU.
Ohio State comes in at No. 7, and McElroy views the Buckeyes’ only loss as a workable one for now - at least depending on how Texas holds up later. The bigger issue is that the margin for error has tightened.
Saturday’s game against Indiana is massive. Win it, and the playoff outlook stays on track.
Lose it, and things get a lot murkier.
UCLA is one of the biggest surprises on the list at No. 8.
McElroy has been impressed enough to put the Bruins in the Top 10, and the Oregon win last week gave the ranking real weight. Bob Chesney has drawn comparisons to Curt Cignetti for the speed of the turnaround, though the schedule has been manageable enough to this point.
Still ahead are Wisconsin, a trip to Minnesota, a trip to Michigan, and USC at home to close the year.
Utah checks in at No. 9 after a first half that has been as clean as it has been dominant. The Utes have won every game by at least two touchdowns, and even when things have gotten a little messy, the final score has stayed convincing. Houston and BYU are the biggest remaining home tests, while four road games still sit on the schedule.
BYU rounds out McElroy’s Top 10 at No. 10.
The Cougars are unbeaten through five games, and only one of those wins - the 17-10 result over TCU - has been decided by single digits. Notre Dame coming to town this week is a major test, but McElroy’s ranking shows he believes BYU belongs in the national conversation already.
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