Greg McElroy’s latest Top 15 comes with a familiar name at the top, but the real conversation starts once you get past the first few spots.
Georgia sits at No. 1 after its road win over Alabama, a result McElroy called out as one of the best of the season at the midway point. The Bulldogs also landed in the top spot in the AP Top 25 by a wide margin, so there’s little debate right now about who owns the top line.
Indiana checks in at No. 2 after opening 6-0 and following up last year’s undefeated run. McElroy made sure to note how long it has been since Curt Cignetti’s team last lost.
The Hoosiers have not been as overwhelming as they were late last season, but they keep getting the job done. Josh Hoover, the quarterback transfer from TCU, has settled in well, and now comes the biggest measuring stick yet with Ohio State on deck.
Miami lands at No. 3, and that placement says plenty about how much McElroy believes in the Hurricanes’ offensive firepower. The schedule has not been loaded with elite opponents, but Miami already handled Wake Forest, which he described as perhaps one of the ACC’s best teams.
Florida State is next, and McElroy said it would be surprising to see anyone go punch-for-punch with Miami because of how dangerous the offense is. The question, as he framed it, is whether the defense keeps progressing enough to make the Hurricanes truly complete.
Notre Dame comes in at No. 4 after surviving the kind of early-season trouble that has tripped up Marcus Freeman teams before. Road wins over North Carolina and Wisconsin both look better with time, but the stretch ahead is the part that will define the Irish.
BYU on the road this weekend is the first major test, and Miami visits on Nov. 7.
McElroy’s point was clear: those two games could shape Notre Dame’s playoff path.
Alabama takes a hit after the loss to Georgia, dropping to No. 5, but McElroy didn’t treat it like some kind of disaster. The Tide are still very much alive in the SEC title race and the playoff picture. Tennessee is the next hurdle, and LSU is the only other major roadblock McElroy really singled out from the back half of the schedule.
Texas is right behind at No. 6 after suffering its first loss of the year against Oklahoma. McElroy leaned into the “what if” angle there - what if Arch Manning’s two interceptions don’t happen, what if a few more plays break differently.
Even with that loss, Texas still owns one of the sport’s best résumés, thanks in large part to the win over Ohio State and the earlier victory over Tennessee. The problem is what comes next: Ole Miss, Mississippi State, at Missouri, at LSU.
That is a brutal four-game stretch.
Ohio State slots in at No. 7, and McElroy pointed out that the Buckeyes’ only loss is a respectable one on the road at a top-five opponent. Still, the margin for error has shrunk.
Indiana comes to town this weekend, and McElroy made it plain that the outcome matters a lot for how the rest of the season looks. Win it, and the playoff picture stays comfortable.
Lose, and everything gets messy fast.
UCLA is the surprise of the bunch at No. 8.
McElroy has clearly bought in after what the Bruins have done so far, and the Oregon win last week gave that ranking some real backbone. Bob Chesney has been compared to Curt Cignetti for how quickly he has changed the program’s trajectory.
The schedule has been relatively light, but there are still tests ahead with Wisconsin this weekend, plus trips to Minnesota and Michigan, and USC at home in the finale.
Utah lands at No. 9 after a first half that has been as efficient as it has been dominant. The Utes have won every game by at least two touchdowns, and even the sloppy moments haven’t changed the final outcome much.
Houston and BYU both stand out on the remaining slate, though both are at home. Four road games remain, and McElroy clearly sees those as the main variable.
BYU rounds out McElroy’s top 10 at No. 10.
The Cougars are 5-0, and only one game - the 17-10 win over TCU - has been decided by single digits. That kind of start has earned them respect, and now comes the chance to prove it further.
Notre Dame visits this week, giving BYU one of the biggest games on its schedule and a chance to make a real statement in McElroy’s eyes.
McElroy’s Top 15 continues with spots 11 through 15 still to come.
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The NCAA argues the order violates the Commerce Clause and the First Amendment by giving Ohio schools an unfair edge and allowing them to sidestep NCAA rules. Ohios Division I programs reportedly support the directive, and coaches have said they will make decisions based on what helps the team most. For a Buckeyes program always balancing immediate ambitions against long-term roster planning, the legal standoff adds another layer of uncertainty to an already delicate eligibility question. [Read more 🡒]
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Indiana Has A Chance To Shake Up The Big Ten Race
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For Buckeyes fans, that makes this a scoreboard-watching weekend as much as anything else. Alongside the predictions for the games themselves, the broadcasts are also expected to stir up talk about a possible 24-team College Football Playoff expansion, adding another layer to a week already loaded with speculation. If Indiana does its part, Ohio State may find the margin for error in the conference race getting thinner than it already is. [Read more 🡒]