ESPN College Football

September is over and McElroy tells you why the Florida Gators, UCLA Bruins, Mississippi State Bulldogs and Iowa Hawkeyes are the best surprises of the season so far and why we are all disappointed in Michigan, Oklahoma and Texas A&M. Plus, McElroy gives you his Top 15 teams right now and what the narratives will be if USC loses to Washington, Florida has a hangover game vs Missouri and Miami stumbles vs Clemson. His top 15 is set heading into week 5 but with six of the top 10 teams on the road this weekend - are any on upset alert? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Week 5 of the college football season is here and Greg McElroy gives you the most in-depth previews you will find anywhere! Kalen DeBoer, Keelon Russell and the Alabama Crimson Tide head to Starkville to take on Kamario Taylor and the upstart Mississippi State Bulldogs. Florida Gators, coming off a huge win, head to Missouri, while Ohio State hits the road against Iowa after their huge last second win over Michigan. Notre Dame travels to North Carolina, Miami heads to Death Valley to take on Clemson and BYU visits TCU. SIX Top 10 teams on the road this weekend! Plus, either Virginia Tech or Pittsburgh will start 5-0, Tennessee welcomes Auburn to Knoxville and will Michigan and USC rebound after tough losses? McElroy breaks it all down. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Greg McElroy delivers his Top 10 takeaways from Week 4 of the college football season! Oregon walked into the Coliseum and beat up USC after Donte Moore was knocked out of the game, Florida ran all over Ole Miss and jumped into the CFP conversation in Jon Sumrall's first season, the Texas defense dominated Tennessee proving why they are the #1 team in the country and Iowa STUNNED Michigan with a game-winning touchdown as time expired. Plus, Wisconsin, UCLA and Nebraska get huge wins, Kamario Taylor is putting everyone on notice that Mississippi State is going to be a problem, Ohio State has two legit Heisman contenders in Julian Sayin and Jeremiah Smith what happened to Texas A&M and Oklahoma?  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A HUGE weekend in college football is here. Can Tennessee knock off Texas or will the Longhorns show everyone they are the team to beat. The losers of the LSU and Texas A&M will have to run the table in the SEC just to make the CFP, will it be USC's defense or Oregon's offense that gets the job done and who will be answering hard questions after the game, Dan Lanning or Lincoln Riley?  Can Iowa take down Michigan in Ann Arbor or will Bryce Underwood and Wolverines notch another Top 25 win? McElroy tackles all the big storylines ahead of week 4 plus gives you his Top 15 teams after 3 weeks of college football and his BEST bets this weekend. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Week 4 of the college football season is here and Greg McElroy gives you the most in-depth previews you will find anywhere! Steve Sarkisian, Arch Manning head to Knoxville for the first time ever to take on Josh Heupel, Faizon Brandon and the Tennessee Volunteers. Ole Miss has to turn their attention to the undefeated Florida Gators, either LSU or Texas A&M is leaving September with 2 losses and a HUGE uphill climb to the CFP, and we will find out if it's the Oregon Ducks or USC Trojans who are for real in the BIG 10. Plus, Iowa heads to Michigan, Mississippi State hosts Missouri and Oklahoma heads to #2 Georgia. Will Alabama keep the offense rolling and can West Virginia and Penn State stay undefeated? McElroy breaks it all down. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Greg McElroy delivers his Top 10 takeaways from Week 3 of the college football season! Pete Golding, Trinidad Chambliss and Ole Miss delivered the win that every Rebel fan was dreaming of taking down LSU and proving they don't need Lane Kiffin. Kentucky showed a different level after dominating Texas A&M in Kyle Field. NC State ran one of the worst plays in football history and it cost them the game, six BIG 12 teams are undefeated, Miami keeps rolling and the SEC “won” September but the BIG 10 still owns January until proven otherwise.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Greg McElroy gives his rapid reaction to Week 3 of the college football season. Ole Miss took out 10 months of frustration taking down Lane Kiffin and LSU in an unforgettable night in Oxford thanks to Trinidad Chambliss. Alabama survived Florida State at home, Louisville held on and beat SMU for the first time ever, Kentucky upsets Texas A&M, West Virginia is 3-0 after beating Virginia, Texas Tech beat Houston in their biggest test of the season and more reaction from the Top 25. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The most anticipated game of the season is here: LSU at Ole Miss. Who is under more pressure to win, Lane Kiffin or Pete Golding? How hostile will the environment be in Oxford and what will the narrative be if Ole Miss gets the win? What if Kiffin walks into Oxford and his LSU Tigers get the W - what next?  What happens if Dabo Swinney loses to Bill Belichick or Lincoln Riley and USC struggles on the east coast (again) and who needs their first SEC win more - Alex Golesh or Jon Sumrall? McElroy tackles all the big storylines ahead of week 3 plus gives you his Top 15 teams after 2 weeks of college football and his BEST bets this weekend. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Week 3 of the college football season is here and Greg McElroy gives you the most in-depth previews you will find anywhere! Lane Kiffin brings LSU to Ole Miss in one of the most anticipated games of the season. Florida State and Mike Norvell head to Tuscaloosa, can Keelon Russell and Kalen DeBoer get it done for Alabama? SMU visits Louisville in an ACC showdown, Texas Tech hosts Houston in the Red Raiders biggest game of the season, Jon Sumrall and the Florida Gators head to the plains to take on Alex Golesh and Auburn as both coaches look for their first SEC win. Plus, Notre Dame, Texas A&M and South Carolina look for home wins, while Georgia and Virginia Tech try to get it done on the road. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Greg McElroy delivers his Top 10 takeaways from Week 2 of the college football season! Texas and Steve Sarkisian got a signature win behind Arch Manning's 4th quarter heroics over Ryan Day and Ohio State. Michigan is 2-0 after a good performance from Bryce Underwood, where does Oklahoma go from here? Oregon fell flat on the road to Oklahoma State - where is the toughness from Dan Lanning's team? Alabama's defense looked fantastic, Texas A&M is deep and Boise State is back to doing Boise State things. Plus, give credit to teams playing big time non-conference opponents! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

 Week 2 of the college football season delivered and Greg McElroy is here to give you his reaction to it all. Arch Manning and Texas delivered a HUGE win over Ryan Day and Ohio State, Oklahoma State shocks Oregon, Iowa holds off Iowa State, while Michigan and Bryce Underwood make a statement taking down Oklahoma. Georgia, Miami and Notre Dame all roll and more from the Top 25. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Greg McElroy and BIG 10 analyst Jake Butt discuss what happened with Michigan's offense, if the Wolverines can rely on Bryce Underwood against Oklahoma and what a loss to the Sooners would mean for the program. Plus, can Ohio State walk into Texas and get a win, are people sleeping on USC as a real national champion treat, can Iowa crash the party and with some marquee non-conference games this weekend will the perception change of who is on top of sport if the SEC wins out? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Week 2 of the college football season is here and Greg McElroy gives you the most in-depth previews you will find anywhere! Oklahoma brings a nasty defense to Michigan, Texas welcomes Ohio State in a top 5 matchup, Keelon Russell and Alabama go on the road to Kentucky and Texas A&M welcomes Arizona State to College Station.  Plus, will Tennessee dominate Georgia Tech, can Oregon rebound from a slow week 1, is BYU ready for Arizona and is Iowa a sleeper team in the BIG 10? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Greg McElroy and Booger McFarland sit down before week 1 and go over the biggest storylines. Where does Booger McFarland stand with LSU taking NFL players?  Can Clemson have a bounce back year and will it start at LSU? What would the reaction be if Louisville beats Ole Miss?  Can Mike Norvell and Luke Fickell do anything to win their fan bases back, which first year coach is under the most pressure and does Lincoln Riley need to make the CFP to save his job at USC? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Week 1 of the college football season is here and Greg McElroy gives you the most in depth previews you will find anywhere! Are there too many distractions for LSU when Clemson comes to town, can Auburn get off to a fast start with new HC Alex Golesh, and is Notre Dame ready to live up to the hype with a test against Wisconsin? Is Miami ready to pick up where they left off on a Friday night at Stanford, will Oregon and USC start fast and can Colorado get a road win at Georgia Tech? We have old PAC 12 rivalries renewed and what to watch for with Indiana, Alabama, Texas and Ohio State.  This is what we have been waiting for! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The 2026 College Football season has begun with Week 0 in the books. Bill Belichick's defense showed up in Dublin, Virginia put the College Football world on notice, Memphis picked up a BIG win with G6 playoff implications, USC's freshmen looked extremely promising and can North Dakota State make the CFP in its first FBS season? McElroy goes through it all, plus…some What Ifs in week 1 for LSU, Notre Dame, Ole Miss, Alabama and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The college football season is finally here! McElroy goes in depth on the TCU vs North Carolina game in Ireland, the questions that will decide the Virginia/NC State game, and if the loser of Memphis vs UNLV will destroy playoff dreams. Plus, USC & Florida State are in action and North Dakota State plays their first game as an FBS team.  Everything you need to know about week 0 is right here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The season is right around the corner so McElroy gives his college football playoff projections for 2026 . Can Notre Dame go undefeated and earn a #1 seed, will the SEC get 6 teams in, can Indiana repeat as national champions or will ANOTHER BIG 10 team win it again, and does Texas Tech have to win the BIG 12 to make the CFP ? Is this the year the committee leans on the strength of schedule?  McElroy covers all of it plus goes over camp intel from Michigan, Oklahoma, Texas A&M, and Washington. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The eligibility rule is out of control as players are transferring into schools as camps are ending. Will a transfer rule in the SEC stop it immediately? Plus, Alabama, Tennessee, Florida and North Carolina all named starting quarterbacks, Ohio State is closer to a starting O-Line, Florida State's defense has been impressive and USC's depth has been on display. Greg McElroy goes over all of that plus other rumblings he has heard from around the country. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Greg McElroy goes over the rumblings he has heard from camps around the country. Is there a concern at CB for Indiana, does Georgia have issues with their wide receivers, and will Trevor Goosby's bone bruise hamper the growth of the Texas offensive line? Has Miami O-line questions already been answered, is this Matt Rhule's best roster at Nebraska and is Notre Dame clicking on all cylinders already?! Plus, how should schools handle the 5-for-5 ruling? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The preseason AP poll has dropped and McElroy is here to give you his reaction. Is it a bad thing that Ohio State is starting #1, is it good that Clemson is starting the season unranked and should we make anything out of the fact that the SEC has 9 teams ranked and the BIG 10 only has 8? Plus, McElroy dives into some camp questions for Ohio State, Tennessee, Alabama, Iowa, South Carolina and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Greg McElroy ranks his Top 10 teams going into the 2026 college football season. Can Oklahoma survive a gauntlet of a schedule, is Indiana here to stay, and can Alabama bounce back after the Rose Bowl beatdown. Is Ohio State a safe bet for #1, will Miami and Notre Dame keep it rolling and how much pressure is on Oregon and Texas? McElroy explains the reasons he loves each team, areas of concern and if they ALL can live up to the hype, which history tells us won't happen. | Always College Football Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Greg McElroy ranks his Top 25 teams going into the 2026 college football season, starting with teams 25-11. McElroy explains reasons he loves each team, areas of concern and if they can live up to the hype. | Always College Football Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Greg McElroy breaks down his Big Ten tiers, discussing which teams COULD win it all, which teams can make the playoff, who can play spoiler, who will make a bowl game and who needs work. How many teams can truly claim the title? Why Indiana can certainly do it again, Ohio State will be in the conversation, and is it Oregon's year? Plus, USC is set up well for possibly its best season of the Lincoln Riley era, and can we see lots of success for Penn State in year one under Matt Campbell? Additionally, why Greg is high on Washington, what to watch for with Iowa, Illinois and Nebraska, and more. | Always College Football Approximate timecodes: (0:00) Intro (3:14) Tier 1: Oregon (7:00) Tier 1: Ohio State (10:20) Tier 1: Indiana (13:54) Tier 2: USC (16:30) Tier 2: Washington (18:17) Tier 2: Penn State (20:42) Tier 2: Michigan (23:46) Tier 3: Iowa (25:51) Tier 3: Illinois (27:39) Tier 3: Nebraska (29:36) Tier 4: Wisconsin (31:17) Tier 4: Minnesota (32:50) Tier 4: UCLA (34:38) Tier 4: Maryland (36:02) Tier 5: Northwestern (37:37) Tier 5: Michigan State (39:04) Tier 5: Rutgers (40:25) Tier 5: Purdue (41:51) Thanks for watching Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Greg McElroy breaks down the tiers in the ACC for the upcoming season and tells you why Miami is the only national title contender, if SMU and Clemson can get back to the CFP and if Louisville is primed to crash the party. Can Florida State bounce back, do Virginia and Duke have staying power, will year 2 at North Carolina under Bill Belichick yield better results and is this the year that Virginia Tech breaks through with James Franklin? The ACC is deep and McElroy is here to break it all down from contenders to spoilers. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Greg McElroy breaks down the “tiers” in the SEC for the upcoming season and tells you why Texas, Georgia, Ole Miss and Oklahoma all can WIN a National Title. Is LSU ready to compete for a CFP spot in year one under Kiffin, will Alabama make it back to the CFP and can Texas A&M carry over the momentum from last season? Is Tennessee ready to make a big jump and where will Florida, Auburn, South Carolina and Missouri fall in the pecking order. Is this the year the SEC gets back to the top of the mountain? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Greg McElroy breaks down the ‘tiers' in the BIG 12 with four CFP contenders but is there a legit National Championship contender in the conference? How will Texas Tech handle the bullseye on their back? Is BYU in the BIG 12 “championship or bust” mentality? Can Houston improve their win total again and what can we expect from the fresh start in Utah? Can TCU, Kansas State, Arizona State and Oklahoma State be more than spoilers? How will Coach Prime and Colorado look, plus are bounce back seasons in line for Baylor, UCF and Kansas? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

There are some BIG time quarterback competitions happening at Alabama, Tennessee and Florida. Arizona State is looking for a replacement for Sam Leavitt, Clemson is trying to keep the quarterback succession plan rolling and who Bill Belichick chooses at QB1 at North Carolina will be something everyone watches. McElroy gives you who he thinks will win each of the competitions plus tells you why Notre Dame, Ohio State, Miami, Texas, Oklahoma and others are all in on their quarterbacks with no proven depth behind them. Not everyone has Oregon or Ole Miss' quarterback rooms in 2026! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Georgia has won 48 straight vs unranked opponents, Florida State has not won a road game in two years, Curt Cignetti is undefeated at home as Indiana's head coach, Oregon has won 12 straight road games and Texas A&M is looking to end a 32 year drought of back-to-back 10+ win seasons. McElroy crunched the numbers and gives you 21 of the most improbable and crazy stats heading into the 2026 season and tells you if the streak continues or dies. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

McElroy goes over the most “getable schedules” in the SEC, BIG 10, BIG 12 and ACC. Did Vanderbilt, South Carolina and Auburn hit the scheduling lottery in 2026? Will Luke Fickel at Wisconsin and Matt Campbell at Penn State BOTH get more wins than expected with “lighter” paths in the BIG 10? Can BIG 12 favorite Texas Tech take advantage of missing out on BYU & Utah and will Virginia be back in the mix for the ACC in 2026? Plus, McElroy gives you the biggest trap games for 12 legit contenders.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Is the FPI correct with their strength of schedule metric? McElroy explains what we should use the FPI for then goes through the P4 and gives you the toughest schedules in each conference. Texas, Oklahoma & Texas A&M have a gauntlet to get through to make the CFP, while Ohio State and USC have the toughest road schedules in the BIG 10. In the BIG 12 Colorado and Oklahoma State will be grinding out the season and can Clemson and Florida State bounce back with the toughest schedules in the ACC?  Plus, McElroy answers mailbag questions about Notre Dame, Tennessee, the BIG 12 coaches poll and much more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What if the SEC misses the title game (again) and the BIG 10 wins ANOTHER national title? What if Arch Manning struggles, Lane Kiffin and LSU BEAT Ole Miss and Jeremiah Smith wins the Heisman?  McElroy tackles some of the biggest ‘what if's' heading into the 2026 season including if a Group of 6 team can win a college football playoff game, if money CAN buy a national championship and what if everything goes chalk in September? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The weight of being the preseason #1 team is very heavy. In 76 years of the AP poll there is only ONE team that started #1 and stayed that way throughout the entire season and won a National Championship - that was Florida State in 1999.  While the CFP has given more leeway for the top ranked teams it's still a big target on your back to start the season. So who deserves to be ranked #1 in the preseason? McElroy makes the case for and against Texas, Ohio State, Notre Dame, Oregon, Miami, Indiana and Georgia all to be the preseason #1 ranked team. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What if the SEC has a really bad start in non-conference play to open the season? What if Indiana drops three games or Penn State wins 10? What if Notre Dame finally breaks through for their first National Title since 1988 and what if USC finishes UNDER 8 wins in year five under Lincoln Riley?  What if the BIG 12 is a two bid league and what if the college football playoff gets even messier in November? McElroy tackles some of the biggest ‘what if's' heading into the 2026 season. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Greg McElroy breaks down who has the most elite pass catching units in college football knowing the Ohio State is Wide Receiver U until further notice. Will Miami be even better than last year with Malachi Toney & Cooper Barkate, can Trey'Dez Green and a group of transfers get LSU to the next level and does Indiana with Charlie Becker and Nick Marsh have the best WR duo in the BIG 10? Can Moore and Wesco improve the Clemson offense, how great can Texas be with Wingo and Cam Coleman and if the Oregon WR's stay healthy will the Ducks have one of the most dangerous pass catching units in the country? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Who has the best secondaries in college football, the ones that could change games, the ones who could swing college football playoff races? Would you rather have Ohio State's or Michigan's secondary? Texas Tech showed out last year, can Pollock & Boyd do it again? Does Notre Dame have the best player on the best secondary or can Alabama lay claim to both? Are the transfers ready to step up EVERYWHERE and where do Texas A&M, Oregon, Georgia and LSU land in the rankings? McElroy ranks the Top 10 “no fly zone” DB units in 2026.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Texas A&M head coach Mike Elko talks with Greg McElroy about the expectations in College Station, the growth of Marcel Reed, what new offensive coordinator Holmon Wiggins will bring, how the Aggies will handle a brutal SEC schedule and much more. Plus, Elko is just one of a handful of coaches entering year 3 at their respective schools so McElroy ask the questions: what will Cignetti do following up a National Championship, what Kalen DeBoer can do to appease Alabama fans, and watch out for Manny Diaz (Duke) and Jedd Fisch (Washington). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

McElroy details the Brendan Sorsby decision and tells you what impact it will have on college football moving forward, if other conferences boycotting Texas Tech will hold, if other BIG 12 teams could really opt out of games and if Sorsby should still enter the NFL supplemental draft. Plus could (or should) the NCAA penalize other programs at Texas Tech (baseball, basketball, softball, etc) to show that there are institutional consequences for circumventing their rules? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Greg McElroy goes through and ranks the Top 10 linebacker units in College Football heading into the 2026 season. Are the veteran leaders at Clemson and Pittsburgh enough and can Georgia just continue to reload with NFL caliber talent? Can transfers at Texas A&M and Texas keep the production level up and will Ben Roberts and Austin Romaine be able to pick up where Jacob Rodriguez left off? Can Indiana and Oklahoma keep up their domination, is the key to Auburn finally turning it around at linebacker and does Notre Dame have the deepest and most dominant linebacker unit in college football?    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Expectations will always be high at Texas and this year is no exception. Head Coach Steve Sarkisian joins Greg McElroy to discuss the pressure on Arch Manning, what he loves about his roster, what Will Muschamp will bring to the defense and why he feels coaches should have a bigger voice in college football. Plus, Coach Sark talks about strength of schedule and why it might expose a huge CFP flaw and how Curt Cignetti and the “Indiana Way” has changed nonconference scheduling until proven otherwise.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Greg McElroy is joined by new SEC Nation host Matt Barrie to discuss if the BIG 12 and ACC can keep up with the SEC and BIG Ten, if the system as a whole is sustainable and the inevitable playoff expansion and what (if anything) will be lost. Barrie also tells you the moment that changed college football for him, if the SEC can break a three year streak without a National Title and if the SEC could really breakaway from the NCAA? Plus, McElroy issues a mea culpa for leaving Miami's defensive line out of his Top 10.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What is the most expensive real estate in college football? Answer: the 7 yards between the OT's outside shoulder and the QB's chin. So why not rank the Top 10 defensive line units in college football heading into the 2026 season. Can A.J. Holmes Jr. lead a rebuilt Texas Tech line back to the CFP, is Will Heldt ready to continue the Clemson D-line NFL pedigree, and is everyone sleeping on David Stone and the Oklahoma front?  McElroy goes over all it plus tells you why this is the deepest Notre Dame defensive line in a generation, if anyone will be able to run on Texas and why Oregon has far and away the best defensive line in the country. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices