ESPN College Football

Greg McElroy delivers his Top 10 takeaways from week 3 of the college football season. Texas A&M is a legit contender - can they handle the expectations, while the “luck” of the Irish has not been on their side early this season - where does Notre Dame go from here? Georgia won on toughness, Tennessee looked really good (even in a loss) and LSU's offense isn't broken, it's just different. Did the ceilings for Georgia Tech and Vanderbilt change after big wins, can Clemson recover and what to make of the job openings at Virginia Tech and UCLA? All that and more plus some shoutouts on BOLD predictions. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Texas A&M got a HUGE road win over Notre Dame, what's next for the Irish? Georgia escaped Tennessee for another win over the Vols, Georgia Tech takes down Clemson to shake up the hierarchy in the ACC. Vanderbilt dominates South Carolina, LSU's defense stepped up as the Tigers took care of Florida. Ole Miss has another QB as Chambliss leads the Rebels to a win over Arkansas. Ty Simpson looked fantastic in Alabama's win, Jeremiah Smith and Carnell Tate led Ohio State to an easy victory and much more in McElroy's Sunday rapid reactions.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Will Alabama jump on Wisconsin early and roll the Badgers? Can Tennessee finally beat Georgia for the first time since the “Dobbnail Boot”? Can Florida bounce back against LSU in Death Valley at night (it's a big ask)? Will Ole Miss keep the Lane train on the tracks against an improved Arkansas team? Is Texas A&M ready to beat a ranked opponent on the road for the first time since 2014 or will Notre Dame come out swinging after a week off? Will Clemson's offense get it going against Georgia Tech and can Miami hold off the upstart South Florida team that is the darling of the CFB season so far.  McElroy gives you the ONLY previews and predictions you need to get ready for week 3 of the college football season. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

McElroy and Finebaum look ahead to the huge matchups in week 3. Can Clemson get the offense going vs Georgia Tech? How big of a win will Alabama over Wisconsin need to please the Tide faithful and is there anything Billy Napier can do at Florida to satisfy the Gator fanbase? Who needs the win more: Georgia or Tennessee, and does Notre Dame NEED to beat Texas A&M to keep CFP hopes alive? Plus, McElroy gives you his Top 25 - looking at what the teams have done on the field and not using preseason rankings. 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! John Mateer delivers a HUGE win for Oklahoma, Florida falls flat on their face against a VERY GOOD USF team but we need to cool on the hot seat talk. Illinois and Iowa St showed they will be around all season, Alabama and Texas bounced back nicely while Florida State, Ohio State and Oregon keep humming along. But what's up with the sluggish offense from LSU, Clemson, Georgia and Penn State? All that plus our BOLD Prediction roll call. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Oklahoma made a statement at home beating Michigan easily 24-13, while Florida stumbled in a shocking upset to USF, but the SEC wasn't done just yet as Mississippi State upset Arizona State for a signature win for Jeff Lebby. Iowa State, Illinois, Missouri and Ole Miss came up with big wins. Is there a reason for concern with Clemson and how about the BIG point total put up by Tennessee, Florida State and Alabama. McElroy breaks it down in his Sunday morning instant reaction.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Can Michigan walk into Norman and take down Oklahoma? Will Kansas upend Missouri in the emotional return of the border showdown? Does Illinois prove they are a legit contender by beating Duke in Durham and will Iowa State FINALLY win at home against Iowa? Can Ole Miss and Arizona State avoid the upsets? McElroy answers all these questions with his in-depth previews plus tells you what Texas, Penn State, Florida, Alabama, South Carolina and Georgia need to focus on against lesser competition. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

McElroy and Danny Kannel talk about the Florida State win over Alabama, if the Seminoles are a real threat to win the ACC, what he thought of Miami's win over Notre Dame and why LSU dominated Clemson. Also, what's the narrative that would play out if the BIG 10 goes 2-0 vs the SEC early in the season if Michigan beats Oklahoma? Plus, the AP Poll is overrated so McElroy updates his Top 25. Where does LSU come in, does Alabama stay ranked, and where will Notre Dame, South Carolina and Utah end up. McElroy also gives love to the Dude and Team of the week and we have a roll call for the BEST of your bold predictions that were submitted last week. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

McElroy delivers his Top 10 takeaways from week 1 of the college football season! Carson Beck delivers a HUGE win for Miami, LSU looks like a legit national Title Contender, Florida State is the real deal and the SEC is wide open. Alabama has A LOT of work to do and Texas is going to be fine but needs to clean some things up. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What a Saturday! McElroy delivers his Sunday morning takeaways covering Arch Manning's “average” debut against a GREAT Ohio State defense, Florida State dominating Alabama, and Brian Kelly and LSU getting it done against Clemson with a strong defensive performance. Plus Joey Aguilar looked fantastic, Utah bullied Nico Iamaleava and UCLA and much more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

McElroy delivers the most in-depth previews for the week 1 games that you will find ANYWHERE, giving you the questions that will define the games this weekend. Like how does Texas handle the Ohio State weapons, and which QB (Manning or Sayin) do you trust more? How effective will Tennessee's passing attack be? Can Alabama's offensive line win the line of scrimmage? Can the LSU O-line hold up against the Clemson D-line? Can Notre Dame create pressure with their pass rush and so much more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

McElroy and Booger McFarland preview the biggest games of the week and tell you what success looks like for Arch Manning, why you should trust Ohio State's defensive line and much more from the showdown in Columbus. Plus, can LSU protect Garrett Nussmeier (and Brian Kelly's reputation) from Clemson's defense, will Gus Malzahn's offense work at FSU or will Alabama roll the the Noles, and how much pressure is on Carson Beck and Miami to get THAT signature win over Notre Dame?  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Iowa State kicked off the 2025 season by taking down Kansas State in Ireland. McElroy tells you why you need to watch out for the Cyclones this season. Plus we hit the mailbag with some banger questions like - who has the better season - CJ Carr, Julian Sayin, DJ Lagway or Dylan Raiola? Can a team outside of the Top 6 win the National Championship for the first time in CFP history? Who needs to make the CFP more, Alabama, LSU or USC and just how important is this weekend for the ACC and the conference's narrative moving forward? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The season is right around the corner so we thought it was the perfect time to give you McElroy's Conference Championship and CFP predictions. Is it a TWO team race in the ACC with Clemson and Miami? Can Penn State handle the hype and hold off Oregon or Ohio State for the BIG 10 title? A wide open BIG 12 has Arizona State, Kansas State, Utah and others all in the hunt and which heavy hitters out of Alabama, Georgia, LSU and Texas will win the SEC? Plus, McElroy gives his prediction for the CFP bracket with a few surprises coming from USC and a G5 team no one is talking about. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

McElroy goes over the biggest “what if's” heading into the college football season. What if Miami, Florida State and Clemson go 3-0 in week 1? What if Penn State loses their two biggest games in the regular season and what if John Mateer is Cam Ward 2.0 for Oklahoma? What if Joey Aguilar and Julian Sayin are the real deal at Tennessee and Ohio State respectively? All that plus McElroy tells you why the BIG 10's 24 or 28 team CFP model is "ridiculous". Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Alabama names Ty Simpson QB1, Oregon loses a WR, Carson Beck impressing, LSU defense on the rise and Boston College names a starting QB - McElroy talks about the impact of all of those camp stories plus gives you the hardest and “most manageable” schedule in the Power 4. McElroy also tells you why Auburn, Missouri, Nebraska, Iowa, Utah and Georgia Tech are dark horse contenders for the CFP. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The AP Poll is out and McElroy goes over the good, the bad and the questionable rankings. Plus, quarterback competitions are heating up at Alabama, Notre Dame, Ohio State and McElroy tells you why this is a GOOD thing (especially at Notre Dame). Fall camps are also giving a little insight as to why Nebraska might be a “ground and pound” team in ‘25, while the wide receivers are stepping up at Penn State and running backs at Georgia. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Greg McElroy ranks his Top 10 teams going into the 2025 college football season. McElroy explains reasons he loves each team and also one area of concern for each. Defending champ outside the Top 5? Any SEC teams in the Top 3? Surprising No. 1? Find out in the latest Always College Football. | Always College Football (0:00) Intro (2:24) #10: Miami (7:07) #9: Oregon (11:05) #8: Ohio State (14:16) #7: LSU (17:54) #6: Georgia (22:05) #5: Alabama (27:37) #4: Texas (32:03) #3: Notre Dame (37:13) #2: Penn State (42:14) #1: Clemson (46:40) Outro Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Greg McElroy and Matt Barrie sit down to discuss the opening of fall camp with the season right around the corner. What is the impact on Florida with DJ Lagway in a boot to start camp? How will new Offensive coordinators and QB's mesh at Alabama and Michigan? Is Gunner Stockton the perfect Georgia quarterback and can Arch Manning live up the ridiculous hype? Can Penn State prove the haters wrong and are we NOT talking about USC enough entering camp? Plus, the guys tell you why Arizona State is clearly the team to beat in the BIG 12 and a fantastic Joey Galloway golf story. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Greg McElroy breaks down the ‘tiers” in the BIG 10 and tells you why Penn State, Oregon and Ohio State can ALL win a National Title and make it three in a row for the conference. Michigan, USC and Nebraska are all playoff contenders but don't sleep on Washington or Indiana making it back to the CFP either. It is a deep and dangerous conference with Wisconsin, Illinois, Minnesota and Iowa looking to play spoiler to the top teams.  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 Clemson AND Miami are both National Title contenders. If SMU is still a CFP contender and to watch out for Louisville or Georgia Tech to crash the CFP party. How much will Florida State and NC State bounce back, will North Carolina's favorable schedule increase the Bill Belichick hype and is THIS the year that Virginia Tech breaks through? 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, Alabama, Georgia and LSU all can WIN a National Title. Can South Carolina carry over the momentum from last season and make the CFP? Will Oklahoma, Florida or Auburn make a big jump and contend for a playoff spot? Will Ole Miss or Texas A&M take the next step and make the CFP? Is this the year the SEC gets back to the top of the mountain? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

As 2025 SEC Kickoff starts Greg McElroy sits down with Heisman Trophy winner and Texas A&M icon Johnny Manziel. The two look back at SEC Media Days in 2013 when Manziel-mania took over and dominated almost every storyline. To this day it is still the most talked about media days in college football history. The two also discuss Manziel's new podcast “Glory Daze”, how much he could have made in NIL, the Texas A&M vs Texas rivalry and so much more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Greg McElroy breaks down the ‘tiers' in the BIG 12 with a surprising number of CFP contenders but is there a legit National Championship contender in the conference? How will Arizona State handle the bullseye on their back? Is Texas Tech in the BIG 12 “championship or bust” mentality? How will Iowa State follow up the best season in program history and will Kansas State, Kansas, Baylor and TCU keep trending upwards? How will Coach Prime and Colorado look, plus are bounce back seasons in line for Utah, Arizona and Oklahoma State? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Steve Sarkisian joins Greg McElroy and talks about the expectations at Texas heading into 2025, the growth of Arch Manning, the depth at running back, why he “super pumped” about the wide receiver room, how Ohio State in week one is motivating them and much more. Plus, we hit the mailbag and answer if NIL puts more pressure on players, the G5 teams you NEED to know, the best “under the radar games” early in the season and what the rebirth of the PAC 12 really means. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Nebraska Head Coach Matt Rhule joins McElroy to talk expectations heading into year 3, the culture shift, winning close games, Dylan Raiola and much more. Plus we open the mailbag to talk about realistic expectations for the Cornhuskers in ‘25, if Virginia Tech will ever get out of the middle of the ACC, if Georgia Tech can take the next step and the best and worst case scenarios for the Florida Gators this year. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The House Settlement got its final approval and Greg McElroy is here to tell you what it means for college football, who gets paid, roster limits and if it will bring "competitive balance” to the sport. McElroy also talks about the importance of the College Sports Commission and maybe the unintended consequences it might have. Plus, we look at the comments Ryan Day made about automatic qualifiers for the BIG 10 in the CFP and countdown the Top 10 non conference games of 2025 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Joey McGuire has Texas Tech at levels not seen since Mike Leach was roaming the sidelines in Lubbock. McGuire joins the show to talk about Texas Tech's rise, how the Red Raiders have approached the transfer portal, lessons learned from his first 3 seasons, the depth of the BIG 12, and recruiting in Texas (and he shares an amazing story). Plus McElroy looks at OVER/UNDER win totals for Texas Tech, Arizona State, Ole Miss, LSU, Tennessee, Miami and many more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Defense wins championships so we decided to go down and rank the Top 10 defenses entering the 2025 season. Notre Dame, Penn State, Ohio State and Clemson all welcome in new defensive coordinators - what impact will that have early next year? Texas might have their best defense EVER, Alabama is returning A TON of production while Georgia and Oklahoma are looking to get back to dominance. McElroy breaks down each one and gives you his honorable mentions for best of the rest.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Marcus Freeman joins the show and talks about Notre Dame's quest for a National Championship, how the Irish have stayed focused, lessons learned from a LONG season, the rivalry against USC, what the QB competition looks like heading into summer and much more. Plus, the SEC Meetings have concluded and McElroy looks at the straight seeding model adopted for the 2025 CFP and the much talked about 5+11 model and how that will impact a potential 9 game SEC schedule in the future. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Rece Davis and Pete Thamel explore the potential future of the College Football Playoff format heading into 2026. They delve into the possibility of expanding to a 16-team playoff and discuss the SEC's openness to participating in a broader format. Also on the pod, Rece Davis sits down for an exclusive one-on-one interview with Dabo Swinney and Bill Belichick. Together, they reflect on the evolving landscape of NCAA football, sharing insights into their coaching philosophies, key influences, and distinctive coaching styles. The conversation also highlights how both coaches are adapting to the ever-changing dynamics of the college football world. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Lincoln Riley joins the show to talk about USC getting back on top, what he learned in his first season in the BIG 10, the recruiting surge that the Trojans have been on and the changes that come with the evolution of college football. Plus, conference expansion has already cost us more rivalries than football fans care to admit. McElroy talks about how the Notre Dame USC rivalry can continue but how we have to accept that college football will continue to change. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Kalen DeBoer joins the show to talk about Alabama getting back on top, what he learned in his first season in Tuscaloosa, the quarterback competition, recruiting and what Ryan Grubb will bring to the staff in 2025. Plus, we look at win totals for all P4 teams with second year head coaches - Can Alabama, Texas A&M and Michigan make a jump, can Indiana, Syracuse, Duke and others prove Vegas wrong? McElroy breaks down the schedules and tells you where the WINS, LOSES and toss-up games are. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Mario Cristobal joins the show to talk about Miami being on the up and up, how his first recruiting class are now the clubhouse leaders, Carson Beck's impact, the youth at wide receiver, why playing Notre Dame early will motivate his team (and the fans) and much more. Plus, week 1 in 2025 is good with Texas vs Ohio State, Notre Dame vs Miami, LSU vs Clemson but McElroy lays out how it could be better and why the SEC going to a 9 game conference schedule is the best thing for college football fans. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Coming off a 9 win season where they defeated FOUR ranked teams, South Carolina head coach Shane Beamer joins Greg McElroy on the show. The two discuss LaNorris Sellers impact, culture within the Gamecocks locker room, when coach Beamer knew they were going to be good last year and raised expectations in . Plus, we give a hat tip to Cam Rising after his retirement and McElroy gives his reasons for wanting to join the College Sports Commission and the impact he thinks they will have. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Coming off a CFP appearance and a program record 11 win season, Curt Cignetti joins Greg McElroy on the show.  The two discuss how Indiana's commitment to football brought him in, why he looks for production over potential in the transfer portal, changes to the CFP selection process and expectations for the Hoosiers in 2025. Plus, is Nebraska getting disrespected over Sherrone Moore's suspension and what impact will the Notre Dame Clemson scheduled series have on the ACC and the CFP. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Who are the best running backs heading into the 2025 college football season? Can Jeremiyah Love and a deep running back room get Notre Dame back to the CFP, how much better is Penn State's RB tandem than everyone else in the country and what impact will the transfers have at Oklahoma, Missouri and Oregon? How many running backs from the SEC made the list and can anyone challenge the BIG 10 as the best conference for running backs in 2025? McElroy goes over all of it plus gives you some honorable mention RBs who could work their way into the top 10 after the season. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Spring is over and the portal is closed and so we decided now was the best time to give you McElroy's Top 10 QBs entering the 2025 season. Are Arch Manning and Nico Iamaleava in the top 10? How much does Carson Beck have to prove at Miami this year? Where will Cade Klubnik and Drew Aller rank and who has the immediate impact transfer (hint: Oklahoma). McElroy goes over all of it plus gives you some honorable mention QBs who could work their way into the top 10 after the season. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Greg McElroy takes a look at the Madden Iamaleava-Arkansas situation and if recouping NIL via buyouts could become a regular occurrence moving forward. Greg then gets into spring game recaps for Texas A&M and South Carolina, discussing season outlooks for both SEC squads. Finally, Greg gives his take on Joey Aguilar to Tennessee, what's going on with the CFP meetings and the changes that could happen because of them, how Oklahoma has raked in the portal and if Oklahoma State is poised for a bounceback season. | Always College Football Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Greg starts today's show celebrating the career of the legendary Lee Corso before getting into some portal news and spring game recaps. Do we buy what Nico's camp said about why he transferred away from Tennessee? And what will it look like now that he's QB1 for UCLA? Plus, Steve Angeli is in the portal, David Stone returns to Oklahoma and more. Finally, Greg talks about Bryce Underwood's spring game performance and why the CFB world is so consumed with starting true freshmen QBs. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Rece Davis and Pete Thamel break down the lingering questions surrounding Nico Iamaleava—did he leave Tennessee too soon, prioritizing financial opportunity over development? Is UCLA truly committed to him? And can he work his way into future NFL Draft conversations? Then, ESPN NFL Draft Analyst and Insider Matt Miller joins to spotlight the player everyone's talking about: Jalon Walker. He also weighs in on how Travis Hunter's game will translate to the NFL and where Shedeur Sanders might land if he isn't taken at No. 3. To close the show, the guys pay tribute to Lee Corso and his legendary 38-year run on College GameDay.   0:00 - Nico Iamaleava should've prioritized development 9:26 - Will Nico make it into NFL draft conversations? 12:55 - How committed is UCLA to Nico? 17:06 - Why NFL draft Day 3 matters 20:29 - The NFL draft heats up at pick number… 26:55 - Why everyone's favorite player at the NFL draft is Jalon Walker 30:41 - Which part of Travis Hunter's game will be used in the NFL? 32:07 - If Shedeur Sanders doesn't get picked at No. 3, when will he go? 36:02 - Are the Titans making a mistake taking Cam Ward at No. 1? 46:28 - Unforgettable Lee Corso moments before he retires Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The spring transfer portal is open and players are jumping in every day. McElroy goes through the early contenders and gives you the needs that each team has. Will Alabama take a Tight End, will Texas, LSU, Georgia and Ohio State go after the same defensive lineman? Can Miami and Michigan bolster their wide receiver rooms and will Tennessee find help at quarterback? So many needs, so many questions and McElroy is here to try to give you some answers. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices