Claim OwnershipAlways College Football with Greg McElroy
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ESPN college football analyst Greg McElroy takes a deep dive into the sport with the biggest names on and off the field. With off-seasons being a thing of the past, McElroy goes year-round with analysis, opinions and insight on top teams and under-the-radar stories from coast to coast.
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A sleeper isn't "trendy"; it’s a team with QB clarity, a defined identity, and a narrow schedule path. That is why McElroy has Utah, Florida, Virginia Tech, Oklahoma State, Wisconsin and more as teams he thinks will be “sleepers” in 2026. Plus, McElroy explains why we are about to enter into a “quarterback reset” year. How fast can Sam Leavitt and Lane Kiffin build chemistry in the SEC? Will Darian Mensah be able to win tight games in November, can Michigan build a system tailored around Bryce Underwood’s strengths rather than forcing him into an old mold, can homegrown talent still win at Clemson in a portal economy and so much more.
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McElroy continues with his 2026 National Title contenders with Alabama, USC and Penn State. Does Lincoln Riley have enough on the roster to make a run at the CFP and National Title, will Matt Campbell, Rocco Becht and the rest of the Iowa State transfers be enough for Penn State to make a serious run at a title and now that the roster is completely Kalen DeBoer’s will Alabama have enough fire power to get back to winning national championships? Plus, McElroy breaks down the impact of Trinidad Chambliss and Joey Aguilar’s court cases and what it means for roster development in the future.
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Everyone agrees that college football needs a little help, whether it’s with NIL, the overall calendar or the College Football Playoff schedule (which is a whole other story in itself). McElroy lays out the reasons why anyone associated with college football should say “thanks but no thanks” to Roger Goodell and the NFL because it could be a Trojan Horse waiting to limit the sports potential. Plus, we continue our series on title contenders in 2026 with Michigan, Oklahoma and BYU.
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LSU athletics is under investigation for potential NIL violations, the BIG 10 released their conference schedule and did no favors for Ohio State, USC and Northwestern and are we really granting an EIGHTH year of eligibility to college football players? McElroy discusses it all plus we continue our series of National Title contenders in 2026 with roster breakdowns of Michigan, Miami and Texas A&M
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What’s the best way to recruit a quarterback in 2026? McElroy gives you five very different philosophies utilized by teams like LSU, Indiana, Penn State, Miami and Vanderbilt to bring in the most important position in college football. Plus, we continue our series on teams that can win the National Championship next season and McElroy tells you why Georgia, Notre Dame and Ohio State are in prime position with loaded rosters for a “title or bust” run in 2026.
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The College Football Playoff is staying at 12 teams next year despite a lot of talk about expanding, McElroy tells you why it stayed and what the chances are of expanding next December. Dabo Swinney shined a bright light on transfer portal tampering calling out Pete Golding and Ole Miss - will the NCAA do anything about it? Plus, it’s never too early to start looking ahead, so we started our series of title contender teams today where McElroy goes over the additions that Indiana, Texas, Texas Tech and Oregon made in the transfer portal and what the early outlook is for a run at a National Championship.
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Indiana held off Miami 27-21 to win the schools FIRST ever National Championship and McElroy is here to give you his instant reaction. A team that finished 16-0, that played unselfish and rode Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza to a title is a story that the college football world did not see coming. The question now is where does this Indiana team rank among some of the greats.
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Greg McElroy, Jimbo Fisher & Stanford Steve break down the Indiana and Miami rosters, changes needed in the transfer portal, the impressive way Indiana plays for each other and if it is really the Hoosiers game to lose. Plus, Jimbo Fisher talks about what his approach to the NIL and transfer portal would be if he got back into coaching and if Indiana’s model is repeatable, while Stanford Steve gives us the best prop bets for the National Championship and who he is leaning towards putting his money on.
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The National Championship is HERE! Greg McElroy and Matt Barrie are in Miami and discuss why people question Carson Beck (even after all that he has done), why Indiana is STILL getting severely disrespected because of big brand bias and who has the edge heading into Monday night's game. Plus, the guys give their X-factor for the game AND make a pick for who wins the National Championship.
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Indiana is on a historic run with Heisman trophy winner Fernando Mendoza leading the Hoosiers to an undefeated regular season, BIG 10 championship and now looking for their first National Championship in school history. Standing in the Hoosiers’ way are Mario Cristobal’s Miami Hurricanes who have taken out Texas A&M, Ohio State and Ole Miss on their road home looking for their first Natty in 24 years. McElroy goes in-depth breaking down the Miami offense vs Indiana defense, the Indiana offense vs the Miami defense and gives you 10 questions that will determine who wins the National Championship!
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Indiana put on a show in the Peach Bowl and absolutely dominated Oregon. McElroy gives you his reaction to Curt Cignetti, Fernando Mendoza and the Hoosiers' big win as they reach their first National Championship game in school history. Plus the swagger is BACK at The U. Carson Beck, Mark Fletcher, Malachi Toney and company helped Miami take down Ole Miss in a classic Fiesta Bowl as the Hurricanes head back to the National Championship game for the first time since 2003.
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Miami continues to bring the swagger back to “The U” and will face off against Ole Miss and one of the best offenses in the country in the Fiesta Bowl. Will it be Miami’s defense or the Rebel offense who controls the game? Plus, can #1 Indiana take down #5 Oregon AGAIN? Two of the three rematches in the CFP have gone to the regular season loser, can the Ducks get revenge and make it to their first national championship since 2014? McElroy gives you the most in-depth breakdowns of the CFP semifinals you will find ANYWHERE!
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Indiana handed Alabama their worst loss in bowl season history, repeatedly punching the Tide in the face while securing a spot in the semi finals against Oregon who shut out BIG 12 Champion Texas Tech 23-0. Miami’s defense shut down Ohio State and got enough from Carson Beck and company to move on to the semi finals where they will take on Ole Miss who stunned SEC Champion Georgia in the Sugar Bowl (but might be without some coaches moving forward). McElroy gives his reaction to all of the incredible CFP quarterfinal games.
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The CFP quarterfinals are here and McElroy delivers the most indepth previews you will find ANYWHERE! Can Miami score enough points to keep up with Ohio State, will Texas Tech be able to contain the Oregon run game, can Georgia beat Ole Miss again this season and will Indiana prove to everyone in the SEC that they are the real deal by taking out Alabama? All that plus questions that will determine who is moving on to the semifinals.
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The first round of the college football playoff delivered some great storylines. Was the bigger story Alabama’s comeback or Oklahoma choking away a 17 point lead? Miami and Texas A&M battled in a bare-knuckles brawl which saw the Hurricanes escape College Station with a 10-3 win, does Miami have enough to beat Ohio State? Plus, Ole Miss and Oregon steamrolled the G5 teams (which everyone expected), so McElroy breaks down what can and should be done moving forward with the CFP format.
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Is Michigan done pursuing Kalen DeBoer, even though he said he was not interested? Who are the other candidates to take over the Wolverines program if they move on from option 1? McElroy goes over the latest in the Michigan coaching search and gives an update on where DJ Lagway and Dylan Raiola would be good fits after entering the transfer portal. Plus, LSU, Clemson, Auburn, Tennessee, Oregon, Indiana, Florida State and Baylor could all be in the market for a new transfer portal QB next year - who are their best options?
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The first round of the playoffs start this week and McElroy is here to give you the most comprehensive breakdown you will find. Can Alabama avenge a November loss at home to Oklahoma or will the Sooners defense prove to be too much for Ty Simpson and company? Will Miami go into Texas A&M and contain Marcel Reed or will the Aggies be too tough at home and can Tulane or James Madison put up a fight against Ole Miss and Oregon?
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Ryen Russillo joins McElroy to talk all things college football playoff. Should Notre Dame be outraged, can we (should we) fix the CFP and if so what is the next best step and what can be done to conference championship weekend to make sure ALL the games mean something? Should the G5 inclusion be a year-by-year basis and who do they guys trust most in the CFP to win the National Championship?
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The college football bracket is set and McElroy is here to give you his reaction. Indiana, Ohio State and Oregon lead the BIG 10 with 3 of the Top 5 teams while the SEC gets five in. McElroy goes over the debate between Alabama, Miami and Notre Dame and what potential changes we could see in future playoffs because of it. Plus, Notre Dame opts out of the bowl game, what impact will that have on 2026 Fighting Irish.
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The penultimate college football rankings were released which saw Texas A&M drop to to #7 and the Alabama move up to #9 meaning it all comes down to Championship weekend for the bubble teams. How far will Alabama move up with a win and would they drop 1 spot with a loss, if BYU wins they are in but would they drop with a loss leaving Miami at 12? If BYU loses and Alabama wins does Miami move up now putting the head to head with Notre Dame as the deciding factor for the last at-large spot? So much on the line and McElroy is here to break it all down and answer your questions.
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Great pod. Greg is very knowledgeable and has a good delivery! Didn't kill you with gambling takes or bluster!
Greg might have Rogaine hair, but he's very knowledgeable about college football.
definitely becoming one of my favorite college podcast.