Greg McElroy says two college football teams are a cut above the rest

ESPN college football analyst Greg McElroy is having a hard time distinguising the best team in college football as we near the midway point in the season.

He coughed up a straight answer, at first, to fellow college football analyst David Pollack, who asked McElroy point-blank, "Who's the best team in the country?" as part of a discussion between the two men on Pollack's YouTube show, See Ball Get Ball.

"Ohio State," McElroy responded, but immediately brought up another contender as well. "But I go back and forth between them and Miami. Like, I’ve literally flip-flopped them multiple times."

Miami came out on top in wars against Notre Dame and Miami, they handled Florida State on the road and they reduced South Florida to smithereens. The 'Canes are nothing if not battle-tested. Meanwhile, Ohio State's top ranking remains slightly more of a formality than a proven theorem.

"I’m not 100% sold on who they’ve played up to this point, including Texas," McElroy commented. "Their level of domination, though, is pretty remarkable."

Greg McElroy identifies strengths of 2025 Ohio State

The Buckeye defense speaks for itself and picked up exactly where it left off after a dominant finish to the 2024 season, despite losing several key pieces off of last season's unit. The offense arguably suffered more personnel departures and its progression has McElroy's eye.

"What I’ve liked most about Ohio State this year is how they’ve adjusted who they are offensively," he commented. "Like this is not high-flying... we’re going to pitch it all over the yard. This is not a CJ Stroud style of attack. It’s not. It’s a run-first outfit and the offensive line is the strength. I love that."

Greg McElroy added that offensive line hasn't necessarily been the greatest strength for Ohio State over the years, but the 2025 unit may be changing that attitude, evidenced by a strong start for a new starting QB plus an excellent run game, again, despite losing two NFL Draft picks at running back from a year ago.

"I think this year, you can make a case that might be their best personnel group with how they’re playing together and the physicality they’re playing with," McElroy said of the offensive line. "So, I love that. I think they have a quarterback that’s playing really smart. I think they’re taking care of him. They have a running back that’s a bona fide dude."

The names may be new and less recognizable, for now, but Ohio State's offense is again loaded with talent, and this season, is also very balanced, which is a large part of why Greg McElroy ranks the Buckeyes No. 1 in the count

Greg McElroy identifies strengths of 2025 Ohio State

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