Greg McElroy names college football conference thrown into ‘complete chaos’

Greg McElroy described the weekend’s results as “complete chaos” after multiple top contenders from this conference suffered major upsets.

ESPN college football analyst Greg McElroy discussed how the ACC is in complete chaos after Week 11. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

On Sunday’s episode of Always College Football, ESPN analyst Greg McElroy said the ACC had entered “complete chaos.” His breakdown followed a weekend where Virginia and Louisville, the conference’s top two ranked teams, both suffered shocking losses within hours of each other. Those results left the league in disarray, creating a tangled path to the ACC Championship and a potentially devastating hit to its College Football Playoff hopes.

McElroy emphasized how the outcomes dramatically shifted the playoff picture. Virginia, previously the ACC’s last unbeaten in conference play, lost 16-9 at home to Wake Forest after quarterback Chandler Morris exited in the second quarter. Louisville then fell in overtime to Cal, marking the Bears’ biggest upset win since 1986. Both results created a logjam at the top of the conference standings, where five teams now sit with a single league loss.

The fallout left McElroy questioning whether the ACC could still position a team for a playoff home game. He said, “The ACC just got thrown into complete chaos,” underscoring that its champion will now likely have to play on the road with no realistic chance of an at-large berth.

ACC’s Wild Weekend Reshapes College Football Playoff Path

McElroy detailed how five teams — Georgia Tech, Virginia, Pitt, SMU, and Duke — are now battling for control of the conference, each sitting with one loss in ACC play. Georgia Tech, which was idle, suddenly finds itself favored to win the title at 2-to-1 odds. Duke, despite losing to UConn, sits close behind, followed by SMU and Pitt, while Virginia and Louisville now trail after their upsets.

McElroy said the losses dealt a serious blow to the ACC’s national standing. “It’s highly unlikely that the ACC champion gets a home playoff game,” he said. “And there is no chance anymore of an at-large bid.” With five one-loss teams, the conference now faces an exhausting series of tiebreakers that could take weeks to sort through.

College football analyst Greg McElroy broke down how the ACC is falling apart after turbulent Week 11 results. | Rich Barnes-Imagn Images

What once looked like a straightforward path to Charlotte has now become one of the sport’s most unpredictable races. Each remaining week carries major implications not only for the ACC title but also for whether the league can avoid being the odd conference out when playoff bids are finalized.

The ACC’s playoff hopes will hinge on how its contenders finish down the stretch, beginning with Duke’s matchup against Virginia on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. ET on ESPN2.