Greg McElroy Names National Powerhouse With the Highest Floor in College Football

Former Alabama quarterback and current ESPN analyst Greg McElroy finished his preseason top 10 this week on his Always College Football podcast. He put Ohio State first and Notre Dame second. Georgia landed at No. 6, behind Indiana, Oregon and Miami.

That made the Bulldogs his top SEC team, but it also came with a compliment few other programs earned. McElroy said no team in the country is safer than Kirby Smart's, but he's unsure what to make of the offense's potential.

Why Greg McElroy says Georgia has highest floor in college football

"The projections have Georgia around 10-2, so sixth is me saying that Georgia has the highest floor in college football and the ceiling depends almost entirely on some 19-year-old wide receivers becoming huge problems for people in October," McElroy said.

He also described the operation in blunt terms. "Kirby Smart's program (is) kind of the most boringly elite operation in the sport," McElroy said.

Quarterback Gunner Stockton is back after going 12-2 and winning a second straight SEC championship. Georgia beat Alabama 28-7 in Atlanta for that title.

Running backs Nate Frazier and Chauncey Bowens both returned instead of leaving. Frazier ran for 947 yards and six touchdowns and made third-team All-SEC. Bowens added 526 yards and six scores as a freshman. Tight end Lawson Luckie returns for his senior year too.

Georgia ranked fourth nationally against the run and tied for 10th in scoring defense last season. Smart wants more from that group regardless. "We have to generate more turnovers and generate more havoc. We've got to be more explosive on offense," Smart said. However, ESPN's Booger McFarland felt the Bulldogs didn't meet the defense's high expectations in 2025, but could surprise this year.

Georgia's wide receiver room will set ceiling in 2026

The reason McElroy stopped at sixth sits at one position. Georgia lost Zachariah Branch, Colbie Young, Dillon Bell and Noah Thomas from the receiver room. London Humphreys is the only returning wideout who caught more than 15 passes, snagging 18 catches for 276 yards and three touchdowns.

Georgia made just one portal addition there. Isiah Canion arrived from Georgia Tech after catching 33 passes for 480 yards and four touchdowns. The 6-foot-4 Warner Robins native is expected to play the X spot. Behind him, the Bulldogs are betting on former five-star Talyn Taylor, Sacovie White-Helton and Landon Roldan.

Georgia Bulldogs quarterback Gunner Stockton (14) speaks to the press during SEC Football Kickoff Media Day at the Tampa Marriott. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Smart pointed to the run game as a way to unlock the passing game: "We have to be able to run the football. Show me a good team that wins championships that can't run the football." Georgia averaged 182.1 rushing yards per game last season, fourth in the SEC.

The schedule gives that group time to grow. Georgia opens against Tennessee State on Sept. 5 at 3 p.m. ET, then hosts Western Kentucky. The first real measuring stick is Oklahoma in Athens on Sept. 26. After that come road trips to Alabama on Oct. 10 and to Ole Miss on Nov. 7. Georgia has lost in the CFP quarterfinals in each of the last two seasons, most recently 39-34 to Ole Miss in the Sugar Bowl.

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