The recent unveiling of the College Football Playoff rankings has sparked a firestorm of debates and discussions across the college football world.
However, it was ESPN’s Greg McElroy who stole the spotlight with his fiery criticism of the committee’s inconsistent rankings during Tuesday night’s unveiling.
Voicing his frustration, McElroy demanded more uniformity from the committee, particularly focusing on the positioning of the three highest-ranked one-loss teams: Oregon, Texas, and Alabama.
He vehemently questioned the lack of consistency in their evaluations, highlighting discrepancies in the way different teams were being assessed.
🚨 PSA 🚨 @GregMcElroy's rankings are based strictly on EYE TEST, which is why he has issues with the committee's lack of consistency in their top 10… pic.twitter.com/dC5cgkps7W
— Always College Football (@AlwaysCFB) November 8, 2023
In response to McElroy’s impassioned plea, Stewart Mandel, a prominent figure at The Athletic, took a shot at the former Alabama quarterback, insinuating that McElroy’s loyalty to his alma mater was clouding his judgment.
Mandel went on to suggest that McElroy was intentionally laying the groundwork for Alabama to leapfrog over Oregon in the rankings if both teams manage to secure victories in the coming weeks.
Greg McElroy is planting the seed that 1-loss Alabama should be ranked higher than 1-loss Oregon knowing that might be the exact debate for No. 4 if both win out.
— Stewart Mandel (@slmandel) November 8, 2023
Refuting these allegations, McElroy stood his ground and clarified that his primary concern was not biased towards any specific team but rather aimed at ensuring fairness and consistency in the committee’s approach to ranking the teams.
Addressing Mandel directly, McElroy fired back: “Your tweet is questioning my professionalism, Stew. You’re better than that. I want consistency. If Ohio State is #1 because of their ‘Resume,’ then we should use ‘Resume’ to evaluate the other teams as well. Therefore, Texas should be the highest ranked 1-loss team.”
Your tweet is questioning my professionalism, Stew. You're better than that.
I want consistency… If Ohio St. is #1 because of their "Resume," then we should use "Resume" to evaluate the other teams, as well. Therefore, Texas, should be the highest ranked 1-loss team. https://t.co/DXXhvq8yGT
— Greg McElroy (@GregMcElroy) November 8, 2023
With pivotal matchups on the horizon for Texas, Oregon, and Alabama in the final stretch of the regular season, the fate of these teams in the playoff race hangs in the balance.
Alabama’s potential clash with Georgia in the SEC Championship and Oregon’s awaited rematch against Washington in the Pac-12 Championship are both poised to be decisive showdowns that would surely impact the playoff picture.
"There's no consistency," said Greg McElroy, as he complained about the CFP putting Oregon No. 6 a day after he ranked them No. 6. pic.twitter.com/Piy37QyY04
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) November 8, 2023
What is your take on the McElroy-Mandel back-and-forth?
Do you think McElory is being biased towards Alabama?
Former Alabama QB Greg McElroy is impressed with the Crimson Tide following its win over LSU pic.twitter.com/ZFAryGWSeX
— Touchdown Alabama (@TDAlabamaMag) November 7, 2023
What is your personal playoff picture looking like as we enter the weekend???