Greg McElroy Believes 3 Teams Will Contend For Big Ten Title
HOUSTON, TEXAS - MARCH 07: ESPN play by play man Steve Levy, right, and analyst Greg McElroy call a XFL game between the Seattle Dragons and Houston Roughnecks at TDECU Stadium on March 07, 2020 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Bob Levey/Getty Images)
There's no question that the Big Ten is a top-heavy football conference with powerhouse programs Ohio State and Michigan on top.
But in 2023, Greg McElroy believes another Big Ten program will be in the mix to compete for the conference title.
The college football analyst feels the Penn State Nittany Lions have what it takes to compete with the Buckeyes and Wolverines this coming season.
“The reason why I’m so optimistic about Penn State, so many of the guys that are coming back were so dang young this year,” McElroy said on ESPN. “This team has a young nucleus of talent that is only going to continue to grow and get better and one of the biggest leaps you make as a player is from Year 1 to Year 2.”
Penn State's only two losses of the 2022 season came against Ohio State and Michigan. They kept things relatively close against the Buckeyes, but were absolutely blown out by the Wolverines.
“That was the anomaly performance,” McElroy said of the Michigan game. “Most of the time, they played pretty well on that side of the football, including a 3-quarter stretch against Ohio State when they played really well. And their offense didn’t do them a lot of favors in that game, I might add.”
The Nittany Lions finished their season with an 11-2 record and a Rose Bowl win over Utah.
