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ESPN’s Greg McElroy says Ohio State, not Notre Dame, the biggest challenger to Alabama
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Alabama seems to be the consensus No. 1 team in college football right now. Because of a 6-0 start and wins over Texas A&M and Georgia, many believe the Crimson Tide are the team to beat in 2020.
So, if someone is going to take down Alabama, who’s going to do it? ESPN analyst Greg McElroy says Ohio State has the best shot, and not Notre Dame. It may not seem like a crazy assessment, but considering the Irish defeated top-ranked Clemson earlier this season and sit 8-0, they deserve some consideration.
“I just think they have more pieces offensively you have to account for,” McElroy said on College Football Live. “I think Notre Dame’s excellent running the football, I think they’re decent at wide receiver and getting better, but Ohio State is a nightmare matchup for anybody, just because of how many different things you have to try to defend. The quarterback run, the individual matchup on the outside, being able to run the football between the tackles and on the perimeter. I would say Ohio State is the more difficult team to defend, therefore the more difficult matchup.”
Ohio State is off to a 3-0 start in 2020, with wins over Nebraska, Penn State and Rutgers. Last week’s game against Maryland was canceled due to a COVID-19 outbreak in the Terrapins’ program.
This weekend, the Buckeyes will face their biggest challenge of the season, playing 4-0 Indiana. It should provide a pretty good gauge of where Ohio State stands this deep into the season.
Dustin grew up in the heart of Big Ten country and has been in sports media since 2010. He has been covering Big Ten football since 2014. You can follow him on Twitter: @SchutteCFB