Greg McElroy does not deny Penn State has looked like one of the best teams in the country this season. However, he still needs to see the Nittany Lions answer some big tests down the stretch.

In a recent segment on “Always College Football,” McElroy had Penn State as his team with the most to prove at the midway point of the schedule.

“I’m starting with Penn State (as the team with the most to prove),” said McElroy. “You’re gonna sit there and say ‘Penn State’s been rolling everybody, they’re 6-0 against the spread.’ I get all that… but the schedule’s going to get a little bit better. The win over Iowa looks better and better and better as the year goes on.”

Despite the early-season success, McElroy said he’s seen this similar story play out for James Franklin’s teams. He pointed to over 80 wins at Penn State but also drew attention to Franklin’s head-to-head record against Ohio State.

“Here’s the problem: We have seen James Franklin’s teams play really well up until this point in the season. In his tenure at Penn State, he’s won 84 games, but just 1 of those 84 came against Ohio State,” McElroy explained. “Penn State lost to the Buckeyes 8 times (under Franklin) including 6 in a row. And the 1 game that they won against the Buckeyes was kind of the result of a flukey, blocked field goal return to the house.”

At the end of the day, McElroy believes this Penn State defense is the best Franklin has had. Now, it’s time for the Nittany Lions to show they have what it takes to upset the historical trend with a big win over Ohio State.