Greg McElroy explains why Georgia is still the top team in college football

College football expert Greg McElroy recently revealed his preseason Top 25. And to little surprise, the reigning back-to-back national champions, the Georgia Bulldogs, are at the top of his ranking.

“At number one, it shouldn’t require a whole lot of explanation. Part of it has to do with the schedule. Part of it has to do with the fact that they won consecutive national championships. And it’s difficult for me to justify putting anyone else in the one line that’s not named the Georgia Bulldogs,” opened McElroy.

Georgia entered the 2023 offseason with a few questions that they answered quickly. One of which was who would replace star quarterback Stetson Bennett after he left for the NFL. The Bulldogs have three strong candidates to take over their starting quarterback position, but ultimately Carson Beck is expected to get the opportunity. Outside of Beck, the Georgia offense has more weapons than what they know what to do with, according to McElroy.

“Stetson Bennett‘s gone; I think Carson Beck is gonna be really good. I look at how the offense might change a little bit; they’re gonna be a little bit more of a past happy attack. They’re going to be more traditional dropback, more traditional back-to-the-defense play-action.

“They have excellent weapons. This is the best set of weapons that Georgia has had in Kirby Smart’s tenure. Dominic Lovett last year was one of the best in the SEC. Rara Thomas great top-end speed, great explosiveness. He’s going to be a featured guy as well. They have Ladd McConkey, who is a ridiculous route runner and has great top speed. And they have arguably the most dynamic weapon in all of college football, Brock Bowers… offensive line should be really good, and the run game will be really solid as well. I think Carson Beck’s a dark horse Heisman contender.”

In the offseason, Georgia quickly found a replacement for Todd Monken, who left to become the new offensive coordinator for the NFL’s Baltimore Ravens, hiring Mike Bobo as their new OC.

McElroy believes Bobo’s style of play calling will allow for Georgia’s passing ability to be front and center next season. That, coupled with a lot of wins, is likely to make Beck a candidate for the Heisman Trophy the same way it did Bennett last season.

A surprise to many, especially Georgia fans, the college football expert believes the Bulldogs’ defense might be the biggest flaw in their national championship armor this season. McElroy believes that this variation of the Georgia defense does not stack up to the ones of their championship runs in 2021 and 2022.

“On the defensive side of the football, I’m having a difficult time understanding where the Georgia fans are coming from, ‘hey, this group has a chance to be better this year.’ I don’t agree with that at all. What is the likelihood of you having a better defense in 23 than you had in 22 and 21? You might be; I hope you are. But this automatic, ‘Oh yeah, this guy, that guy.’ I’m not willing to go that far because I look at the defensive front. I think about Jalen Carter, Jordan Davis, (and) Travon Walker. Like all these guys in the front the last couple of years that were absolute game wreckers. It’s a little bit more difficult to identify here in 23.

“I like Zion Logue, I like Nazir Stackhouse, I like Tramel Walthour, I love Mykel Williams, and I think as we fast-forward to seasons end, Mykel Williams will be a household name. But it’s not as deep as it was a year ago. I think the defense could take a step back, but I don’t think the offense skips a beat this year. The defensive front is the real question mark for me when it comes to the Georgia Bulldogs.”

Georgia looks like a complete team this season, with a ridiculous amount of offensive firepower at their disposal. Not only that, but the defending national champs have what many believe to be an easy schedule in 2023. Add all those things in a bowl together, and it is understandable why McElroy has them as the top team in his preseason poll.