Greg McElroy gives puzzling take on strength-of-schedule amid Indiana controversy

Following the reveal of the latest College Football Playoff rankings, ESPN analyst Greg McElroy launched into a somewhat confusing tirade about strength of schedule, particularly when it comes to Indiana.

At first, McElroy seemed to suggest that Indiana could make the College Football Playoff by virtue of keeping it close with Ohio State this weekend, presumably finishing 11-1 on the year.

“I think Indiana is in a position this weekend to secure a spot in the playoff,” McElroy said. “They don’t have to win, but they have to look competitive.”

There’s certainly merit to that idea, as it would seem fairly implausible that an 11-1 team from a power conference might get left out of the mix, weak schedule or not.

McElroy did little to clarify his overall intent in discussing strength of schedule, though, simply blasting some comparisons to previous years and previous teams.

“We cannot use 2023 as a reference point for 2024 anymore,” the former Alabama quarterback said. “It’s not comparable. I’ve heard multiple people doing this, and it’s ridiculous. … I’ve also seen people cherry-picking Georgia‘s schedule from last year and saying, ‘Well, Georgia’s strength of schedule last year compared to Indiana’s.’ Guys, Georgia still had to beat Alabama in the SEC championship game to get to the playoff.”

The potential scenarios that would get Indiana into the Big Ten title game even with a loss to Ohio State are convoluted, but, in theory, it could still happen.

It’s unclear if McElroy was referring to such a scenario playing out when discussing Indiana, but he finished seemingly hitting at that possibility.

“What I’m saying about with Indiana, it would be like us watching Georgia lose to ‘Bama in the SEC championship game and then still putting Georgia in a position to win the national championship,” McElroy said. “That’s what happens if Indiana loses this game this weekend. There’s still that big hurdle. Michigan still had to beat Ohio State. We cannot use strength of schedule from last year.”