Greg McElroy Identifies Area Of Concern For Potential College Football Playoff Contender

Fans saw the last of the four-team College Football Playoff last season, with the Michigan Wolverines claiming the final national title in that format. This season, the playoff expands to 12 teams for the first time.

Greg McElroy voiced concern for the Penn State Nittany Lions' playoff hopes on a recent episode of " Always College Football ." The Nittany Lions always seem to be in the hunt for the playoff until they play Michigan or the Ohio State Buckeyes. Penn State has not beaten Michigan since 2020 and has not won against Ohio State since 2016.

McElroy was concerned with Penn State's inability to create big plays on the outside and believed it could hurt them, especially when it plays Ohio State or Michigan.

This offseason, the team lost receivers KeAndre Lambert-Smith and Dante Cephus to the transfer portal. Lambert-Smith is with the Auburn Tigers, and Cephus went to the Kansas State Wildcats.

However, Penn State added a veteran presence at wide receiver in former Ohio State wideout Julian Fleming.

"...This team has playoff aspirations," McElroy said. "They have national championship aspirations. If they can't manufacture big plays on the outside, that's going to be a huge problem for them, especially when playing against the likes of Ohio State and some of the teams they'll see when they get into the 12-team playoff."

James Franklin led Penn State to another 10-win season in 2023. The Nittany Lions lost to the Ole Miss Rebels in the Peach Bowl to end the year.

Penn State returns plenty of talent on both sides of the ball. Quarterback Drew Allar and running backs Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen all return. Edge rusher Dani Dennis-Sutton, edge rusher Adbul Carter and safety Jaylen Reed are the top returning players on defense.

However, Ohio State and Michigan always stand in Penn State's way of a playoff berth. The Big Ten is even more challenging now with the Oregon Ducks, Washington Huskies, USC Trojans and UCLA Bruins in the conference.

Penn State faces UCLA (Oct. 5), USC (Oct. 12), and Washington (Nov. 9) this season. The Nittany Lions do not play Michigan this season but play Ohio State on Nov. 2.

James Franklin and Penn State open the year against the West Virginia Mountaineers on Aug. 31.

Related: Greg McElroy Names Potential Concerns For Historic College Football Program