Greg McElroy Reveals Biggest Threat to Ohio State in Big Ten

The No. 2-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes entered the 2024 college football season as the consensus favorite to win the newly expanded Big Ten Conference. Ryan Day's squad certainly looked the part in Week 1, despite a slow start, beating Akron 52-6 at home.

There is still a burning question, however, of who can give the Buckeyes a run for their money within the conference that added No. 3 Oregon Ducks, among others, over the offseason. The Ducks found themselves in a close battle against Idaho Vandals on Saturday, August 31, but found their footing in the fourth quarter, securing a 24-14 win.

ESPN college football analyst Greg McElroy doesn't consider Ohio State's slow start or Oregon's underwhelming performance as indicators for the rest of the long season. But he does think there is a team that could provide a real threat at the top of the conference before the Big Ten crown is earned.

"There is a case to be made that Penn State is the biggest threat to Ohio State in the Big Ten," McElroy said on "Always College Football."

The No. 9 Nittany Lions faced a tough test in Week 1 with a trip to Morgantown to take on West Virginia Mountaineers, who were coming off a 9-4 season in 2023. Penn State was just an 8-point favorite but cruised to a 34-12 victory.

"I'm not gonna necessarily stamp it with a 100% guarantee hey the Big 10 title is going to be between Penn State and Ohio State I'm not going that far just yet," McElroy continued. "But there were a few things on Saturday that made me feel really, really encouraged by what I saw from Penn State."

Second-year starting quarterback Drew Allar entered the game with some high expectations. The former five-star prospect was inconsistent in 2023 but seemed to be much improved, albeit in a small sample size.

"Drew Allar looked better didn't he?" McElroy said. "In 13 starts last year, 13 starts, Drew Allar had five completions of 50-plus yards. Well he had two in the first half in week one against West Virginia."

Allar finished the day with 216 yards off 11-of-17 passing with three touchdowns. The junior also added 44 yards on six carries on the ground. But it wasn't just Allar that impressed; Nicholas Singleton rushed for 114 yards on 13 carries with a touchdown. Harrison Wallace III caught five passes for 117 yards and two scores.

Defensively, the Nittany Lions held the Mountaineers, who finished fifth in the country in rushing yards per game last season, to just 85 yards on the ground.

Looking ahead, Penn State has one of the most manageable schedules in the conference, with just two ranked opponents on the slate. James Franklin's squad will visit No. 23 USC Trojans on Oct. 12 and meet Ohio State Buckeyes in a high-profile clash on Nov. 2.

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