When you cast your eye further ahead into the college football season, it is apparent that the fight for playoff positions is on full throttle. As part of the ESPN College Football show, Greg McElroy gave his opinion and analysis of how he expected the 12-team College Football Playoff setting to look. His take? There are logical, super popular choices, some less expected ones, and a whole lot of future confusion.

Introducing his playoff breakdown, McElroy did not hesitate to name Alabama as his number one team. After the Tide’s statement win over Georgia in which the former quarterback shined, he didn’t hold his punches. “If the playoffs started today, Alabama would be the number one overall seed.” McElroy noted the difficulties emphasized, “Outside of those two road trips, they should be a double-digit favorite in just about every game.”

But even that level of dominance is not surprising for Alabama, which has been a perennial contender for the playoff spot. Jalen Milroe, who had a performance of his lifetime against Georgia (374 passing yards and a mind-boggling 117 rushing yards), made Alabama look more like a team equipped with a remote control as they ease through the SEC.

McElroy has Georgia at the ninth spot, stressing that the team has a problem after the disastrous loss to Alabama. He said although the Bulldogs have the quality they “couldn’t overcome four turnovers on the road,” hence affecting their position. The defeat was costly but still, there probably may be more for Georgia to claim because of the talent in the program.

Just behind the Tide is Ohio State, a team that McElroy believes has more in store for them, even though they have a very good team going into the year. “Ohio State is a bit of an incomplete grade right now,” McElroy also mentioned, concerning the fact that the Buckeyes have ahead of them quite several challenging games, such as the ones against Oregon and Penn State.

“Their personnel is really difficult to kind of point to and feel terrible about,” McElroy continued to admire OSU’s depth and talent starting from the whistle to the tight end. While he’s not a fan of Michigan, Ohio State’s biggest annual rival McElroy still sees value in the late-season matchup, but he could care less about the Wolverines. Through playmaking wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. and a stable of running backs, McElroy believes the OS offense can remain the cream of the crop.

The SEC showdown: more chaos is yet to come

Now is the time to raise one more topic and that is the list of the current champions. In Georgia’s case, after a loss to Alabama, comes the hard truth. McElroy went on to say that they were able to sack the quarterback, and also said that they had over 500 yards in total offense and went belly up, five out of five times, on fourth down. “four turnovers on the road are hard to overcome.” Kirby Smart has done a fantastic job in program building, but this season is looking to be a strong challenge for the Bulldogs.

The expectation is for Georgia to respond in an improved fashion, especially given that their next few games will decide whether they are a playoff contender or not. As McElroy remarked, “They can’t afford another slip-up.” Smart has to motivate his players while making sure his team avoids silly errors on the field.

Don’t count out Miami just yet. McElroy has often given some unsolicited encouragement their way, saying that the Hurricanes look to be coming alive. “They were kind of their own worst rnemy,” He said this, and let’s not forget they have problems with Virginia Tech. But he also had to draw their attention to the fact that were they making those same errors last year; it would have cost them a game.

Miami’s defense is good, and with the right readjustments, it is a team that can give everyone a run for their money. But if they can maintain the same level of capitalizing on opportunities and not have turnovers, they could surely clinch a position at the top. The SEC is where the heat is this season. With Alabama and Georgia battling it out at the top and Tennessee making noise as a contender, McElroy is clear about one thing: “It’s all about survival.” Moving into the second half of the season, every game from this point forward will be playoff games.

What McElroy had to say about the playoff status reflects the dynamism and thrill that comes with college football. With the 12-team playoff on the horizon, we should see more thrills and spills in the coming games. As McElroy said, “It’s a bit of an incomplete grade right now,” and the best is yet to come.