Through five weeks of the 2025 college football season, there have been a few surprises.
Nobody thought Arch Manning and Texas would look average. Yet, they still have a lot to prove before the rest of SEC play. Also, the amount of early upsets has made the season unpredictable.
However, ESPN analyst Greg McElroy shared his thoughts on three high-profile programs who haven't lived up to expectations thus far. On his Always College Football podcast, he explained why Clemson, Penn State, and Florida aren't high on the list.
Clemson Tigers
McElroy called Dabo Swinney's the biggest disappointment in college football and many would agree. The fourth-ranked team in the preseason is off to a 1–3 start with losses to LSU, Georgia Tech, and Syracuse. McElroy even admitted he had them as his No. 1 team entering the year. Not to say that was a mistake, but it was.
“I look at their quarterback in Cade Klubnik, who I thought was going to be one of the best quarterbacks in college football,” McElroy said. “Hasn’t materialized this year. I thought defensively, they’d be able to disrupt the quarterback’s timing and rhythm. That hasn’t happened as often as I’d hoped. They haven’t been very balanced offensively.“
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Penn State Nittany Lions
Penn State being added to the list was less about record and more where they sit currently. The Nittany Lions’ lone setback came in a 30-24 double overtime loss to Oregon last week, but McElroy explained why their offense still features last year’s shortcomings.
"Right now I wouldn’t have them in the top ten," McElroy said about Penn State. "Love their defense, think they battle. To give up only 17 points in regulation to an offense like Oregon says an awful lot about that group at all three levels. I think that’s a really good group. However, what’s holding Penn State back from national championship candidacy is high-level play offensively and being able to manufacture explosive plays." This starts with Drew Allar who has struggled in big game moments.
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Florida Gators
McElroy cited Florida’s terrible start, along with many questions about Gators head coach Billy Napier’s tenure. After finishing 2024 with a bit of momentum, quarterback DJ Lagway failed to carry it over. Many believe the preseason Heisman hopeful would've carried that same label into the midway point of the season. But he has yet to have a breakout moment. Florida's lack of offensive identity has McElroy concerned.
(Florida) haven’t been elite running the football," McElroy noted. "Lagway was a top 10 quarterback coming into the season. He hasn’t played that way, not even close to reaching his potential." The stunning loss to USF was one loss Napier wished he had back.
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