Greg McElroy Names an ACC Program That Can Win the National Championship

Greg McElroy Names an ACC Program That Can Win the National Championship originally appeared on Athlon Sports.

The college football season is almost here, and this year’s race for the College Football Playoff National Championship feels wide open.

Of the top 12 teams with the best odds to win the title, according to ESPN Bet, only four return a quarterback who made at least seven starts with their team last season: Penn State, Clemson, LSU and Florida. Additionally, Miami is the only other program with a quarterback who made that many starts last season, having brought in Carson Beck from Georgia via the transfer portal.

ESPN college football analyst Greg McElroy spoke about the tiers in the ACC on his podcast, "Always College Football." In Tier 1, he not only touched on the Clemson Tigers but also focused heavily on the Miami Hurricanes.

"Moving next to the Miami Hurricanes. And yes, I include Miami in Tier 1," McElroy said. "A lot of people might push back on that. Well, Miami can make the playoff, but can they win the national championship? I am a believer. I look at where this team has gone the last couple years, where they've progressed the last couple years, and I happen to think this could be maybe the best year in Mario Cristobal's tenure up to this point."

Miami needed to fill the quarterback void after Cam Ward went No. 1 overall in the 2025 NFL Draft. The Hurricanes went out and landed Beck, who spent four seasons at Georgia, including two as the team's starter.

Before suffering a season-ending torn UCL in his elbow during the SEC Championship Game, he threw for 3,485 yards, 28 touchdowns and 12 interceptions in the 2024 season.

McElroy also discussed Miami's additions and schedule.

"I love the additions that they've made in the portal," McElroy said. "I love the pieces that they bring back. And I also love how kind of the schedule sets up. They get some really good challenges, but they are at home."

Here's the full Miami schedule this season:

• Aug. 31 vs. Notre Dame
• Sept. 6 vs. Bethune-Cookman
• Sept. 13 vs. South Florida
• Sept. 20 vs. Florida
• Oct. 4 at Florida State
• Oct. 17 vs. Louisville
• Oct. 25 vs. Stanford
• Nov. 1 at SMU
• Nov. 8 vs. Syracuse
• Nov. 15 vs. NC State
• Nov. 22 at Virginia Tech
• Nov. 29 at Pittsburgh

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This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 24, 2025, where it first appeared.