Greg McElroy argues Florida State should be ranked in top-10 of AP poll after Alabama win
By Sydney Hunte
Published:
Greg McElroy felt the post-Week 1 AP Top 25 poll should have had one particular team in the Top 10, he said on SportsCenter on Tuesday.
That’s Florida State, by virtue of its 31-17 win over Alabama on Saturday in Tallahassee. That saw the Seminoles jump into the poll at No. 14 after being unranked in the preseason. Meanwhile, the Crimson Tide plunged 13 spots from No. 8 to No. 21.
McElroy argued that the Noles should have made a bigger jump.
“Obviously, everyone was very shocked that FSU was able to beat Alabama in the way that they did. But I’m very shocked that you think that FSU should be in the top 10 in the AP poll this week. Why?” SportsCenter anchor Christine Williamson asked McElroy.
“Who played better than them this past weekend?” McElroy replied. “How many teams looked better than Florida State? And I can tell you right now, Christine, there’s no way I could get to double digits before I get to the Florida State Seminoles.”
The former Crimson Tide quarterback highlighted the play of Thomas Castellanos, who joined the Noles from Boston College in the offseason. Castellanos finished 9-of-14 for 152 yards with 0 touchdowns and 0 interceptions while running for 78 yards and a touchdown on 16 carries.
“Two years ago, Thomas Castellanos was one of the most dynamic playmakers, not just in the ACC, but in all of college football at the quarterback spot. He looked like he was back in form (against Alabama),” McElroy said.
“This is a quarterback-driven world. And if you have a quarterback that can elevate the play of everyone else around you and can create that momentum and that belief, you got a chance.”
Sydney is an Atlanta-based journalist who has covered everything from SEC and ACC football to MLS, the U.S. men's national soccer team and professional tennis. His work has appeared on such platforms as SB Nation, Cox Media Group and FanSided.
