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Greg McElroy, Cole Cubelic discuss AP poll snubs, strong Group of 5 opinion
By Rolando Rosa
Published:
The first AP poll of the season was unveiled on Monday and it’s already being dissected by those in the media.
On “McElroy and Cubelic In The Morning,” on WJOX in Birmingham, Alabama, Greg McElroy and Cole Cubelic discussed some teams they believe were snubbed as well as an interesting take on the Group of 5’s No. 24 Tulane.
To kick off @macandcube this morning, @colecubelic & @GregMcElroy shared their reactions to the preseason AP Top 25 poll and which teams they think got snubbed. pic.twitter.com/nUI8aajJzO
— WJOX 94.5 FM (@WJOX945) August 15, 2023
Cubelic took issue with Texas Tech, Arkansas, and Kentucky being omitted.
“Those would be the ones I looked at and said hmmm not sure if I would have them out,” Cubelic said.
Meanwhile, McElroy advocated for Kentucky, UCLA, and Mississippi State, while blasting the reigning AAC champions.
McElroy believes the current landscape only makes a select few outside the Power 5 worthy of trust before playing a snap.
“Tulane has no business being in the top 25…No Group of 5 team unless everybody is back should be in the top 25 starting out because every year with how we’re using the portal and everything, the Group of 5 is kind of in prove-it mode,” McElroy said. “They will ultimately enter the top 25. I don’t have any problem with that. But why do you have to put them in the top 25 right now? There’s a lot of unknowns.”
McElroy listed Texas Tech, Kentucky, and UCLA as teams superior to Tulane, merely based on name recognition from their rosters and the depletion of the Green Wave.
“All those teams have a little more known commodities than ‘Oh, they have Michael Pratt back. Cool. They have their quarterback back, great,” McElroy said. “Lost your best running back. Lost a couple of good pieces on the defensive line. Lost your defensive coordinator. You’ve lost a bunch of folks that were really pivotal to your success last year.”
McElroy added that No. 21 North Carolina and No. 25 Iowa don’t belong in the poll. Of the Tar Heels, McElroy sees the potential but still isn’t sold.
“Based on what they’re capable of, sure,” McElroy said. “Based on what they were the last time we saw them, and knowing that they still have major headaches on the defensive side.”
