"It's less certain": Greg McElroy points out flaws in Georgia's trajectory under new rules 

After the Georgia Bulldogs won two straight championships, college football seemed to be entering a new era of dominance. However, Greg McElroy believes recent evidence suggests otherwise.

On Wednesday’s “Always College Football” show, along with Paul Finebaum, the ESPN college football analyst questioned whether Kirby Smart’s team can maintain its dominance in the future.

“They are always seemingly getting the benefit of the doubt, and I don’t think there is anything wrong with that — they’ve earned that over the last four years — but it does feel like with their performances and the inconsistencies of ’23 and ‘24, does feel with the portal turnover and the guys they’ve lost to the NFL," McElroy said.

“I know they won the SEC last year, but it does feel less certain that Georgia is going to be a perennial national championship contender. They might very well be, but it’s less certain today than it was two years ago.”

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The Georgia Bulldogs will enter what looks to be a pivotal 2025 season. They have been one of the most consistent teams in recent years, but their last two seasons have ended in disappointment.

In 2024, they were eliminated by Notre Dame in the CFP quarterfinals. While they won the SEC, they also lost two regular-season games for the first time since 2020. The year before, they missed the College Football Playoff altogether after losing the conference championship game to Alabama.

Greg McElroy has a CFP format proposal

While ESPN analyst Greg McElroy acknowledged that the SEC and Big Ten hold the keys to college football’s future — and expressed concerns about the current trajectory — he also proposed a solution that ensures every conference has representation.

In his proposal, Greg McElroy divided the playoff field into four quadrants. In the first two, the SEC and Big Ten would each have their own part of the bracket. The four SEC teams would face off until only one remained, and the same would happen in the Big Ten.

Another quarter of the bracket would be played between the two conferences with two entries, the Big 12 and the ACC. The final quarter would consist of at-large teams, potentially including Notre Dame and a Group of Five qualifier.

“You are actually condensing the playoff. You are guaranteeing the Big Ten and SEC a spot but you are basically turning a 16-team format into a four-team playoff,” McElroy explained.

While Greg McElroy's suggested format would address representation concerns, it could raise other issues. Some teams might face a tougher path than others, and if the two best teams were in the same conference, they couldn’t meet later than the quarterfinals.

Additionally, the SEC and Big Ten would have to agree to having just one semifinalist each year.