Greg McElroy Names 2 Surprise College Football Playoff Contenders for 2024 Season

The College Football Playoffs will feature a 12-team playoff for the first time this upcoming season. For that reason, we could see some surprising teams make the postseason this year that may not have had a chance if it remained a four-team playoff. ESPN’s Greg McElroy takes a look at two teams that could surprise the country this year.

While going through his preseason rankings, McElroy reveals the Tennessee Volunteers and Missouris Tigers are two teams to keep an eye on as potential playoff contenders. Both programs made some improvements this offseason and Greg McElroy likes how they each are shaping up for the upcoming season.

Greg McElroy claims he believes Nico Iamaleava will be a noticeable upgrade at quarterback over Joe Milton. If that’s the case then the Vols offense should show improvements next season. McElroy also likes the additions made to the defensive side of the ball despite the Volunteers losing 10 key players on defense.

“Tennessee in at No. 10 feels really good about the possibility of them crashing the playoff party.”

Moving on to the Missouri Tigers, McElroy likes their chances considering they finished with an 11-2 record last season. They finished just one game behind Georgia and tied both Alabama and Ole Miss in the SEC. He also loves the Tigers’ offense as they have a plethora of weapons led by star wide receiver, Luther Burden III. Greg McElroy does question the defense but the power of that Mizzou offense can’t be ignored.

“So, I look at everything defensively for Missouri I look at everything offensively for Missouri, I think they’re in a really good spot and have a legitimate chance to back up the expectations of the preseason and punch their ticket to the playoff this year as well.”

There will be numerous programs fighting for the College Football Playoffs this year. The Volunteers and Tigers could certainly be in the mix late in the season. That’s especially true if they can each win 10+ games. It’ll be a closely contested race, but Tennessee and Missouri are two teams that should be on the College Football Playoff radar.

With that said, look for the SEC, Big Ten, and Big 12 to be ultra competitive. After the conference realignment, the college football landscape looks quite a bit different. It should be a fun season though, as fans finally get what they’ve been asking for in a 12-team playoff system.