When it was announced that Greg McElroy would be taking on the role of analyst on the fledgling SEC Network, there were some -- including Auburn fans -- wondering how unbiased (or biased) the former Alabama quarterback could and would be.
At first blush, it doesn’t appear bias will be an issue for McElroy.
During a radio interview Tuesday, McElroy was asked about the SEC West race in 2014. Not so surprisingly, McElroy went with one of the teams that played for the final BCS title -- and is the most bitter of his alma mater’s rivals -- as his favorite to come out of the West.
“Once quarterback situations are established at LSU, at Alabama -- and Ole Miss is also kind of a scary team out in the West as well,” McElroy said. “Bo Wallace comes back and some of the things they were able to do. The West is wide open and it’s difficult, but I definitely think the Auburn Tigers are the favorite.”
McElroy makes solid points when it comes to the quarterback situations at the two schools that should serve as the Tigers’ chief competition in 2014 and, yes, I’m dismissing Ole Miss. Both Alabama and LSU are replacing veteran starters, three-year starter AJ McCarron for the former and two-year starter Zach Mettenberger for the latter. On the flip side, Auburn returns its starter, Nick Marshall -- the first time, incidentally, Gus Malzahn has returned the same starter from the season before during his nine years as a coordinator or head coach at the FBS level.
In fact, Malzahn being on The Plains factors significantly in McElroy’s pick for SEC West frontrunner.
“I think he’s the most innovative play-caller in college football,” McElroy said of Malzahn. “I think he’s a tremendous football coach and he’s had a lot of success over the course of his career and what they did last year was really special, so I think they are the frontrunners without question at this point.”
(Tip O’ the Cap: al.com)