ALTOONA, Pa. -- Penn State just beat Auburn, 28-20, and is ranked No. 6 in the country, but SEC analyst and former Alabama quarterback Greg McElroy still dissed the Nittany Lions something fierce earlier this week.
McElroy appeared on "The Paul Finebaum Show" and threw this heavy shade at Penn State:
"I would have Penn State finishing fourth in the SEC West. And (people) would say, hang on a second, what? They're No. 6 team in the country. Understandably so. And on a neutral site, I would pick Alabama ahead of them, I would pick at this point Ole Miss ahead of them and then I think it would be a toss-up between A&M and Penn State."
McElroy wasn't done, either. He also added Penn State would be third in the SEC East, behind both Georgia and Florida.
So, if you're counting, that would put the Lions sixth in the SEC, according to McElroy.
As you can expect, that kind of disrespect has not gone over well with Penn State fans on social media, with many criticizing McElroy's SEC bias.
Then again, there have been a lot of SEC fans defending McElroy. Such as:
Put Penn st. in the swamp last Saturday. What happens? Put them in Athens. Hey ... how about this?..play Auburn at home. Send them to Tuscaloosa, Oxford or College station. Go to LSU on a Saturday night even when they’re down and not playing too well. What happens?! Good call..
— Brock Coogler (@brockcoogler) September 20, 2021
that's accurate. Auburn beat themselves. penn state don't have the muscle to survive the SEC. that WR they have, #5, that little fella can catch but i was scared for his health all night long. against an aggressive D(Bama, Georgia, Florida, etc.) that little fella aint making it.
— David Keith Odom (@JnKzDaddy) September 20, 2021
Former Michigan star and Heisman Trophy winner Desmond Howard did not agree with McElroy's assessment, speaking during ESPN's "Get Up" program yesterday morning.
"Well, Greg is a very intelligent young man with a high football IQ," Howard said. "But sometimes, every now and then, Greg gives you one of those head scratchers, you're like, What's the logic? Have you seen these guys play? I don't agree with Greg. ... What (Penn State has) done so far this season has been tremendous. They've earned a lot of respect.
"So I have a little issue with what Greg said. I think that Penn State is a team that would be much higher in the SEC East or the SEC West," Howard concluded.
Finebaum talked about how it really doesn't matter where Penn State would be in the SEC because the Lions don't have to go through that tough league to get to the College Football Playoff.
"There's a difference between where you rank in the SEC and whether or not you can get to the playoffs, and the Big Ten is not the SEC, not exactly breaking news," Finebaum said on the same TV program. "So I think (Penn State has) a decent path. Ohio State is a troubled team right now. We're still waiting to learn more about Michigan and Michigan State and Iowa. But they certainly have a path to get to the Big Ten championship game right now."
OK, so where would Penn State actually be in the SEC discussion right now?
Alabama and Georgia are ranked 1 and 2 in the country, and no other SEC team is ranked higher than Penn State at No. 6 in the AP poll. So, as of right now, Penn State certainly could be considered no worse than third if it were in the SEC.
Now, how many SEC teams ultimately will finish ahead of Penn State? And would the Lions be able to beat the likes of Texas A&M, Florida or Ole Miss in head-to-head matchups?
The way the Lions play defense, and figuring Mike Yurcich's offense should only get better, you'd have to like their chances against those teams from the SEC.
Still, for McElroy to say that Penn State, right now, would be no better than sixth in the SEC when it's ranked No. 6 in the country sure sounds like the ultimate trolling job.