Greg McElroy compares Ohio State QB1 decision to Michigan's 2022 plan with JJ McCarthy, Cade McNamara

Tuesday morning, Ryan Day made it official. Kyle McCord will be Ohio State’s starting quarterback in the season opener against Indiana over Devin Brown, although both will play in the game.

That’s why, according to ESPN’s Greg McElroy, the competition at Ohio State might not be over just yet.

McElroy compared Day’s decision to the one Jim Harbaugh made last year. Michigan rolled out two quarterbacks to start the season, starting with Cade McNamara in the opener and J.J. McCarthy in the second game as part of Harbaugh’s “biblical” plan to figure out the starter. Lane Kiffin also had the competition go into the season at Ole Miss a year ago.

This year, at Ohio State, McElroy argued Day could do something similar with McCord and Brown since both will play against Indiana. As a result, McCord might not be the final choice as the Buckeyes’ starting quarterback.

“I think about how Michigan handled the position last year,” McElroy said on SportsCenter shortly after Day’s announcement. “Cade McNamara started Week 1, J.J. McCarthy Week 2 and then it was J.J.’s show from that point forward. Ole Miss did something similar with Luke Altmyer and Jaxson Dart. They rotated Altmyer one, then Jaxson Dart. Dart was the man in Week 3.

“So do not, at this point, rule out the possibility of Devin Brown getting an extended look against Youngstown State in Week 2, and then maybe deciding who their long-term solution is going to be beyond that point.”

Greg McElroy: Ohio State went with ‘the bird in the hand as opposed to the bird in the bush’

McCord was the more experienced of the two Ohio State quarterbacks, throwing 58 passes across 12 games behind C.J. Stroud the last two years. McElroy argued it makes sense for McCord to start out of the gate over Brown, the sophomore who played in two games last season.

But again, this might not be the end of the conversation regarding the Buckeyes’ starting QB.

“They went really with the bird in the hand as opposed to the bird in the bush,” McElroy said. “And this is not a competition that is totally settled. If you listen closely to Ryan Day, he basically said for the Indiana game — specifically, this game — Kyle McCord will get the first crack at it. It’s probably appropriate, too, knowing that he’s the veteran presence and has support within the locker room.

“But do not rule out the possibility of this quarterback competition dragging into Week 2 and maybe even into Week 3.”