College football grades: Notre Dame earns 'A+' mark, Ohio State gets 'C+' on Week 13 report card

No. 9 Notre Dame has seen its College Football Playoff credentials called into question during recent weeks, with critics pointing to Miami's head-to-head win and arguing the Hurricanes should be ranked above the Fighting Irish. If the committee were to abide that logic and drop the Irish a spot or two, it could imperil their CFP security.

Just in case any voters were considering dropping them, the Fighting Irish sent a very clear message on Saturday in a 70-7 win over Syracuse: We are not playing around. Since an 0-2 start with losses to Miami and Texas A&M, the Fighting Irish have won their past nine games by double digits.

Bowl projections: Notre Dame, Oregon flex for College Football Playoff committee, Miami stays on bubble

Brad Crawford

While the Irish don't have any gold-plated victories, their dominant road win over then-No. 23 Pitt got even more impressive on Saturday when the Panthers beat ranked Georgia Tech on the road. The Panthers could return to the CFP Rankings on Tuesday to add some luster back to Notre Dame's resume. And, of course, Pitt hosts Miami to end the season Saturday. 

But what other teams do to help Notre Dame pales in comparison to what Notre Dame can do to help itself. Eyes will be attracted to a 70-7 margin of victory over an ACC foe, even if it came against an embarrassingly non-competitive opponent. 

We are handing out grades evaluating every team that started or ended the day with national championship odds of +3000 or better. No. 2 Indiana (+500), No. 5 Texas Tech (+1200) and No. 6 Ole Miss (+2200) were each off.

2025 national championship odds listed below courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook. Teams listed in order of their AP Top 25 ranking. 

No. 1 Ohio State

Grade: C+
Result: 42-9 win vs. Rutgers
Title odds: +185
Playing without star receivers Jeremiah Smith and Carnell Tate presented a challenge for Ohio State in its final tune-up before next week's rivalry showdown with Michigan. Their absences contributed to a slow start, as the Buckeyes led just 7-3 until late in the first half. But the Ohio State defense was stifling again, holding the Scarlet Knights to 147 yards and out of the end zone until garbage time.

No. 3 Texas A&M

Grade: A-
Result: 48-0 win vs. Samford
Title odds: +750
Texas A&M's glorified scrimmage against a 1-win FCS team led by an interim coach went about like you'd expect. With a high-stakes rivalry game against Texas up next and a postseason run looming, the Aggies took care of business early and then played the reserves. Starting quarterback and Heisman Trophy candidate Marcel Reed only got to play a quarter before checking out with three touchdown passes.

No. 4 Georgia

Grade: B+
Result: 35-3 win vs. Charlotte
Title odds: +1000
Georgia already played an FCS opponent in Week 2. It basically played another Saturday, as one of the worst FBS teams sacrificed itself for the sake of an stress-free Senior Day at Sanford Stadium. Star quarterback Gunner Stockton could be critiqued for a forced throw before halftime that was intercepted. But this game was never in doubt as Charlotte mustered just seven first downs.

No. 7 Oregon

Grade: A-
Result: 42-27 win vs. No. 15 USC
Title odds: +1000
Oregon fell behind 7-0 early but never flinched and delivered big plays in all three phases en route to a must-have win over USC. The Ducks played with impressive run/pass balance, even while operating behind a depleted offensive line and without key receivers out due to injury. Malik Benson produced a punt return touchdown, and the defense made USC work for everything. 

No. 8 Oklahoma

Grade: B-
Result: 17-6 win vs. No. 22 Missouri
Title odds: +4500
Oklahoma's defense dominated yet again as the Sooners repeatedly stiffened at stressful times to keep Missouri from gaining traction. The word OU coach Brent Venables used to describe his team afterward was "grimy," and that was reflective of Saturday's game. Outside of an 87-yard touchdown pass in the second quarter, the Sooners struggled offensively while gritting their way to another tough SEC win.

No. 9 Notre Dame

Grade: A+
Result: 70-7 win vs. Syracuse
Title odds: +950
Notre Dame's win was its largest since 1966. It came easy and fast for the Fighting Irish, who scored 35 points in a first quarter for the first time in the last 50 seasons. The first 21 points came before the Fighting Irish even ran an offensive play, which illustrates the all-encompassing nature of this epic beatdown. The selection committee will have to notice this one.

No. 10 Alabama

Grade: B-
Result: 56-0 win vs. Eastern Illinois
Title odds: +1600
Alabama's offense needed a reset. Playing a terrible FCS opponent was supposed to provide one ahead of next week's all-important Iron Bowl showdown with Auburn. But it was far from a perfect performance, as starting quarterback Ty Simpson was intercepted twice. One of them was on a heave before halftime, but near-perfection should have been the standard against a team of this caliber.