College football grades: Oregon earns 'A' mark for offensive explosion, Texas gets 'C-' on Week 8 report card

Games with ACC or Big Ten teams that involved three times worth of travel generally went quite well for the home teams in Week 8, as they finished 6-1 in contests against their cross-country visitors. The one exception was quite notable, as Rutgers ended up on the wrong side of Oregon's wrath in a 56-10 loss to an angry group of Ducks.

Oregon clearly had some frustration to work out following a 30-20 home loss to Indiana last week, and Rutgers took the brunt of it. The Ducks led 56-3 at the end of the third quarter and could have picked an even greater margin of victory. Oregon's 750-yard performance marked the most-impressive offensive showing from a national title contender this week. It stood in sharp contrast to the offensive showing from another preseason top 10 team.

Texas won 16-13 in overtime at Kentucky but totaled just 179 yards as quarterback Arch Manning struggled once again. Manning was sacked three times and finished just 12-of-27 passing. The Longhorns also failed in in the run game during what amounted to a concerning performance against an SEC bottom feeder.

Bowl projections: Miami, Texas Tech lose grip in College Football Playoff picture, Georgia Tech flourishes

Brad Crawford

We are handing out grades evaluating every team that started or ended the day with national championship odds of +2000 or better.

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: A-
Result: 34-0 win at Wisconsin
Title odds: +260
This was basically like playing against the scout team for Ohio State, which probably could have picked its margin of victory. With plenty of football still ahead for the Buckeyes, they were kind enough to only put 34 on the lifeless Badgers. Ohio State did not run the football particularly well, and that's been a recurring issue, so the Buckeyes get dinged for that. But it was a drama-free Big Ten road win entering a bye week.

No. 2 Miami

Grade: D-
Result: 24-21 loss vs. Louisville
Title odds: +1700
The only thing saving Miami from an 'F' is that its defense showed up (but certainly didn't dominate) for the final three quarters. The offense? It was a disaster. Carson Beck's four interceptions were the headliner, and they were just the beginning of the issues. The Hurricanes repeatedly shot themselves in the foot with penalties and never established the traditional run. The good news is that Miami couldn't have played much worse and it still had the football with a chance to win in the final minute.

No. 3 Indiana

Grade: A-
Result: 38-13 win vs. Michigan State
Title odds: +900
Indiana's defense wasn't on point early, and the Hoosiers actually trailed 10-7 midway through the second quarter after a couple of long Michigan State scoring drives. It was all Hoosiers from there, though, as Indiana's offense kept the Spartans on their heels all game. Why only an A-? Tragically for the Indiana boosters, Michigan State covered the 27.5-point spread with a field goal in the final minute.

No. 4 Texas A&M

Grade: B
Result: 45-42 win at Arkansas
Title odds: +1000
Texas A&M is the last undefeated team standing in the SEC after outlasting Arkansas in a wild offensive firefight. The Razorbacks' final touchdown came with 10 seconds remaining, so the final score was a bit misleading. But the Aggies' inability to get more stops was frustrating after a few weeks of improved defensive play. The good thing for the Aggies is that quarterback Marcel Reed continues blossoming into one of the SEC's best signal callers.

No. 6 Alabama

Grade: A-
Result: 37-20 win vs. Tennessee
Title odds: +600
In four straight wins over ranked SEC opponents, the Crimson Tide have executed to perfection in clutch situations. Against Tennessee, that looked like Zabien Brown making a 99-yard pick six on the final play of the first half. It also looked like Ty Simpson pulling off a 99-yard touchdown drive in the second half and later scampering for a fourth-down conversion to ice the game.

No. 7 Texas Tech

Grade: C-
Result: 26-22 loss at Arizona State
Title odds: +3300
With veteran quarterback Behren Morton sidelined due to a leg injury, Will Hammond made his first career start. The redshirt freshman appears to have a bright future, but Arizona State's defense had his number for much of the day, and Tech never looked interested in establishing the run. The Red Raiders staged an impressive late rally, but their defense couldn't get a critical stop in the final two minutes.

No. 8 Oregon

Grade: A
Result: 56-10 win at Rutgers
Title odds: +1000
Oregon came up 27 yards shy of matching a program record as it finished with 750 total yards in an all-out assault on Rutgers. The Ducks appeared to be exorcising the wrath of a Week 7 loss to Indiana as they brutalized a defenseless Scarlet Knights team for three quarters. If Oregon hadn't let off the gas in the fourth quarter, this could have been even more gruesome.

No. 9 Georgia

Grade: A-
Result: 43-35 win vs. Ole Miss
Title odds: +1100
Georgia's defense was bad for the first three quarters but spectacular in the fourth. The Bulldogs' offense was unstoppable throughout as quarterback Gunner Stockton had the game of his career. The Georgia native totaled five touchdowns and guided UGA to scores on every drive until it was time to take a knee in the final two minutes.

No. 13 Notre Dame

Grade: B+
Result: 34-24 win vs. USC
Title odds: +1700
Notre Dame toppled its rival behind its running game, a special teams highlight and some stingy late defense. Jadarian Price put the Irish ahead with a 100-yard kickoff return for a touchdown late in the third quarter. From there, Notre Dame forced three turnovers and a turnover on downs to close it out. Jeremiyah Love ran for a career-high 228 yards.

No. 21 Texas

Grade: C-
Result: 16-13 (OT) win at Kentucky
Title odds: +1800
Texas' myriad offensive issues were on full display in a listless victory over the SEC's worst team. The Longhorns' longest offensive drive went 42 yards in the second quarter and ended with a punt. Their only touchdown was set up by a 45-yard Ryan Niblett punt return. Even in overtime, Texas went backwards before kicking a game-winning field goal.