Week 2 of the college football season was filled with glorified exhibition games for most of the top-tier national title contenders. Well, that’s what they were supposed to be, anyway. Some teams, including LSU and Clemson, turned contests against Group of Six opponents into stressful challenges.
A week after taking on each other in a Week 1 headliner, both sets of Tigers appeared to be dealing with an emotional letdown. Though they both wound up winning their games by double-digits, neither inspired confidence. Clemson’s comeback win against Troy drew more attention and provided some cover for LSU, which looked just as bad as Clemson.
Others, including Georgia and Penn State, also trudged through unimpressive showings against overmatched foes. In light of their collective struggles, Ohio State, Oregon, Alabama and Miami all emerged from Week 2 looking solid. Each of the four cruised to stress-free victories.
Those results are all reflected in our Week 2 report card, where we evaluated 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 below listed in order of their AP Top 25 ranking.
Ohio State
Grade: A
Result: 70-0 win vs. Grambling State
Title odds: +550
This was basically a scrimmage for Ohio State, which decompressed from a stressful Week 1 win over Texas by racking up 651 yards and nine tackles for loss while getting reps for a litany of young players. Star sophomore receiver Jeremiah Smith made five catches on five targets for 119 yards and two touchdowns. That was encouraging after his underwhelming season debut.
Grade: C-
Result: 34-0 win vs. FIU
Title odds: +600
It’s a good thing Penn State has its third straight patsy next week (Villanova) and then a bye before hosting Oregon on Sept. 27, because the Nittany Lions have a lot to work on. Penn State whiffed on a couple of early fourth-down attempts, struggled on third downs (3 of 12) and let FIU move the football during a sluggish first half. This hasn’t looked like a championship-caliber team yet.
LSU
Grade: D
Result: 23-7 win vs. Louisiana Tech
Title odds: +1100
LSU looked hungover from a monumental Week 1 win at Clemson as it trudged through an uninspired performance against a middling Louisiana Tech squad. The Tigers could not run the football, gave up three sacks and were penalized nine times in a sloppy effort.
Georgia
Grade: C-
Result: 28-6 win vs. Austin Peay
Title odds: +600
With a trip to Tennessee up next, Georgia looked like a team that was elsewhere mentally during a game that was interrupted by a weather delay. The Bulldogs’ longest play went for 23 yards, and they twice gift-wrapped good field possession for Austin Peay with a pair of fumbles. The competence level of Georgia’s offense remains a legitimate question.
Miami
Grade: A
Result: 45-3 win vs. Bethune-Cookman
Title odds: +2500
It was a short week for Miami after a Sunday night win vs. Notre Dame. And with a dangerous South Florida team coming in next, the Hurricanes just needed to get through Bethune-Cookman without any headaches. Assignment complete. Carson Beck set a school record by completing his first 15 passes as the ‘Canes cruised to an easy victory.
Oregon
Grade: A+
Result: 69-3 win vs. Oklahoma State
Title odds: +1100
Oregon made a once-proud Oklahoma State program look like a lower-tier FCS school. This was a beatdown of the highest order from the Ducks, who racked up 631 yards with a barrage of big plays. The competition hasn’t been great, but no one in the title-contending tier has looked better offensively through two weeks than Oregon.
Texas
Grade: C+
Result: 38-7 win vs. UTEP
Title odds: +700
Stress was beginning to rise as the Texas offense went nowhere on its first two possessions. Then, the Longhorns settled down and reeled off four straight touchdowns in about 6 minutes to build a buffer. That stretch aside, it was a penalty-plagued and imperfect performance for Texas, which converted just 2 of 12 third downs.
Clemson
Grade: C-
Result: 27-16 win vs. Troy
Title odds: +2200
Clemson looked grossly incompetent in the first half against Troy as Trojans quarterback Goose Crowder outplayed Cade Klubnik. The Tigers’ star quarterback threw a pick six that put Clemson in a 16-0 second-quarter hole. Two weeks in, it feels like the ceiling and floor on Clemson are much lower than originally believed.
Alabama
Grade: A
Result: 73-0 win vs. Louisiana-Monroe
Title odds: +1500
You’ve got to feel bad for Louisiana-Monroe, which incurred the wrath of an Alabama team that had some frustration to let out. The Crimson Tide scored every time they had the football — 10 touchdowns and one field goal — as three different quarterbacks tossed at least two scores each.
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