Ohio State is now the clear betting favorite to win the national championship after improving to 5-0 (2-0 Big Ten) with a dominant 42-3 victory over Minnesota on Saturday. The No. 1 Buckeyes controlled all facets of the game after falling behind 3-0 early and looked like the sort of all-around team capable of defending their national title.
It marked Ohio State’s 14th consecutive 2-0 start to league play and the fourth year in a row the Buckeyes have started 5-0 overall. Suddenly, a 12-0 regular season appears quite possible — perhaps even likely — for coach Ryan Day’s club. A looming Week 7 showdown at No. 22 Illinois may be the biggest hindrance until the all-important regular season finale at No. 20 Michigan.
With No. 7 Penn State reeling after a loss at UCLA and No. 2 Oregon absent from the slate, the Buckeyes figure to be heavy favorites in every game remaining on their schedule. Star receivers Carnell Tate and Jeremiah Smith stole the show against Minnesota, as quarterback Julian Sayin completed a combined 16 passes to the talented duo. Between an explosive passing attack and a ruthless defense, Ohio State is looking like the most complete team in college football after the first weekend of October.
We are handing out grades evaluating every team that started or ended the day with national championship odds of +2000 or better. Oregon (+550) and No. 4 Ole Miss (+1800) had byes.
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: 42-3 win vs. Minnesota
Title odds: +420
Ohio State quarterback Julian Sayin connected on 14 straight passes during the second and third quarters as the Buckeyes’ passing attack revved into high gear. The defense was ruthless once again, holding Minnesota to 162 total yards and 1 of 11 on third downs. No one has reached 10 points yet against Ohio State, which is riding high into a top-25 Week 7 road battle at Illinois.
Grade: B+
Result: 28-22 win at Florida State
Title odds: +900
Miami got a bit lax in the fourth quarter and made this one seem closer than it truly was. But the Hurricanes rattled off four unanswered touchdowns over the middle portion of the game to build an insurmountable 28-3 lead. It was done through the explosive playmaking of receivers Malachi Toney and CJ Daniels, who caught two touchdowns apiece from Carson Beck. There were things to clean up, but this performance validated the ‘Canes as a national title contender.
Grade: C+
Result: 44-0 win vs. Kent State
Title odds: +1500
The purpose of this game was to get backup quarterback Michael Hawkins Jr. substantial live reps in offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle’s system amid an injury to star QB John Mateer. With the Red River rivalry game against Texas looming next week, there are still some kinks to iron out. OU scored touchdowns on just two of its first six possessions against a Kent State defense that gave up 60+ points to Texas Tech and Florida State.
Grade: A-
Result: 31-9 win vs. Mississippi State
Title odds: +1800
Texas A&M’s defense is rounding into form after some shaky moments early in the season. A week after sacking Auburn quarterback Jackson Arnold five times, the Aggies racked up four more sacks in a soul-crushing beating of Mississippi State. A&M finished with nine tackles for loss and held the Bulldogs to 1 of 10 on third downs. The offense sputtered early but got in rhythm with a running game that produced 299 yards as part of a physically overwhelming team performance.
No. 7 Penn State
Grade: F
Result: 42-37 loss at UCLA
Title odds: +4000
This one ranks high on the list of most embarrassing losses for Penn State under 12th-year coach James Franklin. It was an all systems failure. The Nittany Lions’ vaunted defense gave up 10 third-down conversions, struggled in the red zone and made UCLA’s bumbling offense look dynamic. Penn State’s offense puttered around for too long and then couldn’t deliver with the game on the line.
No. 9 Texas
Grade: F
Result: 29-21 loss at Florida
Title odds: +1700
It takes an impressive level of incompetence to make Florida look like a complete team. Arch Manning was once again indecisive and inaccurate, the offensive line did him no favors and the Texas run game also floundered. Defensively, the Longhorns were no better, as they let a freshman receiver (Dallas Wilson) torch them for a pair of touchdowns. This was total failure.
Grade: A-
Result: 30-14 win vs. Vanderbilt
Title odds: +650
Alabama’s defense bent without breaking and produced a couple of game-changing turnovers in the red zone while silencing Vanderbilt star quarterback Diego Pavia. Offensively, Bama played keep away and dominated time of possession as Ty Simpson turned in another strong performance. A 136-yard performance from running back Jam Miller also kept the chains moving a whopping 25 times.
Grade: C+
Result: 35-14 win vs. Kentucky
Title odds: +950
Coming off a rough loss to Alabama and with a road game against rival Auburn up next, Georgia found itself in a trap spot against Kentucky. The Bulldogs didn’t blow the doors off their struggling SEC foe, but the outcome was never in doubt. An ugly Gunner Stockton interception and a couple of substandard defensive possessions against a woefully inexperienced opposing quarterback account for why Georgia did not receive a better grade.
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