Georgia flunked a critical SEC road test on Saturday, losing 28-10 at Ole Miss and falling to 7-2 (5-2 SEC) ahead of another high-stakes battle with Tennessee in Week 12. Despite suffering a second loss in miserable fashion against the Rebels, the Bulldogs still have shorter national championship betting odds (+800) than several one-loss teams and even a couple of undefeated squads, according to FanDuel sportsbook.
Armed with an impressive road win at Texas to illustrate their high-end potential, the Bulldogs aren’t done yet. Kirby Smart is one of just three active head coaches two win a national title, and he’s won two of the past three. If there’s anyone who can motivate their team to get redemption after an ugly loss, it’s Smart.
But make no mistake. There is a lot to correct on both sides of the football for the Bulldogs. It’s rare that ‘F’ grades are handed out here. That’s largely because any team that performs poorly enough to receive an ‘F’ typically falls so far down the odds sheet that they are no longer regarded as a national title contender and thus aren’t graded.
The Bulldogs are one of the few teams capable of recovering from an ‘F’ showing to compete for the national championship. As we reflect on another weekend of college football, here are the grades for all teams with national title odds of +4000 or better.
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Ohio State
Grade: A-
Title odds: +320
Ohio State picked up its first shutout of a Big Ten opponent since 2017 as the Buckeyes drilled Purdue 45-0. Considering the Buckeyes’ defense did not allow a touchdown in a Week 10 win over Penn State, the they have now gone two straight games without allowing an opposing offense to cross the goal-line. The offense was merely good and not spectacular. But a 45-0 Big Ten victory is tough to critique.
Oregon
Grade: C
Title odds: +320
The uninspiring version of Oregon we saw in the season’s first two weeks returned in the Ducks’ 39-18 win at Maryland. The Terrapins drew within 11 points in the fourth quarter as the Ducks sputtered offensively. A late 10-point flurry put the game away came thanks to two Maryland interceptions that set the Ducks up with short fields. It was a 21-point Big Ten victory, but it was below Oregon’s standard.
Texas
Grade: A-
Title odds: +450
Texas may as well have been playing an FCS opponent considering how hopelessly injured Florida was for the Longhorns’ 49-17 win over the Gators. Texas led 42-0 early in the third quarter before letting its reserves handle most of the second half. All five of Quinn Ewers’ touchdown passes went for 20 or more yards as the Longhorns showcased explosive play capability in an easy victory.
Georgia
Grade: F
Title odds: +850
Georgia’s best moment in the final 55 minutes of a 28-10 loss at Ole Miss may have been a 44-yard Brett Thorson punt that rolled out of bounds at the 1-yard line. Everything else was a disaster for the Bulldogs, who were dominated by the Rebels’ defensive front. Defensively, UGA had no answers for the Ole Miss passing game as the Bulldogs suffered their first loss since 2020 against an opponent not named Alabama.
Alabama
Grade: A
Title odds: -950
Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe torched LSU with his legs, totaling 185 yards and four touchdowns on the ground as the Crimson Tide eviscerated the Tigers 42-13 inside Tiger Stadium. The Crimson Tide defense made life miserable on LSU’s Garrett Nussmeier, forcing him to commit three turnovers in a dominant all-around showing. It was a must-win game, and Alabama won it with authority.
Ole Miss
Grade: A+
Title odds: +1000
Everything came together perfectly for Ole Miss following a disastrous start as the Rebels crushed Georgia 28-10 behind a spectacular all-around effort. The offense thrashed Georgia with a steady barrage of passes over the middle, the defense harassed the Bulldogs all afternoon. Even the special teams delivered with a 5 for 5 showing from kicker Caden Davis. There was nothing gimmicky about it. Lane Kiffin’s club beat the snot out of Kirby Smart’s team.
Notre Dame
Grade: A-
Title odds: +2000
Notre Dame held Florida State quarterbacks to 10 of 26 passing for 88 yards with two interceptions as the Fighting Irish blasted the Seminoles 52-3. FSU converted just 3 of 17 third downs and went three-and-out six times. It marked the fourth time this season the Fighting Irish have held an opponent to single digits as they continue to battle back from an embarrassing Week 2 loss against Northern Illinois.
Penn State
Grade: A-
Title odds: +2000
Penn State recovered nicely from its loss to Ohio State as the Nittany Lions handled Washington 35-6. The Huskies finished with just 193 total yards as the Nittany Lions harassed UW’s quarterbacks with five sacks. The Nittany Lions looked good offensively in the first half, scoring on four straight touchdown drives of 58 yards or longer while taking total control of the game. The second half was a tad sloppy — not that it really mattered.
Tennessee
Grade: C+
Title odds: +2300
Tennessee beat Mississippi State 33-14, but it was no piece of art as the Volunteers leaned heavily on their running game while playing without injured quarterback Nico Iamaleava in the second half. Given the magnitude of next week’s trip to Georgia, it would’ve been nice if the Vols could have escaped against the SEC’s bottom-feeder with a bit less wear and tear. As it is, they were forced to grind through a chippy battle with the Bulldogs.
Indiana
Grade: C+
Title odds: +2500
The idea of Indiana beating the reigning national champions with a C+ effort would have been laughable prior to the season. But the Hoosiers nearly squandered a 14-point lead in the second half before surviving for a 20-15 win over Michigan. Ultimately, it was the Hoosiers’ defense that carried the day as Michigan mustered just 206 total yards.
Miami
Grade: D
Title odds: +4000
Play with fire long enough and you’ll get burned. Such was the case for Miami, which finally ended up on the wrong side of a close game as the Hurricanes fell 28-23 at Georgia Tech. The Yellow Jackets controlled the game with their rushing attack, converting on 9 of 14 third downs. Cam Ward had 348 yards passing for the ‘Canes, but his heroics weren’t enough to stop Miami from taking an ugly loss.
