RADIO
Mike's grades for every top 25 college football team in Week 3, 2025. His Week 3 recap and grades for Texas, Alabama, Tennessee, Georgia, Oklahoma, and more.
College Football Report Card: Top 25 Teams
Each week, we are going to take a look at how each AP top 25 fared every week. We’ll also take a look at how the teams that I had ranked, which the AP did not, performed as well. Not all wins are created equal. The quality of the opponent will be a slight factor in the grade. Winning against an FBS school counts a little better than winning against an FCS school. Beating a Power 4 team carries a little more weight than beating a Group of 5 team. Performances against ranked teams will also factor in a little more.
Not Ranked: Nebraska
This week: W 59-7 vs. Houston Christian
I have Nebraska ranked as 25 in my Week 3 rankings, so I’ll grade them as well. This game was about Nebraska getting as many players involved as possible. Shutting out Akron was a mission. Houston Christian was about making sure the guys who show up and practice got some playing time. I appreciate that, as do the players. I was a bench-rider in high school. I appreciated when the coaches got me in, even though most other players were better.
Dylan Raiola was sharp, completing 15-21 passes for 222 yards and two touchdowns. He didn’t commit a turnover. Emmett Johnson ran 13 times for 78 yards and two scores. Dane Key racked up 104 yards and a touchdown. Jacory Barney Jr. recorded his first career touchdown. It was a strong day all around. It was as sharp as you would want a team to look against an FCS school.
Grade: A
Not Ranked: Georgia Tech
This week: W 24-21 vs. (12) Clemson
I have Georgia Tech at 21 in my Week 3 rankings. The Georgia Tech defense did a really good job of harassing Cade Klubnik. Clemson sure didn’t want him running the ball 17 times. Haynes King was sharp, even though he didn’t throw a touchdown pass. He did run for one and racked up 103 yards on the ground. Aidan Birr was close to the MVP of the game, hitting a 55-yard field goal as time expired for the win. It was a great job by the field goal unit to get on the field and set up for the winning kick. A lot of teams look like a mess in that situation.
This wasn’t a perfect performance by Tech, but it was a strong one. Adam Randall and Bryant Wesco Jr. each got loose on critical plays that allowed Clemson to keep this close. Holding Cade Klubnik to a 56.1 QB rating was instrumental in this win.
Grade: A-
Not Ranked: Vanderbilt
This week: W 31-7 at (11) South Carolina
I had Vanderbilt at 11 in my Week 3 rankings, but maybe I gave them too much credit for a win over Virginia Tech. No matter, it was vindication this week! The Vanderbilt defense, which was sometimes a problem last year, looked very good in this one. LaNorris Sellers completed all seven passes before he left with an injury (one was to a Vanderbilt player). The Sellers injury changed the course of the game. Vanderbilt recovered two fumbles and picked off two passes. The defense gets an A.
The offense under Diego Pavia came through when needed. No player put up huge stat lines, but this was a big road win against a ranked team. Vanderbilt only turned it over once and controlled the ball for almost 36 minutes.
Grade: A
Not Ranked: Mississippi State
This week: W 63-0 vs. Alcorn State
I had the Bulldogs at 7 in my poll thanks to a big win over Arizona State. The AP didn’t think it was an impressive of a win as I did. No one can deny how impressive the Bulldogs looked in this one. The Bulldog starters scored 42 points in the first half. The defense pitched a shutout. This was total domination.
Grade: A+
25. Missouri
This week: W 52-10 vs. Louisiana
The Missouri run game was a thing of beauty in this one. Louisiana-Monroe transfer Ahmad Hardy racked up 250 rushing yards on 22 carries. Marquise Davies added 113 more. Overall, Missouri ran for 427 yards. It was a throwback to the old Big Eight days. The Missouri defense held Louisiana to one of the worst passing lines you’ll ever see. Between two quarterbacks (Lunch Winfield and Daniel Beale), the Cajuns completed just two passes in 14 tries for 4 yards. FOUR YARDS. The only errors in this game were a Beau Pribula interception that led to a field goal and Zylan Perry breaking an 84-yard touchdown run. He had two yards the rest of the day.
Grade: A
24. Auburn
This week: W 31-15 vs. South Alabama
Even though South Alabama is 1-2, I have a feeling they may be a solid team. They couldn’t stop Auburn’s run game (119 yards for Jeremiah Cobb and 50 for Jackson Arnold), but the Jaguars moved the ball on Auburn. USA had 170 passing yards from Utah State transfer Bishop Davenport and 140 rushing yards from their stable of backs.
Eric Singleton Jr. and Cam Coleman were bright spots for Auburn. Jackson Arnold had a solid day (13-of-24, 142 yards, TD), but Auburn didn’t go down the field at all. This may be a situation like Michigan in Week 1. The Wolverines were purposely vanilla, so they didn’t give Oklahoma anything to look at on tape. Auburn may have done the same.
Grade: C+
23. Michigan
This week: W 63-3 vs. Central Michigan
The Wolverines finally turned Bryce Underwood loose. The star freshman threw for 235 yards and ran for 114 more with two rushing touchdowns to go with his passing one. It wasn’t a perfect game from Underwood, but it was his coming out party. Michigan ran for 390 yards with Justice Haynes turning in another 100-yard game. The Michigan defense held the Chippewas to 142 yards of offense. Their longest play was just 20 yards. It tied Michigan’s biggest home win in the last 50 years!
Grade: A+
22. Indiana
This week: W 73-0 vs. Indiana State
The Sycamores only had 77 yards of total offense in this one. Fernando Mendoza completed 19-of-20 passes for 270 yards and five touchdowns. The Hoosiers ran for 301 yards and passed for 379. This was a clinic on both sides of the ball.
Grade: A+
21. Texas Tech
This week: W 45-14 vs. Oregon State
Behren Morton threw for 464 yards and four touchdowns. The Red Raiders defense held Oregon State to just eight rushing yards. Maalik Murphy and the Beavers got a little going in the passing game in the fourth quarter on the second-string defense, but that’s about it. My only complaint with Tech is that they only ran for 135 yards in 39 carries. Having three receivers (Coy Eakin, J’Koby Williams, and Terrance Carter Jr.) over 100 yards still means that this offense is going to be a chore for any team to deal with.
Grade: A
20. Utah
This week: W 31-6 at Wyoming
The Utes only led 3-0 at halftime, but Devon Dampier and the offense got going in the second half. Dampier threw for 230 yards and ran for 86 more without turning the ball over. Wayshawn Parker ran for 80 yards, and Dampier’s former New Mexico teammate NaQuari Rogers added 60 more. This was against a stout Wyoming defense. The Utah defense was strong as usual, holding Wyoming to 229 yards of offense. The slow first half will bring the grade down a touch, but Utah’s adjustments in the second half allowed them to blow this game open.
Grade: A-
19. Alabama
This week: W 38-14 vs. Wisconsin
Ty Simpson had another fantastic day with 382 passing yards and four touchdowns. Bray Hubbard picked off Danny O’Neil twice. The defense held Wisconsin’s rushing attack under 100 yards in this one. The defense, Ty Simpson, and Germie Bernard were the bright spots in this game. Alabama’s lack of a consistent run game is a bit concerning, but Wisconsin has always been good at stopping the run, no matter how bad the rest of the team looks. Overall, this was a strong performance by the Tide.
Grade: B+
18. South Florida
This week: L 12-49 at (5) Miami (FL)
Getting blown out is never fun, but it was on the road against another highly-ranked team. South Florida couldn’t get the running game going at all. Of course, the defense not being able to stop Miami forced the Bulls to throw more than they wanted. Byrum Brown had a decent day (20-for-36, 274 yards, TD, INT), but it wasn’t enough without a consistent run game. The Bulls did pick off Carson Beck twice in this game but were only able to turn those into field goals. The bright spot in this game was Chas Nimrod. He caught four balls for 128 yards but didn’t reach the end zone. The defense brings the grade down. So does the red zone woes.
Grade: C-
17. Mississippi
This week: W 41-35 vs. Arkansas
Ole Miss won with a quarterback making his first FBS start. Trinidad Chambliss won a national title at Division II Fort Valley State but was thrust into action due to an injury to Austin Simmons. Chambliss was impressive, completing 21-of-29 passes for 353 yards. He also ran for 62 yards and two more scores. Taylen Green played hero ball for the Hogs, racking up 305 passing yards and 115 more on the ground. The Land Shark defense was gouged several times in this game. The offense played well, and the defense only game up one touchdown in the second half. The Land Sharks came through when it counted.
Grade: B
16. Texas A&M
Last week: W 41-40 at (8) Notre Dame
This was a big win for the Aggies. Marcel Reed wasn’t that accurate, only completing 17 of his 37 passes, but he threw for 260 yards and two touchdowns. Le’Veon Moss ran for three touchdowns on the ground despite the Irish bottling him up most of the game. Mario Craver was a star for the Aggies, hauling in seven passes for 207 yards and a touchdown.
The defense did come up with eight tackles for loss, including two sacks. They also picked off one pass. Overall, this was a solid performance for the Aggies. Notre Dame’s offense was decent against Miami but was much better here. Maybe it was the home game. Maybe it was the Aggie defense. Still, a road win against a top 10 team (the first for A&M since 2004) is a big deal.
Grade: B
15. Tennessee
This week: L 41-44 vs. (6) Georgia (OT)
The Vols got off to a fast start with Joey Aguilar completing his first 14 pass attempts for 213 yards. Aguilar finished the game with 371 yards and four touchdowns but was also picked off twice. The Tennessee defense held Georgia to just three points off those two turnovers. Max Gilbert had a chance to end the game in regulation but missed a 43-yard field goal that would have won the game (after a false start penalty pushed the kick further back). I felt like Tennessee outplayed Georgia much of the time, but a critical run by Nate Frazier for 21 yards on the first play of overtime ended up costing Tennessee the game.
Grade: C+
14. Iowa State
Last week: W 24-16 at Arkansas State
The Cyclones looked like a team who beat their two biggest rivals — one of those in Dublin — and a top 5 FCS team before playing the first road game of the season. The fans in Jonesboro were amped up for this one. Arkansas State was able to move the ball well on the Iowa State defense with Jaylen Raynor passing for 222 yards and rushing for 83 more. The two-headed backfield of Carson Hansen and Abu Sama III worked as designed for the Cyclones in this one.
Arkansas State is likely the most offensively gifted team that the Cyclones have played so far. It was a solid game all around for the Cyclones, but the team did feel a little flat in its first road game. The bye week couldn’t come at a better time. Iowa State was one play away from losing this game for most of it, but the defense held when it really had to.
Grade: C
13. Oklahoma
This week: W 42-3 at Temple
John Mateer had another strong game with 282 passing yards and 63 more on the ground. He did throw one interception that led to the Temple field goal. The Oklahoma defense was dominant in this one, holding Temple to just 105 yards of offense. Track star Tory Blaylock has taken over the RB room for Oklahoma. It feels like the team figured some things out in this game and it was a dominant performance by the defense. What more could you want?
Grade: A
12. Clemson
This week: L 21-24 at Georgia Tech
It felt like an uphill battle for Clemson all game. The Tigers never led, and the Tech defense got after Cade Klubnik. He was running for his life most of the game. Aside from one long touchdown (73 yards) to Bryant Wesco Jr., the offense was mostly stagnant. Haynes King accounted for 314 total yards with 103 of those coming on the ground. The Clemson defense did a good job of keeping everything in front of them but only forced two punts and didn’t take the ball away.
Grade: C
11. South Carolina
Last week: L 7-31 vs. Vanderbilt
LaNorris Sellers was performing well before a targeting penalty late in the second quarter knocked him out of the game with a concussion. South Carolina was driving to tie the game at the time but never scored again. Luke Doty didn’t play poorly, but he didn’t record a touchdown either. The game got away from the Gamecocks without Sellers in there. The defense did a solid job, but four turnovers by the Gamecocks offense put them in too many holes. I’m taking the injury to Sellers into the grading, but honestly, the Gamecocks didn’t play all that well with him in there either. Ultimately, the Gamecocks got blown out by an unranked team at home.
Grade: D+
10. Florida State
This week: BYE
The Seminoles got some rest after tying a school record with 11 touchdowns last week.
9. Illinois
This week: W 38-0 vs. Western Michigan
It was a slow start for the Illini with only 10 points in the first half. They got going in the second half. Luke Altmyer and Kaden Feagin looked good in this one. Ca’Lil Valentine showed promise with Aiden Laughery out. The Illinois defense held Western Michigan to just 204 yards of offense. It was a strong performance all around, even after the slow start.
Grade: A
8 Notre Dame
This week: L 40-41 vs. (16) Texas A&M
The offense was a strength for much of this game. CJ Carr spread the ball around to seven different receivers. Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price both ran the ball well. The Irish only lost because of a botched snap on the extra point after the last touchdown. The defense forced the Aggies to complete a fourth-and-goal from the 11 to win the game. Yes, it’s a home loss, but this was a hard-fought game on both sides. The performance of the offense is a great sign for the Irish.
Grade: B-
7. Texas
This week: W 27-10 vs. UTEP
This was not a good game for Texas. If the rumors are true and Arch Manning is playing with an injury, it’s a terrible reflection of the coaching staff to have him out there in games where they don’t need him. Arch was abysmal in this game, only completing 11 of his 25 pass attempts for 114 yards. At one point, he had 10 consecutive incompletions. Maybe that’s the problem with engraving the Heisman Trophy before the season even starts.
Losing CJ Baxter on the first drive with Quintrevion Wisner already out stunted the Texas run game, but James Simon and Jerrick Gibson were serviceable should one or both of the former miss more time. The Texas run defense was stout, and they picked off another former golden boy (Malachi Nelson) twice. Really, the only bad part of this game for Texas was Manning, but that’s the most significant piece for the Longhorns. And he wasn’t just bad…he was horrible.
Grade: C-
6. Georgia
This week: W 44-41 at (15) Tennessee (OT)
Georgia survived the Tennessee blitzkrieg (three touchdowns on the first three drives) and came from behind three separate times to win this game in a very loud and hostile stadium. Gunner Stockton turned in one of the best performances from a Georgia quarterback in recent memory, completing 23-of-31 passes for 304 yards and two touchdowns. Stockton also ran for another 38 yards and a touchdown.
The Georgia defense improved a lot after the first three drives. They picked off Joey Aguilar — who completed his first 14 passes of the game — twice. This was a strong performance by Georgia on the road, even if they were looking for a little more from the defense.
Grade: B+
5. Miami (FL)
This week: W 49-12 vs. (18) South Florida
The miracle start for the Bulls came to a crashing halt here, but I think that says more about the Miami defense than South Florida’s team. The Bulls were held to 40 yards rushing in this one. Miami let Chas Nimrod get a long gain on them, but they still kept him, and every other South Florida player, out of the end zone. The offense for Miami was a well-oiled machine. Mark Fletcher Jr. ran for 120 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Carson Beck completed 23-of-28 passes for 340 yards. The two interceptions were a bit of a drawback, but this Miami offense looked dangerous. Perhaps even more dangerous than last year’s, which was led by the top-overall pick in the NFL Draft (Cam Ward).
Grade: A-
4. Oregon
This week: W 34-14 at Northwestern
Northwestern didn’t score until garbage time in the fourth quarter. Preston Stone was picked off twice by the Oregon defense and held to 135 yards and a pitiful 7.0 QBR. On the other side, Dante Moore only had four incompletions in 20 pass attempts for Oregon. He did throw one interception, but the offense had a solid performance. This game wasn’t nearly as close as the score indicates.
Grade: A
3. LSU
This week: W 20-10 vs. Florida
DJ Lagway’s first SEC road start was a disaster. The LSU defense picked him off five times. Dashawn Spears returned one of those for a touchdown. The LSU offense was held in check by a strong Florida defense. Garrett Nussmeier’s pedestrian stat line (15-for-27, 220 yards, TD, INT) can be expected against a defense like this. The story of the game was the ball-hawking LSU defense. They held Florida to 79 yards rushing. The defense gets an A grade here. The offense was solid, but unspectacular.
Grade: A-
2. Penn State
This week: W 52-6 vs. Villanova
It was another strong performance against a very weak team. The duo of Kaytron Allen and Nicholas Singleton ran for a combined 170 yards and three touchdowns. Drew Allar wasn’t that sharp, with just a 19.6 QBR in this one. That’s really the only complaint, albeit a minor one. The defense held Villanova to 180 yards of offense.
Grade: B
1. Ohio State
This week: W 37-9 vs. Ohio
This may not look like much, but Ohio is one of the favorites to win the MAC. Julian Sayin threw for 347 yards but was intercepted twice to go with his three touchdowns. A new star may be born with Bo Jackson running for 109 yards. Jeremiah Smith and Carnell Tate both went over 100 receiving yards in this game. The Buckeye defense held Ohio star Parker Navarro to just 94 passing yards and three rushing yards. The only blemish were the interceptions thrown by Sayin. The Buckeyes were firing on all cylinders everywhere else.
Grade: A-
