Week 3 for college football's national title contenders was all about the quarterbacks, as several signal-callers shined. Jalen Milroe of Alabama, Cam Ward of Miami and Arch Manning of Texas totaled five touchdowns apiece.
Elsewhere, Riley Leonard's legs came alive for Notre Dame with 100 yards and three scores on the ground. Jaxson Dart totaled over 400 total yards for Ole Miss, and Nico Iamaleava was surgically efficient in an awe-inspiring display by Tennessee's offense. Don't forget about Oregon's Dillon Gabriel, who completed his first 15 passes.
Each of those individual performances coincided with dominant team victories. Things weren't so easy for everyone, however. LSU quarterback Garrett Nussmeier and Georgia's Carson Beck each endured some struggles but made just enough plays to help their teams survive upset bids on the road against SEC foes.
As we put Week 3 to rest, here are grades for each team that is entering Week 4 with national title odds of +4000 or better.
College football grades: Week 1 report card
| Team | Odds | Grade | Analysis |
|---|---|---|---|
| +350 | D | Georgia was absolutely horrendous offensively in the first half of its 13-12 win at Kentucky. If UK coach Mark Stoops had been a bit more bold on fourth downs, the Bulldogs might have suffered their first regular season loss since 2020. They came through with the game on the line, but this was as ugly as they've looked in a while. | |
| +350 | N/A | Bye week | |
| +600 | A- | Starting quarterback Quinn Ewers suffered a strained abdomen in the second quarter of off 56-7 win over UTSA didn't return. But the Longhorns didn't miss a beat as backup Arch Manning shined with five total touchdowns. The Longhorns gave up a couple turnovers and a 53-yard touchdown run, which were insignificant miscues in the grand scheme of things. | |
| +950 | A | Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe looked like a Heisman Trophy contender as he passed for three touchdowns and ran for two more in the Crimson Tide's 42-10 win at Wisconsin. Bama cut down on the penalties which plagued them in an ugly Week 2 victory and will ride into a bye week on good vibes before welcoming No. 1 Georgia to town on Sept. 28. | |
| +1100 | A- | Oregon was nearly unstoppable offensively in a 49-14 win at Oregon State as the Ducks scored on all eight of their real possessions. Defensively, they surrendered a couple of long, grinding touchdown drives in the first half, which was a bit concerning. But Oregon's second-half defensive showing was much better, and this was their most-complete effort of the season. | |
| +1200 | B+ | Ole Miss crushed Wake Forest 40-6 with another gaudy offensive performance as the Rebels racked up 650 yards and 33 first downs. But Lane Kiffin doesn't want more rat poison for his team, so the Rebels will get a B+ on account of their 11 penalties and two turnovers. | |
| +1500 | A+ | Tennessee led Kent State 37-0 at the end of the first quarter and 65-0 at halftime on its way to a 71-0 victory. The ruthless efficiency was a sight to behold for the Volunteers, who appear to be firing on all cylinders entering their SEC opener at Oklahoma next week. | |
| +1800 | A | If you were waiting for Cam Ward to return to Earth following his huge performance in Miami's Week 1 win over Florida, you might be waiting for a while. The Washington State transfer completed 19 of 28 passes for 346 yards with five touchdowns and no interceptions in the Hurricanes' 62-0 win over Ball State. Not much to critique here. | |
| +1800 | N/A | Bye week | |
| +2800 | N/A | Bye week | |
| +4000 | C+ | LSU turned the football over twice, allowed a blocked punt and surrendered touchdown runs of 75 and 66 yards in a 36-33 win over South Carolina. If not for a South Carolina penalty that negated a pick-six and an injury to Gamecocks' quarterback LaNorris Sellers, the Tigers would have dropped to 1-2. But they do deserve some credit for gritting out an SEC road win after falling behind 17-0 early. | |
| +4000 | A+ | Notre Dame followed up an 'F' performance against Northern Illinois with a merciless drubbing of Purdue. The Fighting Irish led 42-0 at halftime on their way to a 66-7 win. A week after mustering just 286 yards in a humiliating loss, Notre Dame had 390 at halftime against the Boilermakers as quarterback Riley Leonard finally showed the dual-threat prowess that made him such a coveted transfer. |