College football grades: Miami earns 'A' mark for offensive explosion, Texas gets 'B' on Week 8 report card

A look at how national championship contenders fared in Week 8 action

Oct 25, 2026 at 9:38 am ET • 5 min read

A week after totaling 257 rushing yards in a win over Florida State, Miami faced the nation's No. 1-ranked defense on Saturday as Pitt came to town for an ACC battle against the No. 1 Hurricanes. The Panthers entered allowing just 1.99 yards per carry and only 57.3 rushing yards per game.

Miami correctly identified that its ticket to success against Pitt would be through the air. Darian Mensah attempted a season-high 37 passes, completing 31 of them. But the real hero was Malachi Toney, who made a school-record 16 grabs on 17 targets while totaling 132 of his 194 receiving yards after the catch. Quick hits to Toney essentially served as part of the 'Canes rushing attack.

The Hurricanes might be interested in finding a new conference home, but there's something to be said for being in a league where you can win games in blowout fashion on a regular basis. In what has become a sport of attrition in the playoff-expansion era, Miami often gets to rest its starters late in games. Miami has won six of its seven games by double figures and is likely to be double-digit favorites in every remaining game aside from its Nov. 7 trip to Notre Dame.

We are handing out grades evaluating every team that started or ended the day with national championship odds of +3500 or better. No. 3 Ohio State (+480), No. 4 Notre Dame (+490) and No. 5 Georgia (+460) each had the week off.

2026 national championship odds listed below courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook. Teams listed in order of their AP Top 25 ranking. 

No. 1 Miami

Grade: A
Result: 52-23 win vs. Pitt
Title odds: +700
Miami's passing offense looked the part of a No. 1 ranked team, as college football's newly minted top dog rolled up 506 yards behind 31 of 37 passing from Darian Mensah. The Duke transfer hit Malachi Toney 16 times for 194 yards and three touchdowns. The Canes looked equally good defensively in the early stages. Pitt eventually totaled 403 yards, but much of it came in garbage time. Pitt did a decent job of slowing down Miami's running game, but that's just what Pitt does. The 'Canes were good enough in the air to make up for it and then some.

No. 2 BYU

Grade: C-
Result: 39-31 loss at UCF
Title odds: +4500
Coming off the high of a seismic win over Notre Dame, BYU fell into the proverbial trap spot on the road against an unranked and unheralded opponent. The Cougars failed to contain dynamic Knights quarterback Keyone Jenkins, ceding nine third-down conversions and producing too little red-zone resistance. The game swung at the end of the second quarter, when BYU quarterback Bear Bachmeier was intercepted on a tipped pass as the Cougars were driving. UCF then executed a perfect quick touchdown drive to produce a potential 14-point swing.

No. 6 Indiana

Grade: C
Result: 13-6 at Michigan
Title odds: +750
When you combine evaluations of Indiana's offense and defense into one grade, it results in a 'C.' The offense gets an 'F,' and the defense gets an 'A.' The Hoosiers held Michigan to six points on three red-zone trips in regulation and then clinched it with another stop in overtime. Michigan's top backs combined for just 41 yards on 22 carries as IU totaled 10 tackles for loss (including four timely sacks). The best thing you can say about Indiana's offense is that quarterback Josh Hoover made two great plays in overtime. Nothing else he did was great.

No. 7 Ole Miss

Grade: C
Result: 34-27 loss at Texas
Title odds: +1800
The start was an absolute nightmare for Ole Miss, which was out of sorts offensively up until it trailed 24-3. Somehow, the Rebels clawed back to tie the game in the fourth quarter before running out of steam. Last week's success running the football dissipated against the Longhorns, and Trinidad Chambliss hero ball hit its limit. Give Ole Miss credit for fighting back and for having a chance to tie the game at the end. But this performance left a lot to be desired on both sides of the ball.

No. 11 Tennessee

Grade: C-
Result: 27-24 loss at South Carolina
Title odds: +5000
Tennessee had three George MacIntyre touchdown passes wiped out by penalties as the Volunteers were flagged 12 times for 90 yards. It was the sort of undisciplined slop that will get you beat on the road in the SEC. A botched fourth-and-1 attempt with less than four minutes remaining also opened the door for the Gamecocks to score 10 unanswered points in the game's waning stages. After recovering from a 14-0 deficit and taking command of the game, the Volunteers had no business losing. But they found a way. 

No. 13 Alabama

Grade: C+
Result: 31-20 win vs. Texas A&M
Title odds: +1100
Alabama's inability to run the football created problems, but Keelon Russell solved most of them. The Crimson Tide sophomore quarterback completed 9 of his final 10 passes after Texas A&M took a 20-17 lead in the third quarter. Among them were a pair of touchdown tosses early in the fourth quarter. None of Texas A&M's three turnovers resulted from anything special Alabama's defense did. But they made the Crimson Tide's defensive performance look a little better on paper. It was a little concerning to see A&M's struggling offense put together two straight 75+ yard touchdown drives in the first half. 

No. 18 LSU

Grade: A-
Result: 38-17 win at Auburn
Title odds: +1200
LSU might be rounding into form just in time for a November that includes Alabama, Texas and Tennessee. The Tigers tallied 552 yards while consistently leveling the boom against Auburn with 12 tackles for loss and seven sacks. The Tigers are still asking a lot -- maybe too much? -- of quarterback Sam Leavitt, who is improving but still imperfect. This was his second straight game without throwing an interception after he was picked off eight times in LSU's first six games. Considering he threw 45 passes against Auburn, that's especially encouraging.

No. 19 Texas

Grade: B
Result: 34-27 win vs. Ole Miss
Title odds: +1400
Texas showed its championship-level gear in the first half, building a 24-3 lead, then showed its many flaws in the second half. Arch Manning's turnover woes persisted with three giveaways, including a fumble that Ole Miss returned for a touchdown. The Longhorns' prolonged second-half offensive lull allowed the Rebels to get back in the game. But defensive coordinator Will Muschamp's unit was elite early and just good enough late to help Texas avoid a third straight loss.