Two games into the 2026 season, Georgia is outscoring its opponents 133-23. Those opponents have been Tennessee State and Western Kentucky — not exactly a murderer's row — but the Bulldogs' ruthlessly authoritative dominance of inferior opposition is certainly worth monitoring. In the midst of a three-year national title drought, it feels like Georgia is out to make a statement.
The Bulldogs didn't play a marquee opponent in the season's first two weeks, and there's not a fascinating new quarterback or some flashy coordinator hire drawing eyeballs to what they are doing. In many ways, it's the same old Georgia, which can make it a tempting team to overlook heading into its SEC opener at Arkansas in Week 3.
But the "same old Georgia" was good enough to win back-to-back titles in 2021 and 2022, and it's not like UGA has fallen off a cliff since. Georgia is 38-6 since it last hoisted a national championship trophy, and it is the back-to-back reigning SEC champion. Don't fall into the trap of overlooking the Dawgs.
It's true that, by SEC standards, this club has an easy schedule. There is no Texas, no LSU, no Texas A&M and no Tennessee. Road games at Alabama and Ole Miss will be challenging. They will also be opportunities for revenge after those teams handed UGA its only losses last season. Given what we've seen from the Bulldogs so far, look out. They appear determined to crush everything in their path in an attempt to summit college football's mountaintop once again.
We are handing out grades evaluating every team that started or ended the day with national championship odds of +3000 or better. 2026 national championship odds listed below courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook. Teams listed in order of their AP Top 25 ranking.
No. 1 Ohio State: Grade: C-. Result: 24-23 loss at No. 4 Texas. Title odds: +600. Ohio State suffered an all-systems meltdown in the second half of a game it once led 23-3. The defense's late collapse will likely garner the most attention, but the offense is culpable, too. The Buckeyes need to develop perimeter weapons other than Jeremiah Smith and refine their red-zone operation.
No. 2 Georgia: Grade: A-. Result: 70-20 win vs. Western Kentucky. Title odds: +650. A week after leading Tennessee State 35-0 at halftime, Georgia said 'hold on, watch this" and put 49 first-half points on Western Kentucky. Kirby Smart didn't like that his team surrendered 20 points in the second half, but the starters were done by then.
No. 3 Notre Dame: Grade: A-. Result: 52-0 win vs. Rice. Title odds: +700. Operating on short rest following a Sunday win over Wisconsin, Notre Dame dominated while building a 42-0 first half lead. The passing game and defense carried plenty of weight as the Irish totaled 360 passing yards while recovering four fumbles.
No. 4 Texas: Grade: B. Result: 24-23 win vs. No. 1 Ohio State. Title odds: +600. Texas pulled off the largest comeback victory over an AP No. 1 ranked team since at least 2000 by roaring back from a 20-point deficit in the fourth quarter to stun Ohio State.
No. 5 Indiana: Grade: A. Result: 55-0 win vs. Howard. Title odds: +800. Indiana took care of business against FCS foe Howard by holding the Bison to just 57 yards and four first downs. TCU transfer Josh Hoover continues to look like a good fit at quarterback.
No. 6 Oregon: Grade: F. Result: 39-31 loss at Oklahoma State. Title odds: +2000. Oklahoma State dominated Oregon on both sides of the ball in a game that should never have been this close. It's back to the drawing board for coach Dan Lanning.
No. 7 Miami: Grade: A. Result: 77-7 win vs. Florida A&M. Title odds: +750. Miami dominated in historic fashion against a Florida A&M team that was dealing with devastating injuries while playing on just three days rest.
No. 8 LSU: Grade: C-. Result: 45-14 win vs. Louisiana tech. Title odds: +1300. LSU turned the football over four times in the second quarter and led just 10-7 at halftime, despite having a 278-0 edge in total yards.
No. 9 Ole Miss: Grade: B-. Result: 41-9 win vs. Charlotte. Title odds: +2200. After a short week on the heels of a dramatic Sunday win over Louisville in Nashville, Ole Miss simply needed to get its bearings inside Vaught-Hemingway Stadium and avoid any catastrophic injuries.
No. 10 Texas A&M: Grade: C+. Result: 48-20 win vs. Arizona State. Title odds: +2200. The Aggies found their dominant defensive gear late while turning a 24-20 game into a blowout victory by forcing three consecutive turnovers in the fourth quarter.
No. 11 Oklahoma: Grade: C-. Result: 17-10 loss at Michigan. Title odds: +4500. A sputtering Sooners offense could never fully recover. OU quarterback John Mateer served up the go-ahead score up to Michigan on a platter when he threw a devastating interception.
No. 12 Alabama: Grade: B+. Result: 45-17 win at Kentucky. Title odds: +2500. Alabama faced significant adversity in Keelon Russell's first road start, falling behind 17-13 at the break, but the second half showed what this team can be.
No. 13 Texas Tech: Grade: C+. Result: 35-24 win at Oregon State. Title odds: +2500. Maintaining the defensive standard that carried Texas Tech to a Big 12 title last season was always going to be challenging, but the Red Raiders aren't even close to that level right now.
