The final weekend of October is in the books, and the race to make the four-team College Football Playoff is coming into focus. No. 1 Georgia hung on after a charge from rival Florida to stay unblemished, No. 2 Ohio State got its biggest scare of the season in the win over No. 13 Penn State before pulling away late in the fourth quarter and No. 3 Tennessee further solidified itself as a national contender with a 44-6 win over No. 19 Kentucky.
Other contenders didn't fare as well. No. 9 Oklahoma State was throttled by No. 22 Kansas State in a 48-0 romp that could have been 70-0. No. 10 Wake Forest suffered its second loss of the season when it got smoked by Louisville 48-21 in one of the sloppiest games of the season.
How did the contenders grade out? Let's hand out report cards based on which teams had the best odds from Caesars Sportsbook heading into the weekend.
College football grades: Week 9 report card
| Team | Odds | Grade | Analysis |
|---|---|---|---|
 | 9/5 | B- | It was a very sloppy win on Saturday in Happy Valley. In fact, the Nittany Lions led the Buckeyes 21-16 early in the fourth quarter. It was the first real test for Ryan Day's this season and it wasn't very impressive until the closing minutes. |
 | 19/10 | B+ | The Bulldogs jumped out to a 28-3 lead and, unlike the professional team in the state of Georgia, they held on for the win. "Held on" being the operative phrase. The Gators scored 17 straight points to make this a one-score game late in the third quarter. Those kinds of lulls are very concerning. |
 | 4-1 | n/a | The Crimson Tide were off on Saturday |
 | 12-1 | n/a | The Tigers were off on Saturday. |
 | 12-1 | B+ | The Wolverines struggled early in this one, but outscored Michigan State 16-0 in the second half to beat their in-state rivals 29-7. This game was defined by another scuffle in the locker room, which doesn't mean an awful lot other than composure might be an issue. This was much different than the one vs. Penn State earlier this month, though, as it seemed like Michigan State was the bigger problem here. |
 | 16-1 | A+ | Ho-hum, another win, another dominating performance from the Volunteers in the 44-6 win over No. 19 Kentucky. This game was never in doubt which has become a trend in 2022. |
 | 40-1 | A+ | The Bo Nix show continued to be a hit in a 42-24 win over California. The Heisman Trophy candidate threw for 412 yards and three touchdowns, rushed for 59 yards and three touchdowns, and further established the Ducks as the most improved team in the country since Week 1. |
 | 40-1 | B- | The No. 7 Horned Frogs scored a touchdown with under 20 seconds to go to beat West Virginia 41-31. Don't let that fool you ... this was a 60-minute dogfight against an unranked opponent. |
 | OFF | B- | The Nittany Lions couldn't close it out in the fourth quarter in the 44-31 loss to Ohio State. It was a valiant effort, but that isn't enough to earn an 'A.' |
 | 60-1 | C+ | It's hard to nail down what the No. 10 Trojans defense actually is. One week, they're great, another week, and they are inconsistent. They were the latter in the 45-37 win over Arizona. That's a scary way to live. |
 | 75-1 | F- | The Cowboys got absolutely smoked 48-0 by Big 12 foe Kansas State. They weren't prepared in any phase of the game, and if I could give an 'F-,' they'd get one. Wait ... you know what ... these are my rules. The Cowboys get the first F- in this story's illustrious history. |
