The grades are in across the Bowl Subdivision.
Every year, USA TODAY Sports caps the college football season by handing out report cards for all 133 teams in the FBS, with grades ranging from the rare A+ all the way down to F.
For the first time, these season grades do not feature a team that pulled the dreaded F grade. Instead, the worst grade is the D- handed out to nine teams, including underachieving Florida.
Only seven teams were given an A+, led by national champion Michigan and runner-up Washington. Others to get this elite grade include Arizona, which won 10 games behind Jedd Fisch, and Northwestern, which shocked the Big Ten with an 8-5 finish.
The teams that landed on the A line include 13-1 Liberty, 10-5 New Mexico State, 12-2 Texas and 12-2 Alabama. While the Crimson Tide are unsatisfied with anything less than a national title, this year’s team overcame a terrible start to reach the College Football Playoff before losing to Michigan in the Rose Bowl.
The grades are assigned on a relative curve based on preseason expectations weighed against in-season performance, with attention to special circumstances such as injuries or marquee wins.
For example, Kansas earns an A grade for going 9-4 with a win against Oklahoma and a bowl victory against UNLV. But Clemson draws a B- for also going 9-4 because of the Tigers’ annual expectations to compete for the playoff and for the team’s continued struggles on offense.
