Indiana’s perfect storm of culture, QB health and playoff seeding produced the only A+ in America, while brand-name powers Clemson and LSU bled blue-chip leverage with a stunning D-.
The books are closed on the 2025 college football season, and the registrar—USA TODAY Sports—has stamped final GPAs on all 136 FBS programs. For only the second time since the exercise began, no program failed outright, but eight teams skated dangerously close with a D-, led by two blue-blood hurricanes: Clemson and LSU.
At the top of the curve, Indiana stands alone with an A+, proof that once the Hoosiers cracked the CFP field, they were never settling for moral victories. Runner-up Miami earned an A, BYU and ACC-champion Duke also collected straight A’s, while 13 programs squeezed onto the A– honor roll.
How the curve works
Grades are not simple win totals. USA TODAY weights:
- Preseason AP/coaches ballot expectations
- Roster health & coaching continuity
- Wins above preseason projected win total
- Quality wins (vs. CFP Top-25)
- Bad losses (unranked, home FCS, rivalry blowouts)
The result: a living curve that explains why 5-7 Kent State can earn an A– after an 0-12 crater last year, while 5-7 Florida State is slapped with a D for missing a preseason ACC-title forecast.
Honor roll: the nine A+ & A programs
- Indiana (A+) — 15-0, national champions; first 15-win season in program history.
- Miami (A) — 13-2, CFP runner-up; fastest 10-win turnaround in school history.
- BYU (A) — 12-2, Big 12 title; first Power Five conference crown.
- Duke (A) — 9-5, ACC champions; worst-to-first in coastal cycle.
- Texas A&M (A) — 11-2, Sugar Bowl win; SEC West co-champs.
- Georgia (A–) — 13-2, Peach Bowl win; 3rd straight 11-win season.
- Oklahoma (A–) — 10-3, Alamo Bowl win; Dillon Gabriel 4,000-yard encore.
- Utah (A–) — 11-2, Holiday Bowl win; 3 Top-15 finishes in four years.
- Tennessee (A–) — 10-3, Music City win; healed WR room boosts Hendon Hooker successor.
- Liberty (A–) — 12-1, Cure Bowl; Hugh Freeze pipeline humming pre-Auburn.
- Oregon (A–) — 10-3, Las Vegas Bowl; Bo Nix Heisman finalist.
- Illinois (A–) — 9-4, Redbox Bowl; Bret Bielema rebuild ahead of schedule.
- Kansas (A–) — 8-5, Guaranteed Rate Bowl; first consecutive bowl seasons since 2007-08.
The D- wall of shame
- Clemson (7-6) — Program-worst defensive SP+ ranking since 2010; Cade Klubnik 11 INT.
- LSU (7-6) — Garrett Nussmeier shoulder flare-up; DB room allowed 289 pass yds/gm.
- North Carolina (4-8) — Drake Maye draft departure exposed OL rebuild.
- Florida (4-8) — Billy Napier buyout talk begins; recruiting class de-commit cascade.
- South Carolina (4-8) — Shane Beamer 0-4 vs. ranked opponents.
- Penn State (7-6) — James Franklin seat warm despite top-10 portal haul.
- Colorado (D+ trending D-) — Prime’s first losing year; Shedeur Sanders sacked 46 times.
Immediate recruiting fallout
On the trail, grades equal momentum. Indiana’s A+ flipped two 4-star defenders from Ohio State and Michigan within 48 hours of the confetti falling. Conversely, Clemson’s D- triggered de-commitments from ESPN 300 WR Troy Stokes and LB Jordan Butler, according to USA TODAY tracking data.
LSU’s academic red mark also places the Tigers outside the early top-10 team rankings for the first time since 2014, giving SEC West rivals Texas A&M and Ole Miss clear runway in Louisiana.
Portal & coaching carousel spin cycle
Expect D- programs to chase veteran plug-ins. Clemson already contacted NC State QB Brennan Armstrong for a grad-study year; LSU’s Matt House is shopping the portal for immediate DB help. On the sideline, Florida’s Billy Napier and South Carolina’s Shane Beamer enter 2026 on true hot seats, while Penn State’s James Franklin must beat Ohio State in October or face an expensive buyout conversation.
Key 2026 forecasting nuggets
- Indiana returns 16 starters and QB Kurtis Rourke; expect Vegas win total to open at 10.5.
- Miami loses only three senior starters; Mario Cristobal may finally own the ACC favorite tag.
- Texas A&M’s 4-game win streak plus top-5 portal class makes them the early SEC dark horse.
- Expect Clemson to be preseason top-15 anyway—talent base plus Dabo Swinney’s post-season bounce historically yields 10-win rebound years.
Until then, the 2025 report card hangs on every coach’s office wall as both validation and warning. Because in the modern era of NIL, the portal and 24-hour social verdicts, yesterday’s GPA can swing a locker room—or a recruiting class—overnight.
For fastest, most authoritative analysis on every twist of the 2026 cycle, keep your tabs locked on onlytrustedinfo.com—the playbook arrives before the press conference ends.
