Midseason grades for all 30 MLB teams: ‘A’ is for Astros, ‘F’ is for …?
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David Schoenfield
We’re past due to hand out some midseason grades, so let’s hand out some midseason grades.
As we pass the 90-game mark in the 2025 MLB season, my team of the first half isn’t the well-rounded Detroit Tigers, who do get our highest grade for owning MLB’s best record, or the explosive Chicago Cubs or Shohei Ohtani‘s Los Angeles Dodgers, but a team most baseball fans love to hate: the Houston Astros. They lost their two best players from last season and their best hitter has been injured — and they’re playing their best baseball since they won the 2022 World Series.
Let’s get to the grades. As always, we’re grading off preseason expectations, factoring in win-loss record and quality of performance, while looking at other positive performances and injuries.
Jump to a team:
AL East: BAL | BOS | NYY | TB | TOR
AL Central: CHW | CLE | DET | KC | MIN
AL West: ATH | HOU | LAA | SEA | TEX
NL East: ATL | MIA | NYM | PHI | WSH
NL Central: CHC | CIN | MIL | PIT | STL
NL West: ARI | COL | LAD | SD | SF
Tarik Skubal is obviously the headline act, but the Tigers are winning with impressive depth across the entire roster.
Javier Baez is putting together a remarkable comeback season after a couple of abysmal years and will become the first player to start an All-Star Game at both shortstop and in the outfield. Former No. 1 overall picks Casey Mize and Spencer Torkelson have put together their own comeback stories, while Riley Greene has matured into one of the game’s top power hitters.
Given their deep well of prospects and contributors at the MLB level, no team is better positioned than the Tigers to add significant help at the trade deadline.
I heard someone refer to them as the Zombie Astros, which feels apropos. Alex Bregman left as a free agent, they traded Kyle Tucker, Yordan Alvarez has been injured and has just three home runs, and the Jose Altuve experiment in left field predictably fizzled.
But here they are, fighting for the best record in the majors and holding a comfortable lead in the AL West. They’re getting star turns from Hunter Brown, Framber Valdez and Jeremy Pena, while the risky decision to start Cam Smith in the majors with very little minor league experience has paid off, as he has now become their cleanup hitter.
If we ignore the COVID-19 season, the Astros look on their way to an eighth straight division title.
This could be at least a half-grade higher based on everything that has gone right: Pete Crow-Armstrong‘s attention-grabbing breakout, Tucker doing everything expected after the big trade, Seiya Suzuki‘s monster power numbers and Matthew Boyd‘s All-Star turn in the rotation. The Cubs are on pace for their most wins since their World Series title season in 2016.
There have been a few hiccups, however, especially in the rotation with Justin Steele‘s season-ending injury and Ben Brown‘s inconsistency, plus rookie third baseman Matt Shaw has scuffled, and the bench has been weak aside from their backup catchers.
Still, this is a powerhouse lineup, and the Cubs will seek to improve their rotation at the deadline.
They just keep winning of late, going from 25-27 and seven games behind the Yankees on May 25 to taking over first place from the slumping Bronx Bombers, a remarkable turnaround over just 36 games. They went 27-9 over a 36-game stretch ending with their eighth win in a row on Sunday.
George Springer‘s recent surge has been fun to watch, a reminder of how good he was at his peak, and Addison Barger has been mashing over the past two months.
Some of the stats don’t add up to the Blue Jays being this good — they’ve barely outscored their opponents — but there might be more offense in the tank from the likes of Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and a healthy Anthony Santander, and the bullpen, a soft spot, is the easiest area to upgrade.
Their success is best summed up by the fact that Freddy Peralta is their lone All-Star, but they have a whole bunch of players who have contributed between 1 and 2 WAR.
Brandon Woodruff looked good Sunday in his first start in nearly two years, so that could be a huge boost for the second half.
I’m curious to see how Jackson Chourio performs as well. While his counting stats — extra-base hits, RBIs — are fine, his triple-slash line remains below last season, especially his OBP. He had a huge second half in 2024 (.310/.363/.552), and if he does that again, the Brewers could find themselves back in the postseason for the seventh time in eight seasons.
The Rays started off slow, with a losing record through the end of April, but then went 33-22 in May and June to claw back into the AL East race — as the Rays usually do, last year being the recent exception.
Two key performers have been All-Star third baseman Junior Caminero, who has a chance to become just the third player to hit 40 home runs in his age-21 season, and All-Star first baseman Jonathan Aranda.
Due to the league wanting the Rays to play more home games early in the season, the July and August slate will be very road-heavy, so we’ll see how the Rays adapt to a difficult two-month stretch, especially since their pitching isn’t quite as deep as it has been in other seasons.
No, they’re not going to be the greatest team of all time. But they might win 100 games — even though Blake Snell and Roki Sasaki, their huge offseason acquisitions, have combined for just two wins in 10 starts.
The lineup, of course, has been terrific, with Ohtani leading the NL in several categories and Will Smith leading the batting race. By wRC+, it’s been the best offense in Dodgers history.
If they can get some combo of Snell, Sasaki and Tyler Glasnow healthy, plus Ohtani eventually ramped up to a bigger workload on the mound, the Dodgers still loom as World Series favorites.
They are on pace for 95 wins, mainly on the strength of Zack Wheeler, Ranger Suarez and Cristopher Sanchez, who are a combined 23-7 with 11.8 WAR. Jesus Luzardo‘s ERA is bloated due to that two-start stretch when he allowed 20 runs, but he has otherwise been solid as well.
But, overall, it hasn’t always been the smoothest of treks. The bullpen has imploded a few times and the offense has lacked power aside from Kyle Schwarber. Bryce Harper is back after missing three weeks, and they need to get his bat going. Look for some bullpen additions at the trade deadline — and perhaps an outfielder as well.
The Cardinals have been a minor surprise — perhaps even to the Cardinals themselves. St. Louis was viewing this as a rebuilding year of sorts — not that the Cardinals ever hit rock bottom and start completely over. They had a hot May, winning 12 of 13 at one point, but the offense has been fading of late, with those three straight shutout losses to Pittsburgh and six shutout losses since June 25.
The starting rotation doesn’t generate a lot of swing and miss, with both Erick Fedde and Miles Mikolas seeing their ERAs starting to climb. Brendan Donovan is the team’s only All-Star rep, and that kind of sums up this team: solid but without any star power. That might foretell a second-half fade.
All-Star starting pitchers Logan Webb and Robbie Ray, plus a dominant bullpen, have led the way, although after starting 12-4, the Giants have basically been a .500 team for close to three months now. Rafael Devers hasn’t yet ignited the offense since coming over from Boston, and the Giants have lost four 1-0 games.
These final three games at home against the Dodgers before the All-Star break will be a crucial series, as Los Angeles has slowly pulled away in the NL West.
This was an “A-plus” through June 12, when the Mets were 45-24 and owned the best record in baseball, even though Juan Soto hadn’t gotten hot. Soto finally got going in June, but the pitching collapsed, and the Mets went through a disastrous 1-10 stretch.
The rotation injuries have piled up, exacerbating the lack of bullpen depth. Recent games have been started by Justin Hagenman (who had a 6.21 ERA in Triple-A), journeyman reliever Chris Devenski, Paul Blackburn (7.71 ERA) and Frankie Montas, who has had to start even though he’s clearly not throwing the ball well. The Mets need to get the rotation healthy, but also could use more offense from Mark Vientos and their catchers (Francisco Alvarez was demoted to Triple-A).
At times it has felt like Cal Raleigh has been a one-man team with his record-breaking first half. But he will be joined on the All-Star squad by starting pitcher Bryan Woo, closer Andres Munoz and center fielder Julio Rodriguez, who made it on the strength of his defense, as his offense has been a disappointment.
The offense has been one of the best in the majors on the road, but the rotation has been nowhere near as effective as the past couple of seasons, with George Kirby, Logan Gilbert and Bryce Miller all missing time with injuries. They just shut out the Pirates three games in a row, so maybe that will get the rotation on a roll.
They’re just out of the wild-card picture while hanging around .500, so we give them a decent grade since that exceeds preseason expectations. It feels like a little bit of a mirage given their run differential — their record in one-run games (good) versus their record in blowout games (not good) — and various holes across the lineup and pitching staff.
But they’ve done two things to keep them in the race. One, they hit a lot of home runs. Two, they’re the only team in the majors to use just five starting pitchers. The rotation hasn’t been stellar, but it’s been stable.
The Padres are probably fortunate to be where they are, given some of their issues. As expected, the offensive depth has been a problem.
Not as expected, Dylan Cease has struggled while Michael King‘s injury after a strong start has left them without last year’s dynamic 1-2 punch at the top of the rotation (although Nick Pivetta has been one of the best signings of the offseason). Yu Darvish just made his season debut Monday, so hopefully he’ll provide a lift.
The Padres haven’t played well against the better teams, including a 2-5 record against the Dodgers, but they did clean up against the Athletics, Rockies and Pirates, going 16-2 against those three teams.
For now, the Reds are stuck in neutral. Leave out 2022, when they lost 100 games, and it’s otherwise been a string of .500-ish seasons: 31-29 in 2020, 83-79 in 2021, 82-80 in 2023, 77-85 in 2024 and now a similar record so far in 2025.
The hope was that Terry Francona would be a difference-maker. Maybe that will play out down the stretch, but the best hope is to get the rotation clicking on all cylinders at the same time. That means Andrew Abbott continuing his breakout performance, plus getting Hunter Greene healthy again and rookie Chase Burns to live up to the hype after a couple of shaky outings following an impressive MLB debut.
Throw in Nick Lodolo and solid Nick Martinez and Brady Singer, and this group can be good enough to pitch the Reds to their first full-season playoff appearance since 2013.
The Yankees have hit their annual midseason swoon — which has been subject to much intense analysis from their disgruntled fans — and that opening weekend sweep of the Brewers, when the Yankees’ torpedo bats were the big story in baseball, now seems long ago.
Going from seven up to three back in such a short time is a disaster — but not disastrous. Nonetheless, the Yankees will have to do some hard-core self-evaluation heading to the trade deadline.
The offense wasn’t going to be as good as it was in April, when Paul Goldschmidt, Trent Grisham and Ben Rice were all playing over their heads. So, do they need a hitter? Or with Clarke Schmidt now likely joining Gerrit Cole as a Tommy John casualty, do they need a starting pitcher? Or both?
From the book of “things we didn’t expect,” page 547: The Marlins are averaging more runs per game than the Orioles, Padres, Braves and Rangers, to name a few teams. They’re averaging almost as many runs per game as the Mets, and last time we checked, the Marlins weren’t the team to give Soto $765 million.
An eight-game winning streak at the end of June has the Marlins going toe-to-toe with the Braves for third place in the NL East even though the starting rotation has been a mess, with Sandy Alcantara on track to become just the fourth qualified pitcher with an ERA over 7.00.
Heading into the season, I thought that if any team was going to challenge the Dodgers in the NL West, it would be the Diamondbacks. The offense has once again been one of the best in the majors, but the pitching issues have been painful.
After the aggressive move to sign Corbin Burnes, he went down with Tommy John surgery after 11 starts. Meanwhile, Zac Gallen, Eduardo Rodriguez and Brandon Pfaadt each have an ERA on the wrong side of 5.00. Rodriguez was better in June before a shellacking on July 4, while Gallen remains homer-prone, so it’s hard to tell if improvement is on the horizon. Their playoff odds are hovering just under 20%, so there’s a chance, but they need to get red-hot like they did last July and August.
It feels like it has been more soap opera than baseball season in Boston, with the Devers drama finally ending with the shocking trade with the Giants.
If you give added weight that this is the Red Sox, a team that should be operating with the big boys in both budget and aspirations and instead seemed to only want to dump Devers’ contract, then feel free to lower this grade a couple of notches, even if the Red Sox are close in the wild-card standings.
On the field, the heralded rookie trio of Kristian Campbell, Roman Anthony and Marcelo Mayer hasn’t exactly clicked, with Campbell returning to the minors after posting a .902 OPS in April. A big test will come out of the All-Star break, when they play the Cubs, Phillies, Dodgers, Twins and Astros in a tough 15-game stretch.
After last season’s surprise playoff appearance, it’s been a frustrating 2025 — although I’m not sure this result is necessarily a surprise.
There were concerns about the offense heading into the season and those concerns have proven correct. They were getting no production from their outfield, so they rushed Jac Caglianone to the majors to much hype, but he has struggled and might need a reset back in Triple-A. Even Bobby Witt Jr., as good as he has been (on pace for 7.5 WAR), has seen his OPS drop 140 points.
On the bright side, Kris Bubic emerged as an All-Star starter and Noah Cameron has filled in nicely for the injured Cole Ragans, so maybe they trade a starter for some offense.
Coming off a catastrophic 2024 season, nobody was expecting anything from the White Sox. Indeed, another 121-loss season loomed as a possibility. While they’re on pace to lose 100 again, they’ve at least played more competitive baseball thanks to their pitching.
Rookie starters Shane Smith and Sean Burke have shown promise, while rookie position players Kyle Teel, Edgar Quero and now Colson Montgomery are getting their initial taste of the majors.
There has been the mix of calamity: Luis Robert Jr. has been unproductive and is probably now untradable, and former No. 3 overall pick Andrew Vaughn hit .189 and was traded to the Brewers.
The Twins are one organization that might like a do-over of the past five seasons. It feels like they’ve had the most talent in the division, but all they’ve done is squeeze out one soft division title in 2023. Now, the Tigers have passed them in talent and other factors, such as payroll flexibility.
There’s still time for the Twins to turn things around in 2025, but outside of that wonderful 13-game winning streak, they haven’t played winning baseball.
Overall, it’s been yet another bad season, despite Paul Skenes‘ brilliance. Really, do we talk enough about him? Yes, we do talk about him, but he has a 1.95 ERA through his first 42 career starts. Incredible.
Here’s an amazing thing about baseball. The Pirates are not a good team, but they recently put together one of the best six-game stretches in history. That’s not stretching the description. First, they swept the Mets — a good team — by scores of 9-1, 9-2 and 12-1. Then they swept the Cardinals — a good team — with three shutouts, 7-0, 1-0 and 5-0. They became the first team since at least 1901 to score 43 runs or more and allow four runs or fewer in a six-game stretch. And then they promptly got shut out three games in a row, making them the first to win three straight shutouts and then lose three straight shutouts.
Eighteen of our 28 voters picked them to win the AL West before the season, but it’s looking more and more like the 2023 World Series might be a stone-cold fluke in the middle of a string of losing seasons. That year, nearly everyone in the lineup had a career year at the plate, and the pitching got hot at the right time.
This year’s Rangers, though, have struggled to score runs, and while some have pointed to the offensive environment at Globe Life Field, they’re near the bottom in road OPS as well. It’s been fun seeing Jacob deGrom back at a dominating level, and Nathan Eovaldi should have been an All-Star.
Put it this way: If the Rangers can somehow squeeze into the postseason, you don’t want to face the Rangers in a short series. Indeed, if any team looms as an October upset special, it might be the Rangers.
The Nationals received superlative first-half performances from James Wood and MacKenzie Gore, while CJ Abrams is on the way to his best season. But there remains a lack of overall organizational progress, which finally led to the firings on Sunday of longtime GM Mike Rizzo and longtime manager Dave Martinez. A 7-19 record in June sealed their fate, as the rotation has been bad and the bullpen arguably the worst in baseball.
Until the Nationals figure out how to improve their pitching — or, better yet, find an owner who wants to win — they will be stuck going nowhere.
That fell apart in a hurry. Sunday’s loss was Cleveland’s 10th in a row, a stretch that remarkably included five shutouts. Indeed, the Guardians have now been shut out 11 times; the franchise record in the post-dead-ball-era (since 1920) is 20 shutouts in 1968.
There’s nothing worse than watching a team that can’t score runs, so that tells you how exciting the Guardians have been. Last year, the Guardians hit exceptionally well with runners in scoring position, keeping afloat what was otherwise a mediocre offense. That hasn’t happened in 2025 (trading Josh Naylor didn’t help either). Throw in some predictable regression from the bullpen, and this season looks lost.
We can’t give this a complete failing grade due to the emergence of All-Star shortstop Jacob Wilson (the Athletics’ first All-Star starter since Josh Donaldson in 2014) and slugging first baseman Nick Kurtz, who have a chance to finish 1-2 in the Rookie of the Year voting. Plus, we have Denzel Clarke‘s circus catches in center field.
But otherwise? Ugh. The Sacramento gamble already looks like a disaster, three months into a three-year stay. The team is drawing well below Sutter Health Park’s 14,000-seat capacity, with many recent games drawing under 10,000 fans. Luis Severino bashed the small crowds and the lack of air-conditioning.
The A’s had a groundbreaking ceremony for their new park in Vegas, renting heavy construction equipment as background props. Maybe they should have spent that money on more pitching help.
Based on preseason expectations, the Braves have clearly been the biggest disappointment in the National League — fighting the Orioles for most disappointing overall.
What’s gone wrong? They haven’t scored runs, as the offense continues its remarkable fade from a record-setting performance just two seasons ago. The collapses of Michael Harris II and Ozzie Albies lead the way, with lack of production at shortstop and left field playing a big role as well. Closer Raisel Iglesias has struggled, and the team is 11-22 in one-run games. Spencer Strider hasn’t yet reached his pre-injury level and Reynaldo Lopez made just one start before going down.
The Braves haven’t missed the playoffs since 2017, but that run is clearly in jeopardy.
The Orioles have a similar record to the Braves but have played much worse, including losses of 24-2, 19-5, 15-3 and two separate 9-0 shutouts.
They will spend the trade deadline dealing away as many of their impending free agents as possible, and then do a lot of soul-searching heading into the offseason. After making the playoffs in 2023 and 2024, will this season just be a blip? While the pitching struggles aren’t necessarily a big surprise, what has happened to the offense? Are some of their young players prospects or suspects?
After two months of Cleveland Spiders-level baseball, it would be easy to make fun of the Rockies. Especially since they recently announced Walker Monfort — son of the owner — was promoted to executive VP and will replace outgoing president and COO Greg Feasel.
On the other hand, the Rockies are doing something right: They just drew 121,000 for a three-game series against the White Sox.
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Bill Connelly
Repeat after me: Most teams will lose another game.
We’re just close enough to the finish line of the regular season that we start to think things are locked into place. Oklahoma is the “first one out” in the College Football Playoff rankings — the Sooners are in trouble! Texas is 10th — the Longhorns are in! Five teams have one conference loss atop the ACC and American Conference; therefore, we’re guaranteed huge logjams with gross tiebreakers.
Maybe. But most teams will lose another game. There’s about a 1-in-3 chance that we end up with even a three-way tie of 7-1 teams atop the American, 1-in-5 in the ACC. Of the teams right on the borderline of the playoff — say, the ones ranked eighth through 14th — only one has greater than a 54% chance of winning out between now and Championship Weekend, and there’s only about a 0.1% chance they all do.
There’s still a lot of football to be played, in other words. Week 12 gives us a couple of games pitting new guard versus old guard in SEC country, plus high-leverage contests in Pittsburgh, New Orleans and Harrisonburg, Virginia. Here’s everything you need to follow on a big-as-ever mid-November Saturday.
All times Eastern, all games on Saturday unless otherwise noted.
New SEC vs. Old SEC
Well, this is convenient scheduling. The SEC’s two sparkly, new, big-brand programs are both on the borderline of a possible playoff bid, and both need to come up big on the road against the programs that have basically served as the league’s final bosses for the past 16 years. The storylines sometimes write themselves.
No. 10 Texas at No. 5 Georgia (7:30 p.m., ABC)
For all of the ups and downs of this season — Arch Manning‘s repeated struggles, the whiplash combination of a loss to Florida and a blowout of Oklahoma — the Longhorns are still in solid playoff shape, but they’ll need to go at least 2-1 (and maybe 3-0) against Georgia, Arkansas and Texas A&M.
With the season on the line two weeks ago against Vanderbilt, coach Steve Sarkisian took Texas’ offense back to basics in a very Sarkisian way, with lots of eye candy and quick passes to the perimeter. Manning completed 25 of 33 passes for 328 yards and 3 touchdowns — great stats considering he didn’t complete a pass thrown more than 17 yards downfield.
Manning completed 11 passes at or behind the line of scrimmage, and Texas gained 172 yards, a level of risk-free explosiveness every offense craves. The Longhorns might generate success with this type of passing against Georgia as well. The Bulldogs are elite in run defense and prevent big plays really well, but they create almost no negative plays and force almost no turnovers. They trust their ability to adapt in-game and force the issue when they have to, but on passes thrown within 5 yards of the line of scrimmage, they rank 90th in yards allowed per attempt (5.7). If the Dawgs struggle in this regard, it will negate their advantages against a poor Texas running game, and they’ll allow Manning to avoid the passing downs in which he has often struggled.
Actually, expect a lot of short, crisp passes no matter who has the ball. That has also been Georgia’s approach.
In terms of risk-free explosiveness, Zachariah Branch has been one of the better players in the SEC. Of his 53 receptions, 31 have been caught behind the line, but he is averaging 8.3 yards after the catch, with eight receptions of 20-plus yards. He tests a defense’s discipline, and the running game has improved enough to give the Dawgs many ways to stay on schedule. Texas’ defense is the best Georgia has seen. The Horns are dynamite against the run, and starting safeties Michael Taaffe and Jelani McDonald are expected to play after recent injuries.
Current line: UGA -5.5 | SP+ projection: UGA by 4.4 | FPI projection: UGA by 2.3
No. 11 Oklahoma at No. 4 Alabama (3:30 p.m., ABC)
A year ago, Oklahoma manhandled a two-loss Alabama team, knocking the Crimson Tide from playoff contention with a 24-3 upset. OU now heads to Tuscaloosa for just the second time (and first time as an SEC member), cast as the two-loss team that probably can’t afford a blowout road loss.
In their first must-win, two weeks ago in Knoxville, the Sooners treaded water for a half, getting dominated statistically but surviving on turnovers, then played superior second-half ball in a 33-27 win over Tennessee. They probably can’t afford another poor first half, and that might be a problem because Alabama is one of the best first-half teams in the country. The Crimson Tide can’t always apply the dagger — they almost let Georgia, Missouri and South Carolina all complete second-half comeback wins — but their scoring margin is plus-108 before halftime (and minus-3 in the third quarter).
Bama has averaged just 4.9 yards per play and a decent 23.4 points per game against SP+ top-30 defenses. Ranked third, OU’s defense is by far the best the Tide have faced, though it might not be at full strength if end R Mason Thomas and tackle Jayden Jackson, both listed as questionable, can’t go.
OU leads the nation in rushing success rate* allowed, while Bama’s run game ranks 109th. Ty Simpson and the Tide will have to succeed through the air, but the Sooners also rank ninth in passing success rate allowed. If the Tide get to even 23 points, they should be thrilled.
(* Success rate: How frequently an offense is gaining 50% of necessary yardage on first down, 70% on second and 100% on third or fourth.)
Can OU get to 23, then? Bama has shown some vulnerability against the run, and the Sooners’ run game has perked up of late, with 239-pound sophomore running back Xavier Robinson grinding out 224 yards in the past two games. With quarterback John Mateer using his legs as well, OU’s offense has been excellent in the red zone, and the Sooners might get away with creating fewer scoring chances. Still, in his past four games, Mateer has averaged just 5.0 yards per dropback. That probably won’t get it done if you’re hunting for a huge road win.
Current line: Bama -6.5 | SP+ projection: Bama by 1.3 | FPI projection: Bama by 5.8
The last big test for Notre Dame
No. 9 Notre Dame at No. 22 Pitt (noon, ABC)
In 2017, Miami was second in the nation and two wins from a CFP berth. But freshman Kenny Pickett produced three touchdowns (one passing, two rushing), and unranked Pitt shocked the Hurricanes 24-14. Miami lost out from there.
In 2003, Virginia Tech, ranked fifth, visited Heinz Field, having just blown out No. 2 Miami. Rod Rutherford threw two touchdown passes (one to some guy named Larry Fitzgerald) and rushed for another, and No. 25 Pitt beat the Hokies 31-28. Tech went on to lose four of five.
Once per decade, Pitt absolutely ruins a top team’s season at home. It hasn’t happened in the 2020s, but maybe we’re due? Notre Dame visits Pitt, needing three more wins to secure another CFP bid, but considering the last two are against Syracuse (98% win probability, per SP+) and Stanford (97%), this is the big one.
After losing to Miami and Texas A&M to start the season, the Fighting Irish have won seven straight games by an average of 41-14. But aside from USC, Pitt is the best team they’ve played in this span. That’s an incredible thing to say if you watched the Panthers in September.
Pitt began the year 2-2, but somehow, coach Pat Narduzzi saved the season by installing a freshman quarterback. Mason Heintschel has charged straight into the top 25 in my power-conference quarterback rankings; he leaves the pocket quite a bit and fires the ball to a trio of explosive receivers in Kenny Johnson, Raphael Williams Jr. and Cataurus Hicks. Heintschel’s Panthers have won five straight, and the last one came without injured star running back Desmond Reid. Reid is expected to play Saturday, and if he can find success between the tackles against a banged-up Notre Dame front, that would help the freshman significantly.
Pitt’s defense is uniquely aggressive. The Panthers are second nationally in yards allowed per carry, they’re seventh in pressure rate, and they force quarterbacks to make big throws that college passers often can’t make. (They could also be healthier than they’ve been in a while if linebacker Rasheem Biles and safety Cruce Brookins return as expected.) That will put a lot on the shoulders of Notre Dame quarterback CJ Carr. But Carr might be OK with that.
If he were a bit more mobile, Carr’s radar chart would be a nearly perfect circle. The redshirt freshman is seventh on my QBs list and 10th in Total QBR, and the Irish are far more capable of creating big-pass plays this year because of Carr and speedy targets such as Malachi Fields and Will Pauling. Pitt might be more capable than most of bottling up surging running back Jeremiyah Love, but that doesn’t mean Carr can’t beat them.
Current line: Irish -12.5 (up from -10.5 on Sunday) | SP+ projection: Irish by 7.2 | FPI projection: Irish by 8.1
Chaos likely continues in the ACC
The ACC is a beautiful mess. Five teams have one conference loss — Georgia Tech, Virginia, Pitt, SMU and Duke — and there are only two remaining head-to-heads among them. But those head-to-heads mean that, at most, three teams can finish at 7-1: This week’s Virginia-Duke winner (about a 72% chance, per SP+), next week’s Georgia Tech-Pitt winner (currently 65%) and SMU (40%).
There’s only a 19% chance that three teams reach 7-1 and a 45% chance that two do. The latter would be clean and easy, but that doesn’t appear to be something this conference believes in.
No. 19 Virginia at Duke (3:30 p.m., ESPN2)
Duke is the ACC’s doom scenario. The Blue Devils went 1-3 in nonconference play with losses at Tulane and UConn — why the hell are you playing at both Tulane and UConn?? — but they’re 4-1 in the ACC, and the projected favorites in each remaining game. If they win the league, would they get into the CFP over a second Group of 5 team like a hypothetical 12-1 James Madison?
Duke’s defense has imploded in Manny Diaz’s second season, but the offense has scored at least 34 points in five of its past six games. Quarterback Darian Mensah and the Blue Devils will score Saturday. Will Virginia? Quarterback Chandler Morris left the Wake Forest loss because of a head/neck injury, but the team seems optimistic that he’ll be ready to play.
The Cavaliers’ offense has underachieved against projections by double digits in three of the past four games, though, and Morris was healthy for most of that stretch. That’s a bad sign, but if UVA can keep it close in the second half, the advantage shifts: The Hoos are 4-2 in one-score finishes, while Duke is 1-2.
Current line: Duke -4.5 (down from -6.5) | SP+ projection: Duke by 1.6 | FPI projection: Duke by 2.5
No. 16 Georgia Tech at Boston College (3:30 p.m., ACCN)
Per SP+, the Boston College offense is its worst in three years, and the Eagles’ defense is their worst since 1978. Georgia Tech has its own defensive issues, but nothing like that. Meanwhile, the Yellow Jackets are coming off a bye week, in which the gutty Haynes King — maybe the hottest QB in the country this side of Julian Sayin — got a much-needed Saturday off from getting hit repeatedly.
Assuming the Jackets survive this one, they’ll face two enormous home games to finish the regular season. First, they’ll play Pitt with a potential ACC championship game bid on the line; then they’ll play Georgia in a revenge attempt that coach Brent Key has been dreaming about for a year. This will be fun.
Current line: Tech -16.5 | SP+ projection: Tech by 18.6 | FPI projection: Tech by 14.3
It’s all happening in Tier 4
For the past few weeks, I’ve been referencing playoff tiers. The three teams in Tier 1 are all but certain to reach the CFP, while five teams in Tier 2 average around an 86% chance, and each of the three in Tier 3 is around 50-50.
Tier 4, meanwhile, is the Thunderdome, with 10 or 11 teams fighting for what might be two bids at most. A large portion of Tier 4 is involved in the ACC title race, but others have work to do in Week 12.
No. 21 Iowa at No. 17 USC (3:30 p.m., BTN)
Iowa has lost three games, including two against top-10 opponents, by 10 combined points. I appreciate that the CFP committee still ranks the Hawkeyes, even though the AP has been underrating them all season, and their much-improved run game could do serious damage against a USC defense that ranks 126th in rushing success rate allowed. The Trojans are solid against the pass, but that doesn’t really matter in an Iowa game.
When USC has the ball, it’s elite versus elite. The Trojans rank fourth in points per drive, and Iowa’s defense is seventh. The Hawkeyes have played against two top-15 offenses (per SP+) and have allowed 31 total points; USC played against two top-15 defenses and scored 55. What happens in this one? And what role might the weather play? The forecast suggests early-afternoon downpours (and maybe some thunder) in L.A. It’s rude of the Hawkeyes to bring their weather with them.
Current line: USC -6.5 | SP+ projection: USC by 4.5 | FPI projection: USC by 7.5
Clemson at No. 20 Louisville (Friday, 7:30 p.m., ESPN)
Clemson might — might — finally be figuring things out. The Tigers have averaged 37 points per game in Cade Klubnik‘s past four starts, and after getting torched by SMU and Duke, the defense showed up and shut down Florida State last week.
Clemson’s defensive front isn’t as disruptive as expected, but it might be good enough to give Louisville problems. Though running back injuries have been problematic for the Cardinals, the fact that they’ve gained zero or fewer yards on 34.0% of their snaps this year (106th nationally) is even more damaging. If quarterback Miller Moss doesn’t have time in the pocket, Louisville might be eliminated from the ACC and CFP hunts by Saturday morning.
Current line: Louisville -2.5 | SP+ projection: Louisville by 5.9 | FPI projection: Louisville by 1.2
No. 13 Utah at Baylor (7 p.m., ESPN2)
Baylor’s defense has held the Bears back all season, allowing 37 points per game in four losses. But it’s coming off by far its best performance of the season in a 30-3 blowout of UCF, and it generally prevents big plays pretty well.
Of course, Utah doesn’t make big plays and still blows out teams. The Utes’ seven wins have come by an average of 36 points, and they’ve lost only to the Big 12’s two highest-ranked teams. Quarterback Devon Dampier pilots a devastatingly efficient attack, and Utah might have the best defense Baylor’s Sawyer Robertson has seen all year.
Current line: Utah -7.5 | SP+ projection: Utah by 13.5 | FPI projection: Utah by 8.7
No. 18 Michigan at Northwestern (noon, Fox)
I expected Northwestern to give USC more of a challenge in last week’s 38-17 loss, but the Wildcats get an immediate shot at redemption against Michigan. This one might stay close because of lack of tempo alone — don’t expect more than 10-11 drives for either team — and if Caleb Komolafe and Northwestern’s running game can get going against a merely solid Michigan run defense, this one could get tense at Wrigley Field. Of course, if the Wolverines force Northwestern behind schedule regularly, this one has 24-6 written all over it.
Current line: Michigan -11.5 | SP+ projection: Michigan by 11.4 | FPI projection: Michigan by 9.0
NC State at No. 15 Miami (3:30 p.m., ESPN)
Miami handled Syracuse just fine last week, but the offense has underachieved against SP+ projections by nearly a touchdown per game since Week 3. A lack of big plays holds back the Canes, but NC State’s defense is, shall we say, quite accommodating in that regard. And with the way NC State quarterback CJ Bailey has played lately, basically every Wolfpack game has track meet potential.
Current line: Miami -15.5 | SP+ projection: Miami by 17.2 | FPI projection: Miami by 15.0
This week in the Group of 5
In the American Conference, four teams could finish 7-1. This week’s USF-Navy winner has excellent odds (about 81%, per SP+), while North Texas is at 73%, Tulane 45% and East Carolina 24%. There’s only a 6% chance that they all get there, but there’s still about a 1-in-3 chance for three to finish with one conference loss.
We’re only starting to figure out who will get the Group of 5’s CFP bid, in other words. And though four contenders — USF, Tulane, North Texas and Sun Belt favorite James Madison — are pretty much double-digit favorites Saturday, here’s where I break out the odds again: There’s only a 45% chance they all win. Intrigue!
No. 24 South Florida at Navy (noon, ESPN2)
The thing about being as good (and frequent) a rusher as Navy’s Blake Horvath is that you will get hit. A lot. He suffered an injury in Navy’s loss to North Texas and missed the loss to Notre Dame. If he plays, he and the Midshipmen could hog the ball and keep USF’s up-tempo offense on the sideline. But the Bulls have scored at least 48 in five of their past six games; they might score on every drive, regardless.
Current line: USF -9.5 | SP+ projection: USF by 6.6 | FPI projection: USF by 10.3
Florida Atlantic at Tulane (4 p.m., ESPN+)
FAU plays at a ridiculous tempo and goes for it on fourth down whenever possible. The Owls are explosive enough to damage a Tulane defense that ranks 92nd in points per drive and has given up 80 points in the past two weeks. FAU’s defense is much worse, however. Even in a track meet, Jake Retzlaff and the Green Wave have the edge.
Current line: Tulane -17.5 | SP+ projection: Tulane by 13.4 | FPI projection: Tulane by 14.3
North Texas at UAB (2 p.m., ESPN+)
This one’s similar to FAU-Tulane. UAB can wing the ball around and score some points, but the Blazers have given up at least 24 points in every game and at least 38 in five. Drew Mestemaker and the North Texas offense average 44.4 points and 487.8 yards per game. UAB already played its miracle card in the upset of Memphis; the Blazers probably don’t have another one.
Current line: UNT -18.5 | SP+ projection: UNT by 22.3 | FPI projection: UNT by 16.4
Appalachian State at James Madison (3:30 p.m., ESPN+)
App State was a pleasant surprise at 4-2, but the Mountaineers have lost three straight one-score games, and now they have to head to JMU to face quarterback Alonza Barnett III and a Dukes offense that has scored 150 combined points in its past three games. App wrecked JMU’s unbeaten start in 2023, its last trip to Harrisonburg, but this one would be quite the upset.
Current line: JMU -20.5 | SP+ projection: JMU by 22.7 | FPI projection: JMU by 17.3
Week 12 chaos superfecta
We’re once again using this space to will chaos into existence, looking at four carefully curated games with pretty big point spreads and mashing them together into a much more upset-friendly number. Thanks to Virginia’s loss to Wake Forest last Saturday, we’ve won in back-to-back weeks to move to 6-5 for the season.
Let’s make it three in a row! I basically crafted a superfecta in talking about the G5 games above, but here’s another one: SP+ says there’s only a 45% chance that Michigan (76% win probability against Northwestern), Utah (80% against Baylor), Miami (86% against NC State) and Ole Miss (86% against Florida) all win. Which one do you think goes down?
Week 12 playlist
Here are some more games you should pay attention to if you want to get the absolute most out of the weekend, from both information and entertainment perspectives.
Friday evening
Minnesota at No. 8 Oregon (9 p.m., Fox). The Big Ten-ification of Oregon continues: The Ducks have won their past two games by scores of 21-7 and 18-16. They just survived a cold, wet rock fight in Iowa City, and if Minnesota’s defense actually plays well on the road for the first time all year — a big if at this point — Oregon could end up in another one. But apparently, the Ducks are good at them!
Current line: Oregon -25.5 | SP+ projection: Oregon by 25.5 | FPI projection: Oregon by 25.4
Early Saturday
South Carolina at No. 3 Texas A&M (noon, ESPN). Under Shane Beamer, South Carolina is 3-18 as an underdog in September and October but 6-4 in November. The Gamecocks are trudging through a lost season, but they are still athletic and dangerous. Of course, A&M might be upset-proof at this point. The Aggies have overachieved against SP+ projections by 12.2 points per game since the start of October.
Current line: A&M -19.5 | SP+ projection: A&M by 21.5 | FPI projection: A&M by 12.5
Wisconsin at No. 2 Indiana (noon, BTN). Indiana has played six teams ranked worse than 60th in SP+ and has won those games by an average of 51-9. Wisconsin is 90th. The Badgers’ defense has rounded into form, and freshman QB Carter Smith added a decent dimension to the run game in last week’s upset of Washington, but … no. Hoosiers roll.
Current line: IU -29.5 | SP+ projection: IU by 34.6 | FPI projection: IU by 28.7
Arizona at No. 25 Cincinnati (noon, FS1). Next week, Cincinnati hosts BYU in a game that might make the difference in a Big 12 championship game bid. But first, the Bearcats have to survive an Arizona team that has won two straight and still has a shot at eight or nine wins. The Wildcats have an excellent defense, but Brendan Sorsby is the best QB they’ve faced all season.
Current line: Cincy -6.5 | SP+ projection: Cincy by 2.1 | FPI projection: Cincy by 4.6
Arkansas at LSU (12:45 p.m., SECN). Arkansas is a projected underdog in its final three games, so there’s a chance that a team with a top-10 offense (seventh in offensive SP+) finishes 2-10. I wouldn’t have thought that possible, but Arkansas is a place of wonders. Of course, LSU’s offense is in enough disarray that it might not even be able to punish the Hogs’ horrid defense. The stakes aren’t high, but morbid curiosity puts this one high on my list.
Current line: LSU -5.5 | SP+ projection: LSU by 4.6 | FPI projection: LSU by 5.2
Saturday afternoon
UCF at No. 7 Texas Tech (3:30 p.m., Fox). UCF still has a shot at bowl eligibility and is athletic enough to land some shots if Tech is weary after last week’s big “College GameDay” party. But here’s a foreboding combination: The Knights rank 81st in points per drive and haven’t faced a top-40 defense (per SP+) yet. Tech’s defense ranks fifth in SP+.
Current line: Tech -23.5 | SP+ projection: Tech by 23.9 | FPI projection: Tech by 18.2
Memphis at East Carolina (4 p.m., ESPNU). If ECU wins this home toss-up, the Pirates shift into prime contention in the American. SP+ still likes Memphis, but what do the Tigers have left in the tank after last week’s heartbreaking loss to Tulane? ECU’s hostile defense takes risks, creates havoc and leaves itself vulnerable to counterpunches. My favorite kind of defense.
Current line: ECU -2.5 | SP+ projection: Memphis by 0.9 | FPI projection: ECU by 0.3
North Carolina at Wake Forest (4:30 p.m., The CW). Two of the hottest defenses in the country have made this one more interesting than you (or I) probably expected. Wake has allowed 14 or fewer points in three of its past four games, while UNC has climbed back to 4-5 and still has bowl hopes because of a defense that has allowed 15.8 points per game over the past month. Take the under.
Current line: Wake -6.5 | SP+ projection: Wake by 9.3 | FPI projection: Wake by 4.9
Penn State at Michigan State (3:30 p.m., CBS). Since the two-game collapse that cost James Franklin his job, Penn State has been solid, hanging with Ohio State for a half and dropping heartbreakers to Iowa and Indiana. The 3-6 Nittany Lions could still make a bowl push, but MSU’s defense is improving, and the offense could spring some surprises with dueling quarterbacks Aidan Chiles and Alessio Milivojevic.
Current line: PSU -7.5 | SP+ projection: PSU by 14.6 | FPI projection: PSU by 9.1
New Mexico State at No. 23 Tennessee (4:15 p.m., SECN). After a week off to digest its likely elimination from the CFP hunt, Tennessee now rallies for a homestretch that includes a trip to Florida and a potential chance to ruin Vanderbilt’s CFP hopes over Rivalry Week. But first, a visit from an NMSU team that plays as physically as possible but doesn’t have the offensive weapons to make this a game.
Current line: UT -40.5 | SP+ projection: UT by 32.8 | FPI projection: UT by 38.8
Saturday evening
Florida at No. 6 Ole Miss (7 p.m., ESPN). A loss at Florida derailed Ole Miss’ playoff hopes last year and prevented one of the best Rebel teams from a shot at the national title. I bet Lane Kiffin remembers that.
Current line: Ole Miss -14.5 | SP+ projection: Ole Miss by 17.3 | FPI projection: Ole Miss by 10.0
UCLA at No. 1 Ohio State (7:30 p.m., NBC). Ohio State hasn’t played in a game decided by fewer than 18 points since Week 1 against Texas. The unbeaten Buckeyes have cruised along in about third gear for a while, but this week might be a good time to get a merely solid run game going — UCLA ranks 136th nationally in rushing success rate allowed and 104th in yards allowed per carry.
Current line: OSU -32.5 | SP+ projection: OSU by 35.4 | FPI projection: OSU by 33.9
Mississippi State at Missouri (7:45 p.m., SECN). With Mizzou’s Beau Pribula out against Texas A&M (he’s listed as doubtful this week), third-stringer Matt Zollers went just 7-for-22. Can MSU stack the box against a good run game and force Zollers to make big throws? With QB Blake Shapen coming off an injury as well, can the Bulldogs punish a good defense that fell apart late against the Aggies?
Current line: Mizzou -7.5 | SP+ projection: Mizzou by 11.4 | FPI projection: Mizzou by 7.1
Purdue at Washington (7 p.m., FS1). Purdue has improved this season, from 121st to 84th in SP+, but the Boilermakers have just a 2-8 record (0-3 in one-score finishes) to show for it. Can they throw a scare in a young Washington team that laid an egg in Madison last week? Probably not. Against defenses outside of the SP+ top 50, the Huskies average 49.4 points per game and 8.0 yards per play.
Current line: UW -16.5 | SP+ projection: UW by 20.7 | FPI projection: UW by 15.3
Kennesaw State at Jacksonville State (8 p.m., ESPNU). We have three main contenders in the Conference USA race; these are two of them. JSU, the defending champ, has won four in a row behind an excellent run game, but KSU has won seven in a row. Jerry Mack’s Owls combine big pass plays with a defense that creates negative plays and ranks 32nd in points allowed per drive.
Current line: KSU -3.5 | SP+ projection: KSU by 2.3 | FPI projection: KSU by 0.3
Late Saturday
TCU at No. 12 BYU (10:15 p.m., ESPN). TCU’s offense has disappointed in the past two weeks, and any hopes of a Big 12 title went out the window with last week’s 20-17 loss to Iowa State. The Horned Frogs have the defense to screw up BYU’s CFP hopes, but it will require quarterback Josh Hoover‘s best game in weeks, and against a top-20 Cougars defense.
Current line: BYU -4.5 | SP+ projection: BYU by 7.7 | FPI projection: BYU by 6.7
Boise State at San Diego State (10:30 p.m., CBSSN). SDSU’s playoff hopes are kaput after last week’s blowout loss to Hawai’i, but the Aztecs are still Mountain West co-favorites with Boise State, and the winner of this one might have home-field advantage in the conference title game. BSU quarterback Maddux Madsen will miss the game because of a lower-leg injury, but he could be back by the postseason.
Current line: SDSU -2.5 | SP+ projection: SDSU by 1.6 | FPI projection: BSU by 3.4
Smaller-school showcase
Let’s once again save a shout-out for the glorious lower levels of the sport. Here are three games you should track.
FCS: No. 13 Illinois State at No. 15 South Dakota State (3 p.m., ESPN+). Three weeks ago, South Dakota State was 7-0 and headlining a 1-versus-2 matchup with North Dakota State. Now, the Jackrabbits are 7-3, having fallen apart after an injury to starting quarterback Chase Mason. His status for Saturday is uncertain, but one way or the other, the Jacks need a win, especially with another ranked opponent (North Dakota) on the docket for next week. They were hoping for a top seed, and now they’re just hoping for a playoff berth. ISU, meanwhile, has won three in a row to get to 7-3 and the brink of a playoff bid, as well. This isn’t a pure win-and-you’re-in game, but it’s close.
SP+ projection: SDSU by 6.7
Division II (CIAA championship): No. 9 Virginia Union vs. No. 16 Johnson C. Smith (3 p.m., HBCU Go). The CIAA championship game is particularly interesting this year. Virginia Union has won the past two conference titles and reached the D-II quarterfinals in 2024; the Panthers are riding an eight-game winning streak (average score: 43-14). JCSU, however, hasn’t won the CIAA crown since 1969. The Golden Bulls have won six in a row since a 28-10 loss at VUU, and they’re one win from their first D-II playoff berth. Can they shine in Durham with history on the line?
SP+ projection: VUU by 7.3
FCS: No. 10 UC Davis at No. 3 Montana State (10:30 p.m., ESPN2). Montana and Montana State are unbeaten in Big Sky play, and we’re only a week from the Brawl of the Wild, one of the sport’s most picturesque rivalries. But MSU’s conference title hopes would take a hit with a loss to a UC Davis team that probably doesn’t defend enough but can keep up in a track meet with redshirt freshman quarterback Caden Pinnick and backs Jordan Fisher and Carter Vargas.
SP+ projection: MSU by 12.1
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Andrea Adelson
Florida State freshman linebacker Ethan Pritchard has been released from in-patient rehab and is expected to attend the Seminoles’ final home game of the season against Virginia Tech on Saturday.
Pritchard returned to Tallahassee on Friday and visited with the team.
He plans to continue his rehab back home in Central Florida, and told WESH-TV in an interview his plan is to play football again.
Pritchard was shot in the back of the head Aug. 31 in what the authorities have described as a case of mistaken identity. He was dropping his aunt and a child off following a family party in Havana, Fla., about 16 miles from Tallahassee, near the Georgia state line.
Four people were arrested last month in connection with the shooting.
Pritchard told WESH, “I remember everything. I turned the corner and shots rang off. I put the car in reverse and just backed up and after that, I don’t remember what else happened.”
Pritchard spent nearly six weeks in the hospital in Tallahassee before moving to a rehab center in Jacksonville. In the interview with WESH, Pritchard said he could not move his right side when he arrived at the rehab facility.
But early one morning, he woke up his dad, Earl, because he could finally move his arm.
“After that, it just got better and better,” Ethan Pritchard said.
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