A few weeks ago, Jeremiah Smith looked like the Heisman race had already been wrapped up. He was torching defenses, building real distance from everybody else, and making it seem like the trophy was his to lose.
That edge is thinner now.
With Ohio State forced to lean on backup quarterbacks Luke Fahey and Tavien St. Clair while Julian Sayin is injured, Smith’s case suddenly has a different kind of pressure on it. If the ball stops coming his way with the same kind of consistency, voters may start looking elsewhere.
That opening has put Miami’s Darian Mensah and Malachi Toney squarely back in the mix. Toney has been outrageous over the last two weeks and has climbed all the way to the third-favorite at +370 at FanDuel. Smith still sits at the top at +120, while Mensah is right there at +290.
Those three have separated themselves from everyone else, and by a pretty wide margin. The rest of the board is looking more like background noise than a real threat.
Vegas is still hanging onto Notre Dame quarterback Carr, but his numbers have mostly fit the profile of a game manager. His showing against BYU did nothing to strengthen that push.
On the other end of the board, Legree’s odds dipped a bit during Oregon State’s bye, though the Beavers passer still has a route to New York if he keeps piling up those video-game stat lines. Mestermaker is another name to watch, especially with a marquee matchup against Texas Tech coming in mid-November.
Still, the race has a clear shape right now: Smith, Mensah, and Toney. Miami has even rolled out a Heisman campaign that puts both of its stars in the spotlight.
And the idea that teammates would split votes isn’t nearly as scary as it sounds. It has happened before, and the award still went to the right guy.
In 2020, Alabama wide receiver Devonta Smith won the Heisman while quarterback Mac Jones finished third. In 2005, Reggie Bush took home the trophy with Matt Leinart, the 2004 Heisman winner, ending up third.
There have been plenty of seasons when teammates finished in the top five and someone else still won. If Mensah or Toney proves he is the best player, the voters will usually land there. More often than not, they get it right.
In Other News...
Miami Heads To UNC With One Injury Concern Still Lingering
Miami heads to North Carolina with the usual late-week injury report bringing more questions than comfort, even before the trip north gets underway. Six Hurricanes are already ruled out, including wide receiver Joshua Moore and running back CharMar Brown, thinning out depth at two spots Miami would prefer to keep stocked for a road game with real ACC weight.
Milan Parris, the freshman who had been worth monitoring, is not listed, but the lingering concern around veteran cornerback Xavier Lucas keeps at least one part of Miamis preparation under a bit of a cloud. UNC has its own defensive uncertainty with several starters either out or questionable, so the matchup carries the feel of a game where availability could matter as much as scheme once the teams finally take the field. [Read more 🡒]
Notre Dame Could Be Miamis Biggest Unbeaten Test Yet
Miami heads into Halloween weekend as one of just three unbeaten FBS teams left standing, and the attention now shifts from preserving the perfect record to surviving what comes next. The Hurricanes have paired a strong offense with a defense that has kept opposing teams under control, which has made their start look sustainable rather than lucky, but the calendar only gets less forgiving from here.
Notre Dame looms as the kind of matchup that can tell everyone whether Miamis unbeaten run is a statement or just a fast start. Other unbeaten teams like Utah and UCLA have their own tricky paths ahead, and projections still point to all three landing in the same neighborhood by seasons end, but for Miami the next test could be the one that defines how serious this season really is. [Read more 🡒]
Belichick Faces A Brutal North Carolina Test At No. 1 Miami
Miami has climbed to No. 1 in the AP Top 25 for the first time since 2002, and the timing only sharpens the spotlight on what comes next. A strong start has pushed the Hurricanes into rarefied territory, backed by a 14-1 run over their last 15 games and powered by a roster that can make almost any Saturday feel like a showcase.
North Carolina arrives with its own history in this matchup, having won the last five meetings, including two against Miami coach Mario Cristobal. The Tar Heels will have to deal with two Heisman Trophy contenders in quarterback Darian Mensah and wide receiver Malachi Toney, both of whom sit near the top of the national statistical picture, which is exactly why this game feels less like a checkpoint and more like a measuring stick. [Read more 🡒]