Miami quarterback Darian Mensah is the new name sitting at the top of the Heisman board after Week 10, and the shakeup came straight from one of the weekend’s biggest results. Ohio State’s 30-18 loss at USC pushed Jeremiah Smith out of the favorite’s chair, opening the door for Mensah after another strong performance in Miami’s 38-35 win at North Carolina.
Mensah moved from +290 to +156 after throwing three touchdown passes and helping the Hurricanes close the game with two scores in the final eight minutes. He completed 75.9% of his throws, didn’t turn the ball over, and now owns 2,425 passing yards, 25 touchdowns and one interception for the 8-0 Hurricanes.
“Just got to go out there and keep scoring,” Mensah said.
The biggest game left on his schedule is right around the corner. Miami heads to Notre Dame on Nov. 7, and the Hurricanes already beat the Irish last season.
Smith, meanwhile, saw his odds slide from +124 to +290 after Ohio State’s loss. He still produced in a tough spot, catching 10 passes in true freshman Luke Fahey’s first career start, but the Buckeyes didn’t get into the end zone until 2:12 remained. Smith’s 1-yard catch late in the game was the 40th touchdown reception of his career, which broke Braylon Edwards’ Big Ten record.
Coach Ryan Day pointed to the penalties and the red zone issues, especially with Julian Sayin out because of an arm injury. “We weren’t able to execute very well and play clean,” Day said.
Smith has 62 catches for 1,067 yards and 13 touchdowns through eight games, and Ohio State now turns to Oregon next.
Miami’s Malachi Toney also kept himself in the mix, moving up to +345 after scoring twice against North Carolina. One of those touchdowns was a 9-yard grab that put the Hurricanes ahead 38-28 with 2:33 left. He also had a dropped pass in the end zone earlier in the game.
“I actually missed the signal,” Toney said. “Mensah gave me a signal to run something, and I missed it on the goal line.”
The Liberty City native has 73 catches for 1,027 yards and 13 touchdowns, which ties Leonard Hankerson’s 2010 school record for touchdown catches by a Miami wide receiver.
Notre Dame quarterback CJ Carr also made a move, shortening from +2000 after the Irish beat Navy 35-13. Notre Dame turned a 14-13 halftime lead into its ninth straight win over Navy, and Carr finished with 1,849 passing yards, 18 touchdowns and one interception for the 7-1 Irish.
Now he gets the chance to face the two Miami standouts on the other sideline. A win over No. 1 Miami is his clearest path back into the top three.
Ole Miss quarterback Trinidad Chambliss also climbed after another productive day. He shortened from +2200 following the Rebels’ 45-15 win over Auburn, a game in which he threw for 263 yards and two touchdowns, added 65 rushing yards and a score, and also had one interception. Ole Miss led 17-15 before Chambliss broke things open with a 26-yard touchdown run late in the third quarter, then added fourth-quarter touchdown passes to Caleb Cunningham and Horatio Fields.
Chambliss has now thrown a touchdown pass in 21 straight games, leaving him one shy of Chad Kelly’s school record.
“It was a combination of early success in the run game, getting them behind the chains, and then the efficiency of our offense,” coach Pete Golding said.
The Rebels host Georgia next, the same team Chambliss beat in last season’s Sugar Bowl.
Elsewhere on the board, Oklahoma State quarterback Drew Mestemaker jumped from +5000 to +4000 after a wild 51-49 loss at Iowa State. He threw for 323 yards and five touchdowns, and his seventh straight 300-yard game tied Mason Rudolph’s program record.
Oregon State wide receiver Jesse Legree slipped from +2800 to +4500 after Fresno State held him to 70 yards in a 38-22 upset, his first game without 100 yards or a touchdown. LSU’s Sam Leavitt moved from +8800 to +4700, and Wake Forest quarterback Gio Lopez moved into the top 10 as Alabama’s Keelon Russell dropped out.
The updated top 10 has Mensah at No. 1, followed by Smith and Toney, with Carr, Chambliss, Mestemaker, Legree, Leavitt, Gunner Stockton and Lopez rounding out the list.
In Other News...
Ohio State Just Created A Ranking Debate Fans Wont Ignore
USCs rise and fall in the AP Top 25 has already made for one of the more interesting early-season twists, but the latest shakeup has only added to the conversation around where the Irish fit in the national picture. The Trojans slipped out of the poll after losing to Wisconsin, then turned around and stunned No. 2 Ohio State at home, a result that immediately complicated how voters view both teams and the teams around them.
Ohio States offense never looked settled without its starting quarterback, and the Buckeyes slide in the rankings reflected how much that absence mattered. With several other ranked teams also winning or losing, the poll saw plenty of movement, leaving Notre Dame fans with a fresh reminder that the margin between a top-tier spot and a drop can change quickly when the results start stacking up. [Read more 🡒]
Notre Dame Just Got A New Playoff Debate Fueling Fans
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The rest of the updated top five includes Miami, Georgia and LSU, but the Irish are the ones now sitting at the center of the discussion. FPI is only one measure, of course, and it is built to project what comes next rather than reward what has already happened, but any time Notre Dame lands at the top of a national ranking, it adds another layer to the case being made for where the season could go from here. [Read more 🡒]
Jerome Bettis Jr. Just Made Notre Dames WR Pecking Order Interesting
Jerome Bettis Jr. gave Notre Dame another useful wrinkle in the passing game against Navy, turning in the most productive outing of his career with six catches for 78 yards and his first touchdown. It was the kind of performance that tends to change how a receiver is viewed in the rotation, especially for a team still sorting out where the targets are going and who can be trusted when the ball comes their way.
Marcus Freeman and CJ Carr both singled out Bettis for the steady way he has handled his chances, and that matters in a receiver room where opportunities can shift quickly. His expanded role has become one of the more interesting developments for the Irish, not just because of the numbers from one game, but because he looks like a player who can keep forcing his way into the conversation. [Read more 🡒]