Miami may not have a Heisman contender anymore... but it doesn't matter

Carson Beck and Rueben Bain have slipped in the Heisman conversation, at least in the latest On3 straw poll. Beck didn't appear among the top 17 this week (not shocking, he didn't appear last week either), while Bain checked in at No. 13 with five points as a defensive-line outlier in a quarterback-heavy race. Miami's fall against Louisville, plus a slow start versus Stanford, seems to have cooled individual momentum on the national stage.

None of it changes what Miami needs most, though. The Hurricanes' path is powered by a top-tier defense and a balanced offense that has been very good this year. When Miami leans on the run game early, protects the ball and lets Bain and Co. squeeze opposing offenses, the team looks like a contender regardless of the weekly Heisman chatter. That was the second-half script in the 42-7 win over Stanford, and it’s the blueprint as November begins (Miami visits SMU on Saturday).

Awards talk is only valuable to the program if it also comes with team success. Otherwise, it would just add to the confirmation bias many fans have about Miami: No matter what, or who they have, the Canes can't get it done as the season moves into November. For Beck and Bain, they have just as good of a chance to make Miami history as anybody who has come through the doors in the last 20 years. That's what counts.

Miami's remaining 2025 schedule

• Nov. 1: at SMU
• Nov. 8: vs. Syracuse
• Nov. 15: vs. NC State
• Nov. 22: at Virginia Tech
• Nov. 29: at Pitt

On3 Heisman Trophy Poll — Week 9 Top 10

1. Ty Simpson, Alabama — 64 points
2. Fernando Mendoza, Indiana — 56
3. Marcel Reed, Texas A&M — 55
4. Diego Pavia, Vanderbilt — 52
5. Julian Sayin, Ohio State — 34
6. Haynes King, Georgia Tech — 28
7. Trinidad Chambliss, Ole Miss — 24
8. Dante Moore, Oregon and Brendan Sorsby, Cincinnati — 15
9. Gunner Stockton, Georgia — 9

Also receiving votes: Rueben Bain, Miami (No. 13, 5 points); others listed to No. 17.