The Miami Hurricanes have established themselves as the clear No. 1 team in the country, avoiding the chaos that's defined the 2026 season and entering Week 9 as one of three undefeated teams left in the FBS. Miami is in that position in large part due to their two stars on offense, quarterback Darian Mensah and wide receiver Malachi Toney, who currently sit No. 2 and No. 3, respectively, in Heisman Trophy odds (only trailing Ohio State's Jeremiah Smith) at every major sportsbook. It's a throwback to "The U's" heyday to have a pair of Heisman frontrunners on the No. 1 team in the nation, but Miami fans will also remember how that can work against both players by splitting the votes.
In 2002, Willis McGahee and Ken Dorsey finished No. 4 and No. 5 in Heisman voting, with the two splitting 223 first-place votes almost evenly -- 122 and 101 -- which, if combined, would've pushed one of them into the No. 2 spot behind Carson Palmer. In 2026, it's Mensah and Toney who many voters will find themselves trying to pick between, and as the season wears on, the debate between the two stars of Miami's passing attack figures to pick up steam. Both Mensah and Toney will spend the back half of the season shrugging off Heisman talk and pointing, rightfully, towards what matters: the team's success and snapping Miami's 25-year national title drought.
However, the Canes also have a 34-year Heisman drought that could end this season (Gino Torretta, 1992), and Miami is in the enviable position of having two players with legitimate cases for college football's most prestigious award. The Heisman Trophy has been a quarterback award for decades, and Mensah has proven to be the best signal-caller in the country. His statistical profile is the best of any quarterback in the country, and quite honestly, there's no one really close to him at that position.
Even considering the success Miami quarterbacks have had recently with Cam Ward and Carson Beck, Mensah is clearing them by marrying ruthless efficiency with big play ability. With Beck, the offense was efficient but wasn't as dynamic -- and Beck had turnover issues at times. With Ward, they were a big play waiting to happen, but also were more stop-and-start with a lower completion percentage.
Mensah, meanwhile, brings together the best of both worlds, and the result has been a dominant start for the Hurricanes offense. He is surgical in the way he operates Shannon Dawson's system, and the Hurricanes have picked apart opposing defenses to the tune of 49.0 points per game -- the best in the nation by nearly six full points. Mensah leads the nation by a mile in completion percentage (81.4%) and passer rating (204.6) while also sitting No. 1 in yards per attempt (10.5).
He's second in touchdown passes (22), fourth in yards per game (307.3), ninth in passing yards (2,151; with five above him with an extra game played), has just one interception and has done so on just 204 passing attempts (50th in the nation). His case is pretty simple. He's the best quarterback on the best team in the country, operating at a level no one else in the nation is close to matching.
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