No. 2 Miami’s playoff hopes take a huge hit in loss

Every time the Miami Hurricanes get you believing they are ready to return to a national championship level, they seem to have a huge slip-up at some point in the season and blow it against an unranked team. 

It happened in 2017 when they lost to unranked Pitt as the No. 2 team in the country.

It happened in 2024 when they climbed as high as No. 4 in the country and then lost three of their last four games, including two games to unranked opponents Wake Forest and Syracuse. 

It happened again on Friday night when they lost — again as the No. 2 team — to unranked Louisville, 24-21. 

It is a brutal loss that not only puts a big dent in Miami’s playoff hopes but also quarterback Carson Beck’s Heisman trophy hopes.

Carson Beck’s turnover problems returned

The 2025 season was looking like something of a redemption year for Beck following a disappointing 2024 season at Georgia. Beck went from looking like a top draft prospect to a turnover-prone quarterback who threw 12 interceptions, with most of them coming during a brutal month-long stretch in the middle of the season.

After transferring to Miami for the 2025 season, things got off to an incredible start for him and the Hurricanes. He was playing outstanding football, helped put Miami back near the top of the rankings and was playing his way into Heisman consideration. Or at least into the discussion.

But those turnover problems that plagued him for much of 2024 returned in a big way on Friday as he threw four interceptions, including a game-sealing pick with less than two minutes to play when the Hurricanes had a chance to rally for a go-ahead score and potential win. 

Outside of the four interceptions, Beck completed 25-of-35 passes for 271 yards and zero touchdowns. 

If Miami runs the table and wins the ACC championship, it would still be very much in play for the playoffs. But now it simply has no margin for error the rest of the way.