No. 13 Miami races past No. 24 Pitt 38-7 to state its case for a CFP berth

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Carson Beck passed for 267 yards with three touchdowns and an interception as No. 13 Miami beat No. 24 Pittsburgh 38-7 on Saturday to keep its slim hopes for a spot in the ACC title game alive, at least for a few hours.

The Hurricanes (10-2, 6-2 ACC) need several other outcomes across the league to go their way later Saturday to earn a spot in the conference championship next week in Charlotte.

The more long-range — and far more pressing — matter for Miami is whether it has done enough to earn one of the at-large berths in the College Football Playoff. The Hurricanes ripped off four straight wins by an average of 27.5 points to close the regular season.

Miami’s resume also includes a victory over No. 6 Notre Dame in the season opener. A lot has happened over the last three months, though the Hurricanes hope their play down the stretch puts them back in the position they thought they’d be to start the season: in the mix to play for a national title.

Beck connected on 23 of 29 passes to finish the regular season with a 74.7% completion percentage, tops in the FBS and a new program record.

The Georgia transfer added an exclamation point at the end, a 33-yard heave to CJ Daniels in the final minute with victory well in hand in hopes of adding some style points against a team ranked No. 22 in this week’s CFP rankings.

Malachi Toney caught 13 passes for 126 yards and added a 9-yard lob to Elija Lofton for a score in the second quarter that gave the Hurricanes a lead they never came close to squandering.

Pitt (8-4, 6-2) came in with its own hopes of reaching the ACC championship. They evaporated in the late November chill as Miami hounded Panthers freshman quarterback Mason Heintschel and wore Pitt’s defense down in the second half.

Heintschel, whose promotion to starter in early October coincided with the start of Pitt’s six-game ACC winning streak, was sacked on the game’s first play, and the Hurricanes never really let up. He shook off a leg injury late in the first half to return for the second but completed just 22 of 32 for 199 yards with a touchdown and an interception.

The Takeaway

Miami: The Hurricanes needed a “leave no doubt” performance to give the CFP selection committee something to think about. After a sluggish start, Miami had little trouble asserting itself, scoring the final 35 points of the game and keeping a Pitt offense that had 412 yards last week at Georgia Tech firmly in check.

Pitt: Heintschel’s overall play since taking over and Pitt’s impressive response to consecutive losses to West Virginia and Louisville to end September made 2025 a positive season overall. Yet, the Panthers were also outclassed at home by Notre Dame and Miami in November and the talent gap — particularly in the trenches — between Pitt and the nation’s elite remains sizable.

Up next

Miami: At least one more game this season, though the when, the where and the stakes are very much up in the air.

Pitt: A bowl game for the eighth time in Narduzzi’s 11 seasons with the program.

___

Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here and here (AP News mobile app). AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football