Cotton Bowl QBs Sayin and Beck have national titles as backups, now seek their own as a starter

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Heisman Trophy finalist Julian Sayin and Carson Beck have already been part of national championship teams. Both quarterbacks are now trying to win a title of their own as a starter.

“Obviously to be a part of a championship team and then lead a championship team are two totally different things,” said Beck, the Miami quarterback who spent the previous five seasons with Georgia. “It's everything that I've ever worked for.”

Beck's chance to do that in his final college season is with the No. 10 Hurricanes (11-2, CFP No. 10 seed) after they made the College Football Playoff for the first time.

Their quarterfinal game in the Cotton Bowl on New Year's Eve is against Ohio State. Sayin is the starter for the third-ranked Buckeyes (12-1, CFP No. 2 seed) after being a freshman backup behind Will Howard for their national title last season.

“Growing up, I always wanted to play on the biggest stage,” Sayin said. “So it’s been awesome ... just developing and gaining confidence throughout each week and just building that into the next week.”

Georgia won back-to-back national titles in 2021 and 2022 when Stetson Bennett was the starting QB. Beck's only snaps in those playoff games came late in the 65-7 win over TCU in the second one.

The Bulldogs then went undefeated in the 2023 regular season after Beck became the starter, but lost the SEC championship game to Alabama and were left out of the last four-team playoff. They got back to the SEC championship game and won last year, but Beck suffered an elbow injury before halftime that required surgery. He missed their playoff game and transferred to Miami, where he couldn't throw in spring practice.

“It's been an unreal journey, honestly, and nobody knows half the story of the things that I’ve had to go through and the adversities I’ve had to face and push through," he said. “But for this full-circle moment and be in this position, and with this team and these guys and these coaches, it's meant the world to me.”

Beck is 35-5 as an FBS starter, an .875 winning percentage that is the best for any active player with at least five games. He won his first CFP start in Miami's first-round win at Texas A&M on Dec. 20.

“He's just amazing as a quarterback, not only as a quarterback, but as a friend in the locker room, too,” Miami's AP All-America tackle Francis Mauigoa said.

Sayin originally signed with Alabama in December 2023, and the five-star prospect had started classes on the Tuscaloosa campus the following month before entering the transfer portal and going to Ohio State and through that spring with the Buckeyes.

“A special, special quarterback, best in the country to me,” Ohio State All-America sophomore receiver Jeremiah Smith said. “Can make any and every throw, just is precise with everything. Probably the smartest person I've ever been around. ... I always knew that he was going to be the starter here with the way he practiced, the way he did everything."

Sayin just kept working and learning last season from Howard.

“Seeing (Howard), the way he prepared last year in the playoffs, and was able to play his best football when it mattered the most,” Sayin said. “As a quarterback, and as coach (Ryan) Day says, the best players are their best in the biggest games.”

The Cotton Bowl will be Sayin's first CFP game, and will be about 3 1/2 weeks after his only loss as a starter, to No. 1 Indiana in a Big Ten championship game matchup of undefeated teams. Sayin completed 21 of 29 passes for 258 yards with a TD and interception in that game.

Sayin and Beck are the most accurate FBS passers this season.

Sayin has completed 78.4% of his passes (279 of 356) while throwing for 3,323 yards with 31 TDs and six interceptions. Beck has completed 74.5% of his passes (277 of 372), on pace to easily shatter Miami's single-season record, for 3,175 yards, 26 TDs and 10 picks.

The single-season NCAA record is 77.45% by Bo Nix for Oregon in 2023.

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