The Dade County Court of Heisman Claims held its final session Saturday at the Orange Bowl, and if the maroon-jerseyed jury has anything to say about it, there's little doubt about whether quarterback Ken Dorsey or tailback Willis McGahee should be the rightful candidate of the Miami Hurricanes.

"McGahee would get my Heisman vote," Virginia Tech free safety Willie Pile said.

"McGahee, no question," Hokie Linebacker Mikal Baaqee said. "I said that watching the film this week. The big thing about him is he can cut back on a dime, get his shoulders square to the line and he runs hard."

	Willis McGahee not only won a trip to the Fiesta Bowl, but may have won the Heisman on Saturday.

If their performances in Miami's 56-45 victory Saturday had been auditions, Dorsey and McGahee are ready for Broadway. Dorsey needed only 12 completions in 20 attempts to throw for 300 yards. McGahee rushed 39 times (a career high) for 205 yards (a career high) and six touchdowns (ditto, and a school record).

Dorsey, a senior, threw for 3,073 yards and 26 touchdowns this season. He has led the Hurricanes to a 12-0 record. Twice he led fourth-quarter comebacks. His players would follow him to a molecular genetics class, and they believe he would figure out a way for them to pass.

McGahee, a sophomore, set single-season records in rushing, scoring and all-purpose rushing before he worked overtime on Saturday. He finished with 1,686 rushing yards and 27 touchdowns.

Toward the end of his postgame press conference held just outside the Virginia Tech locker room, Hokies coach Frank Beamer considered the Heisman question. His right hand wrapped around a Pepsi, his hair mussed, Beamer paused. "Wow," he said. He stared out toward the field for a good 10 seconds.

"I think I would go with McGahee," Beamer said, and his voice picked up steam, almost as if he were giving a nominating speech at a political convention. "And let McGahee get the award and go on to the pros. Dorsey's out of here anyway. Let McGahee win. Do all you can do. Go win the national championship. Win the Heisman. You've done all you can do."

As the late, great Boston coach Tip O'Neill said, all politics is local.

Miami officials have their preference. The Hurricanes weekly press release devotes 10 notes and about a page of space to Dorsey, while McGahee gets about a quarter-page. Center Brett Romberg has gone on record as saying Dorsey should win it, as any good roommate would.

"Saw it down the middle," guard Sherko Haji-Rasouli said, "and give a chunk to each of them."

The Miami coaches will never take sides, of course, but if the gadget play run from the Hokie 1-yard-line is any indication, they wanted a little extra spotlight for their quarterback.

The 'Canes led 49-21 and they had a tailback who had scored six times. When that tailback ran to the sideline, it became clear that something was amiss. Dorsey handed the ball to backup tailback Jarrett Payton, then circled out into the left flat. It is with charity and bottled sarcasm that we report that Payton threw to Dorsey.

The play certainly carried the element of surprise. Unfortunately, among the surprised was Payton. "I looked at Willis and thought he was fine," Payton said. "He always gives me an eye when he is tired. When I ran out there, I had my gloves on. I should have taken them off. The gloves were wet. I didn't get enough on the ball."

Let's just say that maple leaves have fluttered to earth faster than Payton's pass. One of the knocks against Dorsey is his athleticism, or lack of it. His arm is good, but not great, His throwing motion is ungainly. And as a receiver, he still hasn't learned to go to the ball. Pile, the Virginia Tech free safety, ran under it and took it 96 yards for a touchdown. Instead of 56-21, the score became 49-27.

The touchdown gave life to the Hokies defense. A long punt return and a long interception return set up 10 points, and at 49-37, the halfback pass had the chance of becoming the gadget play that cost the Hurricanes a national championship.

"They were trying to get Dorsey a couple of looks for the Heisman," Baaqee said. "The play blew up on them."

"We went brain dead," Miami coach Larry Coker said. "It was a bad call. We learned a big lesson."

When the 'Canes needed to right themselves in the fourth quarter, Coker didn't turn to Dorsey. Instead, Dorsey turned to McGahee. Dorsey handed McGahee the ball on five consecutive snaps. On the fifth one, he broke two tackles en route to a seven-yard gain. Virginia Tech called a timeout to break his rhythm. McGahee got the ball on the next two plays. After a pass to Andre Johnson, McGahee carried it twice more.

"Dorsey didn't give it to him in the third quarter. He wanted to keep the Heisman for himself," Beamer said.

Dorsey then threw a 10-yard touchdown pass to Kellen Winslow II, and Miami safely led, 56-37. But on this day, in this court, all evidence pointed toward McGahee.

Ivan Maisel is a senior writer for ESPN.com. E-mail him at ivan.maisel@espn3.com.