The Heisman race seems likely to come down to the Big 10 Championship Game, but should that be the case?
1. Fernando Mendoza | Indiana QB | Junior (RS) | Last week: 2 (+1)
Mendoza didn’t have the biggest game in the win over Purdue (eight-of-15 for 117 yards and two touchdowns), but he found the end zone as a runner for the fourth time in the past five games—and the Hoosiers remain unbeaten. The road numbers (7:4 touchdown-interception ratio, compared to a 25:1 ratio at home) should be noted, though.
Season stats:
72.0% | 2,758 PASS YDS | 32 PASS TD | 5 INT
64 CAR | 243 RUSH YDS | 6 RUSH TD | 3.8 AVG
2. Marcel Reed | Texas A&M QB | Sophomore (RS) | Last week: 1 (-1)
In reality, Reed now has zero chance of winning the award with betting sites not even listing him among the candidates (even with odds for guys like Ty Simpson upwards of +30000). However, Reed battled through an early ankle injury in the loss to Texas (one of the top defenses in the country), and we’d argue he has the two biggest “Heisman moments” of the year with the road win over Notre Dame in the final seconds and the 27-point comeback over South Carolina.
Season stats:
61.8% | 2,932 PASS YDS | 25 PASS TD | 10 INT
89 CAR | 466 RUSH YDS | 6 RUSH TD | 5.2 AVG
3. Julian Sayin | Ohio State QB | Sophomore | Last week: 3
Again, it seems the race will come down to the winner of Indiana versus Ohio State this weekend, and Sayin snapping the Buckeyes’ losing streak to rival Michigan helps his cause. Heading into the conference championship, Sayin currently holds the single-season record for completion percentage (78.9%) over former Oregon quarterback Bo Nix (77.4%).
Season stats:
78.9% | 3,065 PASS YDS | 30 PASS TD | 5 INT
31 CAR | 27 RUSH YDS | 0.9 AVG
4. Jeremiyah Love | Notre Dame RB | Junior | Last week: 4
Love might have needed a monster performance in the win over Stanford to force his way to the top of the Heisman race, but he was “contained” to 14 carries for 66 yards and a touchdown. With an impressive 1,652 total yards and 21 total touchdowns for Love this season, maybe we’ll get a surprise winner in a year where there are no real runaway standouts.
Season stats:
199 CAR | 1,372 RUSH YDS | 18 RUSH TD | 6.9 AVG
27 REC | 280 REC YDS | 3 REC TD | 10.4 AVG
5. Diego Pavia | Vanderbilt QB | Senior | Last week: NR
In our opinion, Marcel Reed should get an invite to New York and be the candidate who could backdoor his way into winning if both Fernando Mendoza and Julian Sayin struggle on Saturday evening. However, it seems Pavia is in line for that to be the case based on the betting odds—and he left a great final impression with six total touchdowns two weeks ago followed by 20 carries for 165 yards and a touchdown in the win over Tennessee.
Season stats:
71.2% | 3,192 PASS YDS | 27 PASS TD | 8 INT
152 CAR | 826 RUSH YDS | 9 TD | 5.4 AVG
Dropped out:
Georgia QB Gunner Stockton