The regular season has come to a close in college football. Ballots for the Heisman Memorial Trophy will soon be distributed and are due back on December 8th. Until then, voters will need to decide who takes home the most prestigious award in college football. The race tightened over the weekend, but there is still a top tier that will likely be the candidates in New York. Some small shifts have happened in this week's edition of the Heisman Trophy Power Rankings.
1. Fernando Mendoza- Quarterback- Indiana
Fernando Mendoza was the clear favorite heading into Week 14. Now the odds, provided by DraftKings, suggest he is just a slight favorite to come away with the award. The junior quarterback was not special over the weekend, completing just eight of 15 passes against Purdue for 117 yards and two touchdowns. He also ran in a score. Still, Indiana won the game 56-3 as Mendoza left the game in the third quarter.
He has been phenomenal this year and has provided multiple Heisman-worthy performances. Mendoza has passed for 2,758 yards and 32 touchdowns while having just five interceptions. He has also rushed for six touchdowns while sitting third in the nation in QBR. He has five games this year with four or more touchdown passes as well. The quarterback has one more chance to prove he deserves to win the Heisman, facing Ohio State in the Big Ten Championship.
2. Julian Sayin- Quarterback- Ohio State
Julian Sayin stays in the second spot, but the gap between him and Mendoza has shrunk. The sophomore quarterback has passed for 3,065 yards and 30 touchdowns this season. Further, he has just five interceptions on the year. He does not have the same ground game as Mendoza, and until this past week, he did not have a standout game on a big stage. That has changed.
Sayin started slowly against Michigan. He completed just two of five passes for 28 yards and an interception in the first quarter. The Buckeye QB then completed 17 of the next 21 passes for 205 yards and three touchdowns, leading the team to a 27-9 victory. The Heisman race could be decided on Saturday if Sayin can outduel Mendoza in the Big Ten Title Game.
3. Diego Pavia- Quarterback- Vanderbilt
Diego Pavia will not get another chance to show he deserves to win the Heisman, but he could still get a boost. If the College Football Playoff committee decides to place Vanderbilt in the playoffs, the fact that Pavia led that squad, which began the season unranked, to a CFP berth will get him a lot of credit. Regardless, his resume shows why he is just behind Sayin and Mendoza in terms of odds to win the award.
He has passed for 3,192 yards and 27 touchdowns. He does have eight interceptions, but has also run for 826 yards and nine touchdowns. It was not the best game against Tennessee, passing for 268 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions. He ran for 165 yards and a touchdown in the game.
The second half of the game against Tennessee did provide another Heisman moment. Vanderbilt and Tennessee were tied at 21 heading into the halftime break. He led the team to a dominating second half, while also running well and throwing a touchdown, leading to the 45-24 victory.
4. Jacob Rodriguez- Linebacker- Texas Tech
There is a major drop-off after the top three contenders, but Texas Tech is doing everything it can to get Jacob Rodriguez noticed. He is the top defensive player in the nation, but it takes a magical season for a defender to get this award. He is having a magical campaign, though. Rodriguez leads the team with 101 tackles, while also having a sack. Further, he has six pass breakups and four interceptions this year. Capping everything on defense, the linebacker has forced seven fumbles, recovered two, and scored a defensive touchdown.
If that was not enough, Texas Tech has begun to use him some on offense. He has run the ball twice this year, for a total of three yards, but two touchdowns. Rodriguez will also get one more chance to show he deserves some consideration. Texas Tech will face BYU in the Big 12 Championship Game on Saturday. Last time he faced the Cougars, Rodriguez had 14 tackles, a fumble recovery, and an interception. Another game like that will gain him some votes.
5. Jeremiyah Love- Running back- Notre Dame
Jeremiyah Love is the top non-quarterback offensive player on the list. Love has run for 1,372 yards and 18 touchdowns this year, while also bringing in three through the receiving game. He did see his streak of touchdowns continue against Stanford, scoring for an 11th straight game, but he was limited to just 66 yards as Love was injured during the game.
He drops behind Rodriguez for two reasons. To begin with, he will not have another data point, unlike Rodriguez. Notre Dame has completed its regular season and will wait to see if the team is playoff-bound. There is also the cryptic Instagram post from the running back, leaving some to be worried he may not be playing in the playoffs, although there is nothing to suggest he will be out if Notre Dame is making a CFP run.
6. Ty Simpson- Quarterback- Alabama
Ty Simpson jumps back into the conversation after leading Alabama to the SEC Championship. He has passed for 3,056 yards with 25 touchdowns for the 2025 campaign. He also has just four interceptions. Still, he is 13th in QBR this season, well behind other top contenders. He is coming off an effective game, but nothing spectacular against Auburn. Simpson completed just 19 of 35 passes for 122 yards. Still, he had three touchdowns in the 27-20 victory.
The Alabama quarterback has yet to have a massive game in a big situation without some major flaws. Regardless, he is in contention to get an invite to New York, especially if Alabama can win the SEC.
7. Jeremiah Smith- Wide Receiver- Ohio State
Jeremiah Smith is the top target of Sayin and the top receiver in the nation, giving him some Heisman consideration. He has brought in 72 receptions for 942 yards and 11 touchdowns this year. He has also run for a touchdown on the ground. Still, the last two weeks have not been at the same level. Against UCLA, he has just four receptions for 40 yards and did not score. Then, against Michigan, it was just three receptions for 40 yards and a touchdown. Almost all of his production came on one play, which was a fourth-down pass from Sayin to Smith for a 35-yard touchdown in the second quarter. Smith is the least likely to get an invite to New York, but a massive game against Indiana could get him enough third-place votes to make a case.
