After another amazing week of College Football, teams are starting to break away from the pack in the race for College Football Playoff spots. This gives players a chance to make a statement and prove they deserve to be the winner of the Heisman Trophy. This week, one player clearly took the top spot in the Heisman Trophy Power Rankings with another stellar performance.
1. Fernando Mendoza- Quarterback- Indiana
Fernando Mendoza has jumped to the top of the Heisman Power Rankings. He is coming off another dominating performance against UCLA. Mendoza attempted just 22 passes, but completed 15 of them for 168 yards. He did have one interception, but still threw three touchdown passes. Further, he ran for 45 yards and a touchdown in the game. He finished with a 91.3 QBR, which brought his QBR to 88.7 for the year, fourth in FBS.
Mendoza has also led Indiana to an undefeated season and has two statement wins. The first was against Illinois in a 63-10 victory, but that is no longer looking as great. He also led Indiana to a 30-20 victory over Oregon. The biggest issue for the Mendoza campaign is his schedule down the stretch. With games against Maryland, Penn State, Wisconsin, and Purdue, there are not many chances for a Heisman moment until the Big Ten Championship game. Heisman voters get their ballot the Monday before conference championship weekend, but ballots are not due back until the Monday after. Mendoza may need voters to hold their ballot and then win the Big Ten to secure the award.
2. Marcel Reed- Quarterback- Texas A&M
Texas A&M quarterback Marcel Reed will have chances for more Heisman moments. He is off this week, but has games on the road against Missouri and Texas still on the schedule. He is currently leading Texas A&M to the top of the SEC. The team is 8-0 on the season, plus has wins over Notre Dame and LSU on the road. Four wins over ranked teams on the road will place Reed firmly as one of the favorites to win the Heisman.
Reed is coming off another solid game. He completed 12 of 21 passes for 202 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions. He also ran for 108 yards and two touchdowns in the game. This year, Reed has passed for 1,972 yards with 17 touchdowns, while running for another 349 yards and six scores.
3. Ty Simpson- Quarterback- Alabama
Ty Simpson drops from the top spot after last week, but his hopes could have plummeted if Alabama had lost to South Carolina. Simpson was still solid in the game with South Carolina, completing 24 of 43 passes for 253 yards and two scores. He leads the SEC in passing touchdowns and is second in passing yards behind Joey Aguilar. Meanwhile, he has led Alabama to wins over four-ranked teams, Georgia, Vanderbilt, Missouri, and Tennessee. He will also have a chance for more Heisman moments, with games against LSU, Oklahoma, and Auburn.
Simpson also has one more advantage in the voting. Votes are evenly split between six regions. Mendoza will likely be getting a majority of votes in the Midwest, with Reed getting votes out of the Southwest. Simpson has a win over Diego Pavia in the regular season, which could help in the south, but with both Carolinas in the Mid-Atlantic, he could get plenty of votes there as well. Still, Simpson is also in the region with the most competition for the award.
4. Diego Pavia- Quarterback- Vanderbilt
Pavia drops to the fourth spot in the Power Rankings. His numbers are not as great as some others on the list, but he is the underdog story that gains national attention and could sway voters. He has led Vanderbilt to its best start in 84 years, and continues to have big moments. Last week was not stellar. He passed just 19 times, completing ten of them for 129 yards and an interception. Still, he scored the game-winning touchdown on the ground.
He has some more chances on the national stage to prove he needs to be in the Heisman conversation. One is this upcoming week on the road against Texas. Then, he has an away game against Tennessee to end the season. Pavia may need to put up some big numbers, though. He has passed for just 1,698 yards with 15 touchdowns and five interceptions. He is 12th in the nation in QBR. He has also run for 458 yards and five scores. If Vanderbilt can finish 11-1, Pavia will continue to rise in the rankings.
5. Julian Sayin- Quarterback- Ohio State
Ohio State is the best team in the nation, and Julian Sayin is the quarterback for the best team in the nation. Regardless, the schedule for Ohio State is looking weaker as each week passes. The team currently has two ranked wins, but it is over Texas and Illinois. The rest of the schedule has Penn State, Purdue, UCLA, Rutgers, and Michigan. He may need a massive game against Michigan to have his true Heisman moment.
Regardless, Sayin has put up great numbers this year. He has completed 80 percent of his passes for 1,872 yards. He also has 19 touchdown passes and three interceptions this year. He is also fifth in the nation in QBR. Ohio State will likely need to go undefeated and then defeat Indiana in the Big Ten Championship game for Sayin to make a run at the Heisman.
6. Haynes King- Quarterback- Georgia Tech
Haynes King is getting some Heisman hype now as Georgia Tech keeps winning. Georgia Tech is now 8-0 and has continued to be dominant in the process. Last week, it was a 41-16 win over Syracuse. King was spectacular in the game and put himself in the Heisman conversation. He completed 25 of 31 passes for 304 yards with three touchdowns. He also ran for 91 yards and two touchdowns in the game.
The Georgia Tech quarterback has passed for 1,480 yards and seven touchdowns. He has also run for 651 yards and 12 scores this year. King can solidify his Heisman campaign if Georgia Tech keeps winning, and then put a massive stamp on it in the final week of the season, as the Yellow Jackets face Georgia.
7. Gunner Stockton- Quarterback- Georgia
Gunner Stockton had the week off after working his way back into the Heisman conversation against Ole Miss. He has completed 141 of 200 passes for 1,553 yards and ten touchdowns. He has also run for 279 yards and seven touchdowns this year. He does have more games on the national stage to strengthen his campaign. This week, Georgia faces Florida in a rivalry game. He also has games against Texas and Georgia Tech left on the schedule. If Georgia can continue to win, Stockton's stock will rise. If Georgia struggles or loses a game, his campaign will end.
