Some of the favorites for the Heisman Trophy had defining games in Week 11. This has caused some changes in the Heisman Trophy Power Rankings. There are clear front-runners now, but other players who are in the running for the coveted award.
1. Fernando Mendoza- Quarterback- Indiana
Fernando Mendoza returns to the top spot in the Heisman Power Rankings after having his Heisman moment against Penn State. Mendoza completed 19 of 30 passes against Indiana for 218 yards with a touchdown and an interception. He also ran for 20 yards and a touchdown in the game. Still, it was the final drive that gave Mendoza back the top spot this week. With just 1:51 left in the game, Indiana was down by four to Penn State. He led them down the field, ending the drive with a seven-yard touchdown pass to Omar Cooper Jr. This gave Indiana the comeback victory over Penn State.
This year, Mendoza has passed for 2,342 yards with 26 touchdowns, while having five interceptions. Further, he has run for 240 yards and five touchdowns. The quarterback is fourth in FBS in QBR as well. With his most recent quality game, Mendoza has jumped up in terms of odds to win the Heisman. At the time of writing, odds according to FanDuel have Mendoza at +170 to win the award, just behind the +160 of Julian Sayin.
2. Julian Sayin- Quarterback- Ohio State
Sayin is still the favorite to win the Heisman, but sits a step behind Mendoza without his major statement game. The sophomore quarterback has led Ohio State to a 9-0 record and been great in the process. He has passed for 2,491 yards with 24 touchdowns and four interceptions. Further, he leads the nation with a 91.1 QBR. He is coming off another solid game, but not his best against Purdue. He completed 27 of 33 passes for 303 yards and a touchdown. Still, he was sacked twice and threw an interception.
It was the first time Sayin had been sacked more than once in a game, and also the first time he had thrown an interception since the third game of the year. It was also the first time since the Week 1 game against Texas that he did not have multiple touchdown passes. While Ohio State dominates, Sayin does not yet have his signature moment in this campaign. He has three games left to find that and continue to show he is the best player in the nation. Ohio State will host UCLA and Rutgers before visiting Michigan, the last game of the season.
3. Ty Simpson- Quarterback- Alabama
Ty Simpson is coming off another solid game, this time against LSU. He completed 21 of 35 passes for 277 yards and a touchdown. He was also sacked in the game. It was the first time all year he had not thrown for multiple touchdowns in a game.
Simpson is second in the SEC in passing yards this year, having 2,461 yards passing, while he is tied for the top spot in the conference with 21 touchdowns. Simpson has also taken care of the ball well, with just one interception this year. He has also thrown for over 200 yards in every game this year, with eight of ten games over 250 yards passing. Simpson plays another tough defense this week, as Alabama hosts Oklahoma in Week 12.
4. Marcel Reed- Quarterback- Texas A&M
Texas A&M is now 9-0 on the year, and Marcel Reed is a major reason why. He was solid in the game against Missouri, completing 20 of 29 passes for 221 yards and two touchdowns. He also ran for 29 yards, but did not score on the ground. It was the first time in the last five games that he did not run for a touchdown. Still, it was the fourth time in the last five games that he had thrown multiple touchdown passes.
Reed has thrown for 2,193 yards this year while throwing 19 touchdowns. He has six interceptions this year. Reed has also been solid on the ground this year, running for 378 yards and six touchdowns this season. If the quarterback continues to lead the Aggies to an undefeated season and an SEC Championship, he will continue to climb the Heisman Power Rankings and could pass Simpson if they can beat Alabama in the conference championship game.
5. Diego Pavia- Quarterback- Vanderbilt
Vanderbilt rebounded from the loss to Texas with a victory over Auburn. Pavia was fantastic in the game. He completed 25 of 33 passes for 377 yards and three touchdowns. He also ran for 112 yards and one touchdown in the game. Vandy was down 20-10 at the end of the first half, but Pavia took over from there, leading the Commodores to touchdowns in four of the six drives in the second half. He then threw the game-winning touchdown in overtime.
The Vandy quarterback has passed for 2,440 yards this year, while being tied with Ty Simpson for the lead in touchdown passes in the SEC with 21. Meanwhile, he has thrown just five interceptions while running in seven touchdowns. Pavia now has back-to-back games with over 350 yards passing, three touchdown passes, and a rushing touchdown.
6. Jeremiah Smith- Wide Receiver- Ohio State
Jeremiah Smith is the top non-quarterback on the list. He has been a key contributor for Ohio State and for Sayin this year. Smith is coming off another dominating performance. He brought in ten receptions for 137 yards and a touchdown against Purdue. That was his second straight game over 120 yards. He has also scored touchdowns in all but two games this season.
For the year, Smith has brought in 65 receptions for 862 yards and ten touchdowns. Further, he has a rushing touchdown as well this year. Smith is now sixth in the nation in receiving yards this year, while sitting tied for second in receiving touchdowns. While it will be a long shot for the receiver to get the award, if he keeps putting up monster games, he could get an invite to New York.
7. Jacob Rodriguez- Linebacker- Texas Tech
Last year was the first time since 1997 that a defensive player won the Heisman. Still, that was Travis Hunter, who was also a wide receiver for Colorado. The last time a primary defensive player won the award was when Charles Woodson took it home in 1997 for Michigan. After this week, Rodriguez is starting to get some hype for the award.
The linebacker has been great for the Texas Tech defense this year. He has 88 total tackles, while having 48 solo tackles. Further, he has a sack, seven forced fumbles, two recoveries, five pass breakups, three interceptions, and a touchdown this year. He is coming off a massive game against BYU. In that game, Rodriguez had 14 tackles with a fumble recovery and an interception.
He would be a long shot to win the award, and is not currently listed on some odds boards. Still, the season he is having deserves some notice. With Texas Tech in the driver's seat to win the Big 12, more eyes will be on them. Rodriguez leads the stellar defense, and he will be getting more hype in the weeks to come.
