The Latest Heisman Buzz

Four weeks from now, the Heisman race will have morphed into a Heisman weekend and then a Heisman celebration.

For now, we’ve still got a fierce competition for Heisman votes, spearheaded by a pair of Big Ten quarterbacks, one from the ACC, a trio (or maybe a quartet) of SEC QBs, a pair of Texas Tech linebackers and a handful of wide receivers and running backs. Well, that’s all according to the Heisman reporting we’re monitoring this week.

Let’s start with The Athletic, whose 26-person staff straw poll saw 22 first-place votes pegged for Indiana QB Fernando Mendoza with one first-place vote for second-place QB Julian Sayin of Ohio State, two for Notre Dame third-place running back Jeremiyah Love and one for fifth-place Georgia Tech QB Haynes King Jr. Vanderbilt QB Diego Pavia was fourth without a first-place vote.

Mendoza led Indiana to a 31-7 win over Wisconsin to move the No. 2 Hoosiers to 11-0 heading into a bye week. The senior passed for 299 yards on 22-of-24 passing with four TDs, the fifth time he’s had at least that many in a game this year. He’s first nationally in TD passes (30), second nationally in passer rating (184.83) and third in completion percentage (73.0). He has also rushed for 216 yards and five TDs.

Per Mendoza biggest hometown outlet, the Indianapolis Star, “Fernando Mendoza nosed in front of a crowded, fascinating field, IU’s fourth-year QB emerging from the weekend a narrow but discernible favorite. Indiana’s decision to launch a LinkedIn-themed, organically labeled, Google-him Heisman campaign Monday afternoon appeared well-timed.”

Mendoza was also first in On3.com’s staff poll while Sayin was second, Love was third, Texas A&M QB Marcel Reed fourth and Vanderbilt QB Diego Pavia fifth. Alabama QB Ty Simpson was sixth, although he fell out of The Athletic poll altogether.

Texas LBs David Bailey and Jacob Rodriguez were seventh and ninth, respectively, in The Athletic poll, but did not crack on the On3 rankings.

Bleacher Report was consistent with the others with its rankings, listing Mendoza and Sayin as the clear frontrunners. Sayin and the Buckeyes cruised to a 48-10 win over UCLA as the QB passed for a modest 184 and a score as OSU moved to 1-0. Rutgers and Michigan await Sayin next.

BR listed Georgia QB Gunner Stockton along with fellow SEC signal callers Reed, Pavia and Simpson in their top challengers tier. Simpson’s Tide fell to Oklahoma in a back-and-forth battle while Stockton’s Bulldogs steamrolled Texas behind his five total touchdowns.

Reed led a remarkable comeback as Texas A&M erased a 27-point deficit at home to stun South Carolina, 31-30. He amassed 452 total yards, throwing three TDs and two picks. Pavia, meanwhile, was on a bye.

In the third tier among likely vote-getters were King, Love and Ole Miss QB Trinidad Chambliss.

Rodriguez opened Fox announcer Gus Johnson’s eyes last week and Fox released this video on his Heisman run. Rodriguez has 100 tackles, including 9.5 for loss.

Fellow Fox analyst and Heisman winner Robert Griffin III has Rodriguez listed first on his latest rankings with Reed second, Mendoza third, Sayin fourth, King fifth and Love sixth.

The ACC gave King some love with this video, reminding us that King’s Yellow Jackets lead the nation in total offense.

A few Big Ten stars on the periphery of the race square off this week as USC travels to Oregon, pitting Trojan QB Jayden Maiava and wide receiver Makai Lemon against Duck QB Dante Moore. College Game Day will be there in a game with a big spotlight.

We’ll close with these thoughts from ESPN Heisman analyst Pamela Maldanado, who has been grading the race all season.

“There’s no rational case against Mendoza unless he implodes. Wisconsin only strengthened his profile: He went 22-of-24 with 299 yards and four touchdowns — total command. The Penn State game was his Heisman moment; Wisconsin was the performance that protected it.

“Anyone arguing he shouldn’t be favored is clinging to preference. Mendoza has the record, the moment, the efficiency and the unbeaten run. Handle the Purdue Boilermakers on the road, and he enters the Big Ten title game as the clear leader, even if Ohio State grades better on paper.

“He owns the narrative. He controls the voting window. At this stage, he’s defending the award, not chasing it.”

“We’ll see if Sayin has anything to say about it, or anyone else in the mix. We are in the home stretch!