Boo! It’s The Heisman Buzz After Week 9

It’s a big week at Heisman central, where we get Halloween, November football and the end of Daylight Savings time all between Friday and Sunday.

The extra hour of sleep this weekend will come in handy after staying up late to digest Saturday’s full slate of games, which will no doubt be pivotal for our Heisman contenders. So let’s dig into this past weekend’s action and how the media landscape — our voters — are eyeing the race.

We’ll kick it off with The Athletic’s weekly 24-person-strong straw poll, which saw Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza garner 19 first-place votes with Alabama QB Ty Simpson second overall and Vanderbilt QB Diego Pavia third, netting four first-place votes.

Mendoza and the Hoosiers continue to be a Cinderella story, a QB transfer from California, moving to Bloomington to continue Indiana’s unlikely meteoric rise among FBS powers.

The No. 2 Hoosiers absolutely throttled UCLA, 56-6, Saturday, stomping out the Bruins’ own October surprise which saw three wins. Mendoza helped put an end to that, throwing three TD passes and running for another in a blowout.

He leads the country with 24 TD passes against just three interceptions and is second in QB rating and fifth in completion percentage. He has passed for 1,923 yards and rushed for 249 with three scores on the ground, leading a dominant Hoosier team with four unranked teams left on the schedule.

Following Simpson and Pavia in the poll were Georgia Tech QB Haynes King in fourth while Texas A&M’s Marcel Reed was fifth. 

All five QBs led their teams to big wins Saturday, and all are having unexpectedly storybook-style seasons.

Simpson guided No. 4 Alabama to a 29-22 win over South Carolina with 253 yards passing and two scores, the 7-1 Tide benefitting from a late Gamecock turnover leading to their final TD.

Pavia wasn’t quite as sharp as he’s been but still good enough to lead No.10 Vandy to a 17-10 win over No. 15 Missouri, running for one score.

The Yellow Jackets moved to 8-0 for the first time since 1966, led by King, who threw for 304 yards and three scores while rushing for 91 yards and two more touchdowns in a 41-16 rout of Syracuse. King’s 12 scores on the ground lead all QBs in the FBS.

Speaking of 8-0 starts, Reed passed for 202 yards and two TDs and ran for 108 yards and two more, leading the No. 3 Aggies to the same record thanks to a 49-25 win over No. 20 LSU.

He is 19th nationally in total offense with 1,972 yards passing and 349 yards rushing, throwing for 17 scores and running for six.

On3.com‘s staff poll of national writers saw Simpson atop its list, just ahead of Mendoza in second and Reed in third.

On Mendoza, they said: “At this point, Mendoza is creeping up on the 2,000-yard mark passing, while he has 24 touchdowns and just three interceptions. Stellar stuff.”

On Reed, the staff added: “Reed’s numbers are plenty enough to get him into the Heisman Trophy discussion. But it’s his mentality and leadership that are really the qualities that make him a legitimate candidate for college football’s top award.”

Pavia was fourth in the On3 poll with Ohio State QB Julian Sayin (who was on a bye) fifth, King sixth and Ole Miss QB Trinidad Chambliss seventh. 

YahooSports reported on Simpson’s unexpected Heisman contention and how he’s dealing with it, writing: “And that’s exactly how Simpson plays. With a quiet confidence and a team-first mentality that’s become the heartbeat of this Alabama squad. He’s not chasing fame. He’s chasing wins. And maybe that’s why his teammates love him so much. Simpson’s story is one of patience and perseverance. He waited his turn. In an era when most quarterbacks transfer the minute they’re not starting, he stayed.”

The folks at SaturdayBlitz commented on Reed’s rapid ascension into the Heisman mix, saying: “When you go on the road and lead a dominant performance like we saw Marcel Reed do for Texas A&M, it’s going to get you into the Heisman Trophy race. The Aggies’ star was electric, passing for 202 yards and 2 touchdowns, adding 108 yards and 2 touchdowns with his legs. As Texas A&M continues to rack up wins, as long as Marcel Reed keeps making a big impact, he’ll be in the race.”

On Mendoza, they said: “While it’s still a race, Indiana star Fernando Mendoza is starting to make himself the clear front runner for the Heisman Trophy. This weekend, in a blowout win over UCLA, Mendoza added 4 total touchdowns to an impressive resume. The Hoosiers are one of the best teams and stories in the country, and as long as Mendoza keeps putting together solid showings, he’s going to be tough to beat.”

Over at SI.com, their Heisman top 5 featured Simpson first, followed by Mendoza, Sayin, Reed and Pavia.

ESPN commentator Dan Orlovsky entered the chat with his top 5, listing it as Pavia, King, Mendoza, Sayin and Simpson.

Bleacher Report’s Heisman rankings this week featured Simpson and Mendoza in their frontrunner category while Reed, Sayin and Georgia QB Gunner Stockton were one tier below. Stockton, he of the 17-to-1 TD to INT ration, has the Bulldogs at 6-1. One tier lower was King, Chambliss and Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love.