Vaughn DalzellSun, November 30, 2025 at 12:17 PM UTC·7 min readTexas A&M's undefeated season is no more, so Marcel Reed is out of the Heisman race! Ohio State and Indiana survived and completed the perfect regular season, which is why Fernando Mendoza and Julian Sayin are both atop the rankings and split as the favorites. Jeremiyah Love capped off a terrific season with one of his worst performances of the year, clearing way for Diego Pavia as a top three candidate and likely invitee to the ceremony.
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AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementVaughn Dalzell’s Heisman Rankings
Indiana Hoosier Primary Logo1. Fernando Mendoza, Indiana Hoosiers (+125)
Next Game: Big Ten Championship Saturday 8 PM ET vs #1 Ohio State Last Game: 144 total yards, 3 total TDs at Purdue (56-3 win) Season Stats: 2,758 passing yards, 243 rushing yards, 38 total TDs, 5 INTs
Fernando Mendoza capped off Indiana's first-ever undefeated season with three touchdowns, 144 yards and a 56-3 win at Purdue, shifting his odds from -115 to +125 because the lack of yards. Mendoza led the country in touchdown passes this season with 32 — one of only two players to reach 30 and his quarterback rating came in second (183.7).
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementHowever, after Ohio State beat Michigan, Sayin's odds improved, so Mendoza and Sayin are neck and neck with 10 cents of difference on their price. The Heisman will come down to who wins the Big Ten, Ohio State or Indiana? Mendoza has the Heisman locked up if Indiana wins the Big Ten Championship and Sayin if Ohio State does.
Ohio_State.svg2. Julian Sayin, Ohio State Buckeyes (+135)
Next Game: Big Ten Championship Saturday 8 PM ET vs #2 Indiana Last Game: 233 passing yards on 19/26, 3 TDs, 1 INT at #15 Michigan (27-9 win) Season Stats: 2,832 passing yards, 79.4 comp %, 27 TDs, 4 INTs
Julian Sayin had a performance to remember against Michigan as the Buckeyes' snapped their four-game losing streak against the Wolverines. Sayin and Ohio State completed the undefeated regular season, along with Indiana as the only two teams to accomplish the feat.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementSayin tossed 233 yards and three touchdowns after an early interception at Michigan. He completed 19-of-26 passes (73.1%), which was arguably his best performance over the last four games. Sayin had four touchdown passes in the three games prior to Michigan, so he did everything possible to even the score with Mendoza entering the Big Ten Championship.
Vanderbilt.svg3. Diego Pavia, Vanderbilt Commodores (+330)
Next Game: TBD Last Game: 268 passing yards, 166 rushing yards, 2 TDs, 2 INTs at #19 Tennessee (45-24 win) Season Stats: 2,924 passing yards, 661 rushing yards, 34 total TDs, 6 INTs
Vanderbilt reached 10 wins for the first time in program history as Diego Pavia put up another all-around effort, this time at Tennessee. The Commordores earned their fourth ranked win of the season when they walked into Knoxville and knocked off the Vols, 45-24.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementPavia ran for 165 yards and a touchdown on 20 carries, plus threw for 268 yards, one score, and two interceptions. Pavia finished the regular season with 34 total touchdowns and 3,585 total yards. It was really about how finished though, Pavia recorded 408, 489, 532, and 433 total yards over the last four games (1,862) with 16 touchdowns.
Notre_Dame.svg4. Jeremiyah Love, Notre Dame Fighting Irish (+1400)
Next Game: TBD Last Game: 66 rushing yards on 14 carries, 1 TD vs Stanford (49-20 win) Season Stats: 1,372 rushing yards, 280 receiving yards, 21 total TDs
Jeremiyah Love finished the regular season fourth in rushing yards (1,372), third in rushing touchdowns (18), and tied 22nd in carries (199). In addition to those monster ranks, Love averaged 6.9 yards per carry (11th) because of his usage split with Jadarian Price and constant blowouts. Love did break Jerome Bettis' Notre Dame record of 20 touchdowns when he scored his 21st of the season versus Stanford.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementNotre Dame ended the regular season on a 10-game winning streak that featured all 10 games being won by double-digit wins. The Irish beat two ranked teams this season and he recorded 167 total yards and two touchdowns against #23 Pitt, plus 265 total yards and one touchdown vs #20 USC.
However, in two ranked losses, Love recorded 59 total yards versus #10 Miami and 147 total yards and two scores to #16 Texas A&M. The lack of ranked wins and his effort against Miami might be the only blemishes, but likely enough to finish third and no better in Heisman votes.
Stock Up
Ohio_State.svgJulian Sayin, Ohio State Buckeyes (+135)
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementNext Game: Big Ten Championship Saturday 8 PM ET vs #2 Indiana Last Game: 233 passing yards on 19/26, 3 TDs, 1 INT at #15 Michigan (27-9 win) Season Stats: 2,832 passing yards, 79.4 comp %, 27 TDs, 4 INTs
Julian Sayin finished the regular season with a 79.4 completion percentage, which led the nation by over 4%. Sayin also led the country in quarterback rating, edging out Mendoza (185.4 to 183.7). Sayin finished fifth in touchdown passes (27) and his four interceptions was one of the best across the country. While his past few starts without Carnell Tate and Jeremiah Smith didn't go so well, he bounced back with both in a dominant win at Michigan.
Stock Down
Texas A&M.pngMarcel Reed, Texas A&M Aggies (off the board)
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementNext Game: TBD Last Game: 251 total yards, 0 TDs, 2 INTs at #16 Texas (27-17 loss) Season Stats: 3,398 total yards, 61.8 comp %, 31 total TDs, 10 INTs
Marcel Reed totaled 251 yards at Texas, but lost the game, 27-17, and had zero touchdowns with two critical interceptions. Reed is off the board for betting odds, meaning he will likely miss the Heisman ceremony.
The Aggies perfect regular season ended in disruption and an 11-1 season with 7-1 conference mark. Despite the one loss, that was enough to miss the SEC Championship Game in favor of Alabama and Georgia, who had the tougher strength of schedule and won the tiebreaker. Everything fell apart for the Aggies in Week 14.
Notre_Dame.svgJeremiyah Love, Notre Dame Fighting Irish (+1400)
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementNext Game: TBD Last Game: 66 rushing yards on 14 carries, 1 TD vs Stanford (49-20 win) Season Stats: 1,372 rushing yards, 280 receiving yards, 21 total TDs
All that hype and push from experts to make Jeremiyah Love the Heisman, ha! Love finished his Stanford game with 66 rushing yards, 14 carries, one score, plus one reception for six yards. That was his lowest yardage output since Week 4 and his fourth-worst yards per carry mark. Love didn't lead the country in anything for running backs this season, so the stock is way down after the past two-to-three games rose him from +4000 to +350 last week.
My Heisman Picks
I picked Carson Beck and Dante Moore to pick the Heisman in the first four weeks of the season and both are over with. Five weeks ago, I added Fernando Mendoza (+260) and the Indiana Hoosiers to win the championship (+600). With Mendoza at +125 odds, I would still say that is the best play on the board and the likely winner, but I think Indiana beats Ohio State in the Big Ten Championship. If you believe the Buckeyes win the Big Ten, take Sayin at +180.
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