Ranking the Top Five Heisman Trophy Candidates After College Football's Week 11

Blake Silverman | Nov 9, 2025

Fernando Mendoza helped Indiana survive a real scare against Penn State / Photo by Isaiah Vazquez/Getty Images

With Week 11 in college football behind us, the top candidates for the Heisman Trophy have started to separate themselves from the rest of the pack.

This year’s race for college football’s top honor is made up of top quarterbacks in the Big Ten and SEC, although Ohio State’s star sophomore receiver Jeremiah Smith is making his own case. As the top-ranked Buckeyes remain undefeated, Indiana has made just as much noise, now with a 10-0 record as the No. 2 team in the land.

The top two teams are led by the top Heisman candidates in Buckeyes quarterback Julian Sayin and Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza. Mendoza had an incredible moment this week with a miraculous drive and game-winning touchdown to Omar Cooper Jr. who made an unbelievable catch as IU survived a scare against Penn State.

Sayin and Ohio State took care of business on the road against Purdue as the sophomore QB threw for over 300 yards in a 34-10 win.

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In the SEC, Marcel Reed kept No. 3 Texas A&M undefeated with a big victory against No. 22 Missouri for the Aggies’ third straight win on the road. Alabama’s Ty Simpson continued his unmatched poise in extending the Crimson Tide’s long winning streak following their loss to Florida State to begin the season. Vanderbilt bounced back in a big way after their loss to Texas last week as star QB Diego Pavia put together another incredible performance.

Without further ado, here are the top five candidates for the Heisman Trophy as we currently stand:

1. Fernando Mendoza — QB, Indiana

Fernando Mendoza had two touchdowns in Indiana’s thrilling win over Penn State / Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images

• Season stats: 2,342 passing yards, 26 touchdowns and five interceptions. Five rushing touchdowns with 240 yards on 56 carries.
• Week 11 stats: 19-for-30 passing, 218 yards, two touchdowns (one rushing) and one interception (27-24 win over Penn State).

Mendoza and Sayin are neck and neck at the top of the Heisman chase, but the Indiana quarterback may have had his Heisman moment this week with an incredible game-winning touchdown to Omar Cooper Jr., who made an even better catch. The No. 2 Hoosiers survived a close call on the road against Penn State. Now, they just need wins over Wisconsin and Purdue to end the regular season a perfect 12-0. The California transfer has dazzled for Indiana this year as he’s tied for the most passing touchdowns in the nation with Baylor’s Sawyer Robertson (26).

2. Julian Sayin — QB, Ohio State

Ohio State remained undefeated with a 34-10 win over Purdue on the road / Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

• Season stats: 2,491 passing yards, 24 touchdowns and four interceptions.
• Week 11 stats: 27-for-33 passing, 303 yards, one touchdown and one interception (34-10 win over Purdue).

Ohio State continued to roll with a 34-10 win over Purdue this week. Although Sayin only threw for one score, he continued his reign as the most efficient passer in the nation as he completed 81.8% of his throws on the day. Sayin leads college football with his 192.6 passer rating as he’s completing 80.9% of his passes over his first season as the Buckeyes’ starter. Smith, his favorite target, has been just as good, catching 10 of Sayin’s 24 touchdown passes with 862 receiving yards.

Ohio State’s most difficult game left comes in the final week of the year as they travel to Ann Arbor, Mich. to play their bitter rival Michigan. If Sayin can lead the Buckeyes past the Wolverines following four straight losses, he should remain near the top of the Heisman chase as a true threat to receive college football’s highest honor.

3. Marcel Reed — QB, Texas A&M

Marcel Reed and Texas A&M got past a tough Missouri team on the road this week / Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images

• Season stats: 2,193 passing yards, 19 touchdowns and six interceptions. Six rushing touchdowns with 378 yards on 69 carries.
• Week 11 stats: 20-for-29 passing, 221 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions (38-17 win over No. 22 Missouri).

Like Mendoza and Sayin, Reed and Simpson are right next to each other for the next two spots. I’ll give Reed the slight edge as his play has helped Texas A&M stay undefeated with two straight road wins over ranked opponents in LSU and most recently, Missouri. Reed threw for two touchdowns as the Aggies defeated Mizzou by three scores on the road. Texas A&M’s toughest game in their quest to run the table comes on the road against No. 11 Texas on Nov. 28. Although Reed has thrown six picks, including two against LSU, his outstanding play to take the Aggies to another level is Heisman-worthy.

4. Ty Simpson — QB, Alabama

Ty Simpson has only thrown one interception on the year / David Leong-Imagn Images

• Season stats: 2,184 passing yards, 22 touchdowns (two rushing) and one interception.
• Week 11 stats: 21-for-35 passing, 277 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions (20-9 win over LSU).

Simpson has led the Crimson Tide throughout their eight-game winning streak since they put up a stinker to open the season against Florida State. The junior quarterback has had an incredibly clean year throwing the ball with just one interception and 20 touchdowns in the air. His one slight is he’s in the middle of a fumble problem, coughing one up in each of Alabama’s past four games.

Nevertheless, Simpson has been one of the nation’s best quarterbacks as the Tide continue to look like a true title contender. They have their toughest test left next week as 7-2 Oklahoma travels to Tuscaloosa, Ala. for a top-tier SEC matchup.

5. Diego Pavia — QB, Vanderbilt

Diego Pavia put up nearly 500 yards of offense in Vanderbilt’s overtime win over Auburn / Andrew Nelles / The Tennessean / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

• Season stats: 2,440 passing yards, 21 touchdowns and five interceptions. Seven rushing touchdowns with 613 yards on 117 carries.
• Week 11 stats: 25-for-33 passing, 377 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions, plus one rushing score with 112 yards on 18 carries (45-38 OT win over Auburn).

Our final spot has plenty of worthy candidates, but I’ll give Pavia the edge here after he put up 489 yards of total offense with four touchdowns in Vanderbilt’s thrilling overtime win over Auburn. The senior quarterback has been in Heisman conversations, but his case took a hit with the Commodores’ 34-31 loss to Texas in Week 10.

Vandy’s two losses make the Heisman Trophy an uphill climb for Pavia, but his numbers can’t be ignored. He has a rushing touchdown in each of their past four games and has thrown for over 350 yards in consecutive weeks. The Commodores finish their regular-season schedule with games against Kentucky and Tennessee. If Pavia continues his offensive outbursts, he could find his way to New York.

Others considered: Jeremiah Smith (WR, Ohio State), Trinidad Chambliss (QB, Ole Miss), Gunner Stockton (QB, Georgia)
Under-the-radar candidate: Drew Mestemaker (QB, North Texas)

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