Indiana's Fernando Mendoza Among Heisman Trophy Favorites After Huge Win

Quarterback Fernando Mendoza has been everything Indiana needed since transferring in from Cal.

On Saturday, he guided the Hoosiers to a 30-20 win at No. 3 Oregon –– arguably the best and most important win in program history –– with a 64.5% completion percentage, 215 yards, one touchdown and an interception. Indiana rose to No. 3 in the Associated Press Top 25 Poll as a result, and Mendoza has been recognized for his individual accomplishments, too.

Where Mendoza ranks among Heisman Trophy favorites

Fernando Mendoza Indiana Football — Indiana Hoosiers wide receiver Elijah Sarratt (13) and quarterback Fernando Mendoza (15) celebrate after defeating the Oregon Ducks at Autzen Stadium. | Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images

Here are the10 players with the best odds to win the Heisman Trophy, per the Draft Kings Sportsbook.

Carson Beck (Miami QB) +360
Ty Simpson (Alabama QB, +370
Fernando Mendoza (Indiana QB) +550
Jeremiah Smith (Ohio State WR) +1300
Julian Sayin (Ohio State QB) +1500
Marcel Reed (Texas A&M QB) +2000
Dante Moore (Oregon QB) +2000
Trinidad Chambliss (Ole Miss QB) +2200
CJ Carr (Notre Dame QB) +2500
Jayden Maiava (USC QB) +2800

Naturally, players from the nation's top-six ranked teams are all on this list, led by Beck with No. 2 Miami. Simpson has made a jump in recent weeks after leading Alabama to three straight ranked wins against No. 5 Georgia, No. 16 Vanderbilt and No. 14 Missouri. Smith is the only non-quarterback on this list, though he's just 19th nationally in receiving yards.

Here's a look at how these players compare statistically.

Player	Statistics
Carson Beck, Miami	102-140 (72.9%), 1,213 yards, 11 TD, 3 INT, 18 rush yards, 1 rush TD
Ty Simpson, Alabama	134-189 (70.9%), 1,678 yards, 16 TD, 1 INT, 58 rush yards, 2 rush TD
Fernando Mendoza, Indiana	109-153 (71.2%), 1,423 yards, 17 TD, 2 INT, 133 rush yards, 2 rush TD
Jeremiah Smith, Ohio State	40 receptions, 505 yards, 7 TD
Julian Sayin, Ohio State	120-153 (78.4%), 1,479 yards, 15 TD, 3 INT, 10 rush yards
Marcel Reed, Texas A&M	102-170 (60%), 1,490 yards, 12 TD, 4 INT, 186 rush yards, 3 rush TD
Dante Moore, Oregon	121-168 (72%), 1,396 yards, 15 TD, 3 INT, 95 rush yards
Trinidad Chambliss, Ole Miss	85-130 (65.4%), 1,286 yards, 7 TD, 1 INT, 281 rush yards, 3 rush TD
CJ Carr, Notre Dame	105-158 (66.5%) 1,622 yards, 13 TD, 3 INT, 16 rush yards, 1 rush TD
Jayden Maiava, USC	123-171 (71.9%) 1,852 yards, 13 TD, 2 INT, 50 rush yards, 4 rush TD

Jack Ankony's take:

Between Beck, Simpson, Mendoza and Sayin, the statistical margins are tiny. All four have completion percentages above 70% and fewer than three interceptions. Beck has fewer passing yards only because Miami has played just five games, compared to six from Alabama, Indiana and Ohio State. Final Heisman voting will be so far away from Alabama's 31-17 loss at Florida State –– and that wasn't all Simpson's fault, either –– but its perhaps unfavorable to be the only quarterback with a loss among the top four of this list.

From an Indiana perspective, I'd give Mendoza as good of a chance as anyone to win the Heisman Trophy. I don't totally understand why Beck and Simpson both have slightly better odds right now, but that's not too important on Oct. 13. Indiana will be favored in at least five of its last six games against Michigan State, UCLA, Maryland, Wisconsin and Purdue, with a trip to Penn State being the only possible outlier depending on how they respond to coach James Franklin's firing. If the Hoosiers run the table, Mendoza will be in New York with a legitimate chance to be Indiana's first-ever Heisman winner.

Someone farther down with an interesting case is USC's Jayden Maiava. He's first in passing yards among quarterbacks on this list and third nationally, while doing so with an efficient completion percentage and four rushing touchdowns. The talent is clearly there to contend for the Heisman. But Maiava's issue is that USC has already lost to Illinois, and they have upcoming road games against Notre Dame, Nebraska and Oregon, as well as a potentially tricky home game against Iowa and matchups against Northwestern and UCLA, who just beat Penn State. Too many losses may knock Maiava out of the race, but don't count him out yet.

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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