Dante Moore, Fernando Mendoza Showdown Shifts Heisman Trophy Betting Odds

Oregon Ducks quarterback Dante Moore's odds at winning the 2025 Heisman Trophy fell in the loss to the Indiana Hoosiers. Where does Moore rank among Indiana's Fernando Mendoza, Miami Hurricanes' Carson Beck and Alabama Crimson Tide's Ty Simpson?

Oct 11, 2025; Eugene, Oregon, USA; Oregon Ducks quarterback Dante Moore (5) arrives with his teammates before the game against the Indiana Hoosiers at Autzen Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images | Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images

Oregon Ducks quarterback Dante Moore’s odds at winning the 2025 Heisman Trophy took a significant hit in week 7.

Moore and the Ducks’ offense struggled in their first defeat of the season. To make matters worse for Moore’s Heisman odds, the 30-20 loss against the Indiana Hoosiers boosted opposing quarterback Fernando Mendoza’s chances at winning the award.

Oregon certainly wasn’t the only top-25 team to lose in week 7. Several other players who previously had the shortest odds of winning the award saw their chances fall, resulting in a big shift.

Heisman Trophy Odds

Oct 11, 2025; Eugene, Oregon, USA; Oregon Ducks quarterback Dante Moore (5) arrives with his teammates before the game against the Indiana Hoosiers at Autzen Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images | Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images

Carson Beck, Quarterback (Miami): +320
Ty Simpson, Quarterback (Alabama): +340
Fernando Mendoza, Quarterback (Indiana): +430
Julian Sayin, Quarterback (Ohio State): +1500
Jeremiah Smith, Wide Receiver (Ohio State): +1500
Dante Moore, Quarterback (Oregon): +3000

Notable Risers And Fallers

Oct 11, 2025; Eugene, Oregon, USA; Indiana Hoosiers quarterback Fernando Mendoza (15) celebrates with defensive back D'Angelo Ponds (5) after defeating the Oregon Ducks by the score of 30-20 at Autzen Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images | Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images

Moore was tied with Carson Beck as the favorite after week 6, but the Ducks quarterback tumbled to No. 12 in the Heisman rankings, per FanDuel. Hope isn't completely lost for Moore, but he no longer controls his own destiny when it comes to the award.

Beck and Mendoza are both leading undefeated offenses this season, while Ty Simpson is having an impressive start to the season for Alabama. Then there’s Ohio State quarterback Julian Sayin and wide receiver Jeremiah Smith, who are also leading an undefeated Buckeyes squad.

Simpson is now second for the best odds to win the award, and Mendoza moved into the top-three. Moore will need the three quarterbacks to drop a game or have a rough performance to jump back into Heisman contention.

MORE: Indiana Coach Curt Cignetti Doesn't Hold Back After Upset Of Oregon Ducks

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MORE: Biggest Winners, Losers From Oregon’s Loss Against Indiana

Even though the same five players in Heisman odds stayed the same between weeks 6 and 7, there was movement around them. Oklahoma Sooners quarterback John Mateer returned after missing time with an injury.

Mateer was among the Heisman favorites before his odds fell when he spent one game on the sidelines. His return in the Red Rivalry left much to be desired, however, with the Texas Longhorns defeating the Sooners 23-6 and Mateer’s Heisman odds further suffering.

Moore’s Rough Showing Hurts Chances

Oct 11, 2025; Eugene, Oregon, USA; Oregon Ducks quarterback Dante Moore (5) looks on during warmups before the game against the Indiana Hoosiers at Autzen Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images | Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images

The Oregon quarterback struggled in the team’s 30-20 defeat to Indiana. Moore threw for 186 yards and one touchdown but threw two interceptions and was sacked six times.

“Everybody's gonna make the mistakes. And of course, that's how you bounce back,” Moore said. “But just making sure I'm continuing talking to the offense and the defense of the ball … Just being more of a communicator on the field when things are going bad.”

Moore displayed few weaknesses in the first five games of the season. In that span, he only threw one interception, and the offensive line conceded just one sack.

Oregon quarterback Dante Moore scrambles with the ball as the Oregon Ducks host the Indiana Hoosiers Oct. 11, 2025, at Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Oregon. | Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The loss to the Hoosiers was the most adversity that Moore faced in nearly two years.

“Adversity is real, right? You're going to face it at some point in your career. It's about how you respond to it,” coach Dan Lanning said. “We didn't have our fastball today. They did a great job. In this game, everybody wants to look at players and say, this is the reason. That was a team effort. And that was a team loss. And their team played better than us. “

“It wasn't Dante. It was the whole group. It’s the coaching staff. It’s the players,” Lanning continued. “So ultimately, Dante's gonna look at this as an opportunity to learn from it as well. We'll grow from it and get better.”

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