Heisman Trophy Rankings: Mendoza Maintains Healthy Lead

NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos...

Heisman Trophy Rankings: Mendoza Maintains Healthy Lead

Just two weeks remain in the regular season before conference championships kick off around the country. It’s looking more and more like the Heisman Trophy race will continue into championship week, specifically in Indianapolis and maybe Atlanta where the Big Ten and SEC, respectively, will crown winners.

Of the top contenders vying for the sport’s most prestigious individual honor, Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza had the best performance in Week 12. He’s been Athlon’s frontrunner for well over a month now, and Ohio State’s Julian Sayin and Texas A&M’s Marcel Reed didn’t gain any ground over the weekend.

Vanderbilt’s Diego Pavia is out of the mix at this point, but Georgia’s Gunner Stockton seems to be peaking at the right time. And the Bulldogs could get a shot at Reed’s Aggies in Atlanta, a familiar locale for UGA.

Mendoza is an even-money favorite in the betting markets, just ahead of Sayin. Reed appears to stand alone in third, firmly in between the top two favorites and the rest of the field. Here’s how Athlon views the Heisman Trophy race after 12 weeks.

Heisman Trophy Watch: Ranking the Top Contenders after Week 12

Indiana Hoosiers quarterback Fernando Mendoza (15) motions to teammates during their game against the Wisconsin Badgers in Bloomington, Indiana, on Nov. 15, 2025.

1. Fernando Mendoza — QB, Indiana (Last Week: 1)

Week 12 (31-7 W vs. Wisconsin): 22-for-24, 299 yards, 4 TD, 6 carries, -24 yards 
Season Stats: 203-for-278 (73%), 2,641 yards (9.5 YPA), 30 TD, 5 INT; 62 carries, 216 yards (3.5 YPC), 5 TD

Mendoza made program history in the win over the Badgers, surpassing Kurtis Rourke’s single-season touchdown record when he tossed his fourth of the game and 30th of the year. He leads the FBS in that department with one regular-season game remaining against rival Purdue, plus a likely trip to the Big Ten championship.

No. 2 Indiana has already matched its program record for wins in a season, also set in 2024, and Mendoza deserves ample credit. He ranks No. 2 nationally in passer rating and is tied for second in yards per attempt. The Wisconsin game was the first time he didn’t record a rushing touchdown since mid-October, but it also ended a run of three straight games with an interception. Mendoza is the rightful frontrunner heading into an idle week, but it’s hard to imagine him locking up the award before the Big Ten title game, unless his competition falls apart over these next two weeks.

2. Julian Sayin — QB, Ohio State (Last Week: 2)

Week 12 (48-10 W vs. UCLA): 23-for-31, 184 yards, 1 TD; 2 carries, -1 yards
Season Stats: 226-for-282 (80.1%), 2,675 yards (9.5 YPA), 25 TD, 4 INT; 27 carries, 20 yards (0.7 YPC)

Sayin was uncharacteristically quiet against the Bruins. He threw for fewer than 200 yards for the first time since the Illinois game over a month ago, and it was also his least accurate performance since then. Granted, his 74% completion rate in that game would still lead the country and not much was asked of Sayin in a game where the run game led the charge.

Sayin maintains his lead on Mendoza in passer rating, but he’s fallen behind in the touchdown department with just two scores over his past two games. Up next for the Buckeyes is a visit from Rutgers, a potential opportunity for Sayin to pad his stats. The trip to Ann Arbor next week still looms large. While the Big Ten championship feels like a collision course between Sayin and Mendoza where the Heisman debate can be settled, neither team has secured a spot just yet. And No. 1 Ohio State has a harder road remaining than Indiana.

Texas A&M Aggies quarterback Marcel Reed runs with the ball against the South Carolina Gamecocks at Kyle Field on Nov. 15, 2025.Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

3. Marcel Reed — QB, Texas A&M (Last Week: 4)

Week 12 (31-30 W vs. South Carolina): 22-for-39, 439 yards, 3 TD, 2 INT; 7 carries, 13 yards
Season Stats: 179-for-291 (61.5%), 2,632 yards (9.0 YPA), 22 TD, 8 INT; 76 carries, 391 yards (5.1 YPC), 6 TD

Reed had a similar experience against the Gamecocks as Mendoza did against Penn State two weeks ago. Should the Aggies have been down 30-3 to South Carolina? Certainly not. But did Reed lead his team all the way back in the second half? He certainly did. It was a tale of two halves for Texas A&M, which scored touchdowns on its first four possessions of the second half to pull ahead and stay undefeated.

Reed shrugged off two early interceptions to throw three touchdown passes and set a new career high with 439 yards through the air. Interestingly, he set a new season low with just 13 rushing yards. His rushing ability is part of what sets him apart from the other Heisman contenders, but he was slinging the ball around the field on Saturday. Still ahead for the No. 3 Aggies is a visit from Samford, a game that might see Reed sit for the second half, and the season finale against No. 17 Texas. A win in Austin will secure Texas A&M’s first trip to the SEC Championship Game and another data point for Reed’s Heisman candidacy.

4. Gunner Stockton — QB, Georgia (Last Week: NR)

Week 12 (35-10 W vs. Texas): 24-for-29, 220 yards, 4 TD, 1 INT; 6 carries, 29 yards, 1 TD
Season Stats: 203-for-287 (70.7%), 2,269 yards (7.9 YPA), 19 TD, 3 INT; 83 carries, 350 yards (4.2 YPC), 8 TD

Stockton seems to hit another level in the Bulldogs’ biggest games. He threw for a season-high 304 yards and accounted for three touchdowns in an overtime win at Tennessee earlier this year and threw for 289 yards with five total scores in a victory over Ole Miss. Stockton added five more touchdowns to his season tally over the weekend in a blowout against Texas to wrap up Georgia’s SEC slate.

The No. 4 Bulldogs still have a game against Charlotte ahead this weekend before Clean, Old-Fashioned Hate against Georgia Tech. And there’s a chance UGA again advances to the SEC Championship Game. It might take that — and a win — for Stockton to bridge the gap between him and the top contenders for the award, but he has potentially two more games against top-25 teams to bring it. He’s shown in his first season as the starter that he’s up to the task when the lights are bright.

5. Diego Pavia — QB, Vanderbilt (Last Week: 5)

Week 12: Idle
Season Stats: 191-for-273 (70%), 2,440 yards (8.9 YPC), 21 TD, 5 INT; 117 carries, 613 yards (5.2 YPC), 7 TD

The Pavia hype train took a rest last week with the Commodores idle. Get ready for it to ramp back up as Vanderbilt hosts Kentucky, a game Pavia and Co. need in pursuit of an at-large CFP berth. As for his Heisman chase, he would do well to maintain the pace he established earlier this month. That is, 300-plus passing yards and three touchdowns. The Wildcats figure to put up less resistance than Texas and Auburn, two good defenses that Pavia sliced up.

As compelling as Pavia and a potentially playoff-bound Vandy team are, it would take a serious collapse for him to catch up to Mendoza, Sayin and Reed, the leaders of three undefeated teams. A trip to New York could be in his future. That is, if the No. 14 ’Dores handle Kentucky and defeat No. 20 Tennessee next week.

Still in the Mix

  • Haynes King, QB, Georgia Tech
  • Jeremiyah Love, RB, Notre Dame
  • Jeremiah Smith, WR, Ohio State
  • Jacob Rodriguez, LB, Texas Tech
  • Ty Simpson, QB, Alabama

Related: 12 Coaches Who Will Define College Football’s Coaching Carousel

Related: College Football Playoff 12-Team Projections After Week 12

Related: How Alex Golesh Built USF Back Into a Winner

This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Nov 19, 2025, where it first appeared in the College Football section. Add Athlon Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

More at NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos