How does Indiana QB Fernando Mendoza stack up against previous Heisman Trophy winners

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In the game of the year, the Indiana Hoosiers will take on the Ohio State Buckeyes this weekend in a classic No. 1 vs. No. 2 matchup for the Big Ten Championship Game.

There are quite a few exciting matchups to look for, but perhaps none is more significant than the quarterback battle between Fernando Mendoza and Julian Sayin, who are among the frontrunners for the Heisman Trophy.

Mendoza is currently the slight favorite at +165 odds, while Vanderbilt’s Diego Pavia and Sayin are right behind him at +175 and +195 odds.

In a way, the Heisman race could be determined by Saturday’s games, as both quarterbacks will have one last chance to put a stamp on their resume against two of the best defenses in the country.

Looking at Mendoza, he had significant buzz coming into the year after a stellar season at Cal, where he showcased his NFL tools and threw for 3,004 yards, 16 touchdowns, and six interceptions, while completing 68.7 percent of his passes.

This season, he’s taken his play a notch further in a top-two conference in the country, throwing for 2,758 yards, 32 touchdowns, and five interceptions, while completing 72 percent of his passes.

Not only has Mendoza been deadly accurate, but he’s also consistently challenged the ball downfield without making mistakes, leading the country with 9.4 yards per attempt.

How does his resume compare to former Heisman winners?

Well, when you look at the last five Heisman winners, here were their stat lines:

Travis Hunter (2024) – 96 catches, 1,258 yards, 16 total touchdowns, four interceptions, 11 pass breakups

Jayden Daniels (2023) – 3,812 passing yards, 50 total touchdowns, four interceptions, 72.2 percent completion rate, 11.7 yards per attempt, 1,134 rushing yards

Caleb Williams (2022) – 4,537 passing yards, 52 total touchdowns, five interceptions, 66.6 percent completion rate, 9.1 yards per attempt, 382 rushing yards

Bryce Young (2021) – 4,872 passing yards, 50 total touchdowns, seven interceptions, 66.9 percent completion rate, 8.9 yards per attempt, 81 rushing yards

Joe Burrow (2020) – 5,671 passing yards, 65 total touchdowns, six interceptions, 76.3 percent completion rate, 10.1 yards per attempt, 368 rushing yards

Those are some pretty strong stat lines for Heisman winners in comparison to Mendoza’s. But, that does not mean the Indiana star isn’t deserving of the high-achieving award.

In a year without many true standout candidates, Mendoza has just been the cleanest. He plays with such high efficiency while throwing the ball downfield (yards per attempt matches most of the former Heisman candidates).

He’s also shown up in the clutch, although Indiana hasn’t been in many of those situations because they dominate offensively. He’s had five games with six or more touchdowns. He’s completed over 85 percent of his passes four times. And he’s protected the football at a high level.

At this point, all Mendoza needs is a steady game against Ohio State to win the award.

Here’s one stat that could be very eye-opening. According to The Athletic, 20 of the past 25 Heisman winners were quarterbacks. 15 of those had a conference championship game in their conference. 10 of them made it to the game, and eight of them won.

This weekend could very well be the tiebreaker in voters’ eyes between Mendoza and Julian Sayin.

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