Fernando Mendoza vs Julian Sayin: The Heisman Trophy and the Big Ten Championship

No. 2 Indiana football is set to take on No. 1 Ohio State on Saturday in the Big Ten Football Championship game at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana.

There’s a few things at stake in the matchup. For one, and obviously, the winner will hoist the Big Ten championship trophy. It’d be a program first for Indiana and Ohio State’s first chance to do so since 2020. The winner will also almost certainly earn the No. 1 overall seed in this year’s College Football Playoff and maintain their undefeated record.

But there’s something less sure and tangible at stake: the 2025 Heisman Trophy.

It’s been an interesting race for college football’s top individual honor for a player in 2025. Preseason candidates like Texas quarterback Arch Manning and Miami quarterback Carson Beck have fallen out of the race entirely while others have emerged.

The betting favorite to hear their name called in just under two weeks? Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza at +115, per FanDuel Sportsbook. Right behind him? None other than Ohio State quarterback Julian Sayin at +155.

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A strong performance for either passer on Saturday would almost certainly result in a win. People love narratives and storylines, so the matchup will likely prove pivotal when voters cast their ballots. Should Sayin outplay Mendoza and lead the Buckeyes to victory, he’d be in prime position to supplant him as the favorite.

Mendoza surged ahead after leading the Hoosiers on a game-winning touchdown drive against Penn State, capping it off with an improbable pass to the back of the endzone under pressure, just getting the ball out of his hands and into those of wide receiver Omar Cooper Jr., who sealed the score with an acrobatic toe-tap.

Other Heisman candidates like Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love and Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia, while likely to earn a trip to New York, lack the additional chance to separate themselves in the race that Mendoza and Sayin have.