The 2025 Heisman Trophy finalists — Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza, Ohio State quarterback Julian Sayin, Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia and Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love — have all had standout seasons, and one of them will win the sport’s most prestigious award on Saturday night.Mendoza and Sayin will both suit up in the College Football The four finalists are Mendoza, Sayin, Pavia and Love. We asked the college football writers at FOX Sports to rank the four finalists in order of their preference and explain why. In what order would you vote for Mendoza, Sayin, Pavia and Love to win the award for the nation’s most outstanding player?Michael Cohen: 1. Mendoza, 2. Pavia, 3. Sayin, 4. LoveThe ongoing revolution at Indiana under second-year head coach Curt Cignetti remains the best story in college football, and a string of transcendent performances from Mendoza have taken the operation to new heights amid the first undefeated season in program history that now includes the school’s first outright Big Ten title since 1945.Still, by sharing the Big Ten Championship Game stage with Sayin, a first-year starter who has enjoyed a remarkable season in his own right, Mendoza was certainly in a position to be caught or leapfrogged in the Heisman race depending on how that head-to-head showdown unfolded. Sayin’s dominating, winning performance could have been enough for some voters to be influenced by the enormity of the situation. He still leads the country in completion rate with 78.4%. Sayin finished the regular season with more yards of passing than Mendoza. Neither quarterback was perfect that night in Indianapolis, with both tossing first-half interceptions in a game that evolved into a showcase for the country’s two best defenses. Mendoza, as he had all season long, created moments of greatness which will be replayed in the future considering the Hoosiers’ rapid rise from the Big Ten cellar. Sarratt scored the winning touchdown with a stunning back-shoulder heave from Mendoza to Charlie Becker at the midway mark of the third-quarter. And when the Hoosiers needed a first down to drain some clock in the fourth quarter — minutes away from securing an improbable victory and the No. 1 overall seed in this year’s CFP — Mendoza dropped another 33-yard beauty down the well to Becker that all but sealed the outcome. He’ll…
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2025-12-13 00:31:06
