Heisman Trophy Rankings: There’s a Clear Top Two, but Here Comes Diego Pavia

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Heisman Trophy Rankings: There’s a Clear Top Two, but Here Comes Diego Pavia

Kyle Wood · Athlon Sports

Wed, Oct 22, 2025 ·

8 min read

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For the first time in a while, not much changed at the top of the Heisman Trophy race. It's still neck and neck between Indiana 's Fernando Mendoza and Alabama 's Ty Simpson . Statistically, they've both been phenomenal, and their teams are in the top five after the latest AP Poll update. Mendoza maintains a slight edge in the battle as his Hoosiers have still yet to lose.

Ohio State 's Julian Sayin and Texas A&M 's Marcel Reed both put up big numbers in victories for their respective teams, though the Buckeyes handled Wisconsin much easier than the Aggies did the Razorbacks.

The latest wrinkle to the Heisman conversation was Miami's shocking upset loss to Louisville , which knocked Carson Beck out of the group of top contenders. Taking his place in the top five is Vanderbilt's Diego Pavia , fresh off a win over LSU and with the Commodores brandishing a top-10 ranking for the first time in decades.

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The oddsmakers have installed Simpson as the favorite with Mendoza and Sayin close behind. Here's how Athlon views the race for college football's top individual honor eight weeks into the season.

Heisman Trophy Watch: Ranking the Top Contenders after Week 8

Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza (15) runs with the ball against Michigan State defensive back Malcolm Bell (14) at Memorial Stadium on Oct. 18, 2025, in Bloomington, Indiana.

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

Week 8 Stats (38-13 W vs. Michigan State ):24-for-28, 332 yards, 4 TD; 5 carries, 18 yards
Season Stats:133-for-181 (73.5%), 1,755 yards (9.7 YPA), 21 TD, 2 INT; 41 carries, 151 yards (3.7 YPC), 2 TD

The Hoosiers delivered a ho-hum beatdown of the visiting Spartans in their first game in Bloomington in almost a month. Mendoza threw for a season-high 332 yards as Indiana scored on its first five possessions. Though he lags behind some of his contemporaries in total yardage, he's tied for the national lead in passing touchdowns and ranks first in passer rating for the No. 2 team in the country.

Mendoza is working his way up the Hoosiers' single-season leaderboards, and it's easy to envision an undefeated Indiana team marching into Indianapolis for the Big Ten title game . With just one game remaining against a team with a winning record ( Maryland ), Mendoza has five more opportunities to rack up stats and build his Heisman and No. 1 pick case in the leadup the CFP. Up next is a visit from a UCLA team that's been on a roll, though Mendoza and the Hoosiers are still four-score favorites.

2. Ty Simpson — QB, Alabama (Last Week: 2)

Week 8 Stats (37-20 W vs. Tennessee ):19-for-29, 253 yards, 2 TD; 5 carries, 8 yards
Season Stats:153-for-218 (70.2%), 1,931 yards (8.9 YPA), 18 TD, 1 INT; 45 carries, 66 yards (1.5 YPC), 2 TD

The Crimson Tide just accomplished something they never did under Nick Saban. In fact, no SEC team has ever won four games in a row against top-25 teams without a bye week in between. That's the level Simpson and Alabama have been on for the past month. Simpson was sharp against rival Tennessee, committing no turnovers and taking no sacks. And in a game in which the Tide defense returned a 99-yard pick-six, it was a 99-yard drive Simpson led the team on that put the game away late in the third quarter.

Simpson has thrown two-plus touchdowns in every game this season, and he ranks top 10 in passing yards, passing touchdowns and passer rating. His 18-to-1 touchdown-to-interception ratio is also the best in the country. The same 'Bama team that was cast aside after a Week 1 loss to Florida State has won six in a row since and ascended to a No. 4 ranking. The Tide might just be the best team in the SEC and perhaps the biggest threat to Ohio State's title defense. Up next for Simpson and Co. is a road trip to South Carolina before a well-deserved idle week.

Ohio State quarterback Julian Sayin (10) throws a pass against Wisconsin Saturday, October 18, 2025 at Camp Randall Stadium in Madison, Wisconsin.

3. Julian Sayin — QB, Ohio State (Last Week: 4)

Week 8 Stats (34-0 W vs. Wisconsin):36-for-42, 393 yards, 4 TD; 5 carries, 7 yards
Season Stats:156-for-195 (80%), 1,872 yards (9.6 YPA), 19 TD, 3 INT; 19 carries, 17 yards (0.9 YPC)

The Buckeyes pitched their second shutout of the season over the weekend, but Sayin stole the show with a career game. He had almost as many touchdowns (four) as incompletions (six) and his 393 passing yards were the most by an Ohio State quarterback since 2021. Sayin's FBS-best completion percentage went up to 80%, and he spread the wealth around as 10 different receivers caught at least one pass.

Sayin trails only Mendoza in passer rating in his first season as the starter, and the Buckeyes' offense has actually taken a step forward from its national championship campaign. Top-ranked, undefeated Ohio State is idle this week and has an extremely manageable schedule ahead. Rival No. 25 Michigan is its only remaining opponent with a winning record.

4. Marcel Reed — QB, Texas A&M (Last Week: 5)

Week 8 Stats (45-42 W at Arkansas ):23-for-32, 280 yards, 3 TD; 6 carries; 55 yards, 1 TD
Season Stats:125-for-202 (61.9%), 1,770 yards (8.8 YPA), 15 TD, 4 INT; 51 carries, 241 yards (4.7 YPC), 4 TD

The Aggies survived a scare over the weekend against the Razorbacks. Texas A&M led by double digits when the fourth quarter began, but Arkansas quickly cut the deficit to three points. Reed was quick to respond by leading a fourth 75-yard touchdown drive to put the game out of reach and keep the perfect season alive. This was the first time since the Notre Dame game that Reed did not commit a turnover, and he also matched a season-high with four total touchdowns.

Reed's 72% completion rate and 23 completions were both new season-highs and encouraging signs as his continued improvements as a passer. The No. 3 Aggies will put their undefeated season on the line on Saturday at No. 20 LSU. Reed played sparingly last year against the Tigers, but he still scored three times in a massive win. He'll have to be at his best for A&M to win in Death Valley for the first time in decades.

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

Week 8 Stats (31-24 W vs. LSU):14-for-22, 160 yards, 1 TD; 17 carries, 86 yards, 2 TD
Season Stats:129-for-183 (70.5%), 1,569 yards (8.6 YPA), 15 TD, 4 INT; 77 carries, 438 yards (5.7 YPC), 4 TD

The Commodores certainly think they have a Heisman-caliber quarterback on their hands. Vanderbilt launched a "Diego Pavia for Heisman" campaign on its website this week, touting his stats and accomplishments, the latest of which was a win over the Tigers. Pavia left it all on the field on Saturday, running a season-high 17 times for two touchdowns, the Commodores' first and final points of the game.

Pavia's play has gone up a level from his first season in Nashville, as his completion percentage, yards per attempt and yards per carry have all improved. If you thought Vandy was ready to sink into the background after its loss at Alabama, think again. The 'Dores are up to No. 10 in the AP Poll, their highest ranking since the 1940s, and they have three more games remaining against fellow top-25 competition. Pavia always gives his team a fighting chance, and a CFP trip will look even more realistic with a win against No. 15 Missouri this week .

Don't Forget About

Sleepers to Watch

Jeremiyah Love , RB, Notre Dame
John Mateer , QB, Oklahoma
Carson Beck, Miami, QB
Sam Leavitt , QB, Arizona State
Jayden Maiava , QB, USC

This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Oct 22, 2025, where it first appeared in the College Football section. Add Athlon Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

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