Top Heisman 2025 Contenders to Watch in Race for College Football's Biggest Honor
The 2025 Heisman Trophy race will likely come down to the Big Ten and SEC Championship Games.
Julian Sayin and the top-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes are on a collision course with Fernando Mendoza and the No. 2 Indiana Hoosiers to play in the Big Ten title game.
Marcel Reed's third-ranked Texas A&M Aggies will face Ty Simpson and the No. 4 Alabama Crimson Tide in the SEC title game if both teams win out.
The four top Heisman candidates need to continue to perform at their high rates between now and the first Saturday in December in order for any of them to have a chance to win college football's top individual honor in their last pre-playoff game.
Julian Sayin
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Julian Sayin's production inside the Ohio State passing game increased in the last six weeks.
Sayin put together three straight 300-yard performances in which he threw for nine touchdowns.
Since the start of October, Sayin has four 300-yard outings and 14 passing touchdowns.
The 300-yard streak could continue against the UCLA Bruins and Rutgers Scarlet Knights in the next two weeks.
After that, Sayin faces the Michigan Wolverines and then likely takes on Indiana in the Big Ten Championship Game.
Two monster performances in those games plus a long string of 300-yard, multi-touchdown games could be enough to separate Sayin from the rest of the Heisman candidates.
Fernando Mendoza
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Fernando Mendoza remained alive at the forefront of the Heisman race by leading Indiana to a game-winning touchdown in the final minute against the Penn State Nittany Lions.
Mendoza doesn't have the consistent passing numbers that belong to Sayin, but he has led an offense that's put up over 30 points on a regular basis.
Prior to the 27-24 win over Penn State, Indiana scored over 30 points in four straight games.
Mendoza's done more with his feet than Sayin as well. He has a rushing touchdown in three straight games and 240 total yards on the ground. Sayin only has 21 rushing yards this season.
Mendoza has two more opportunities to add to his stats against the Wisconsin Badgers and Purdue Boilermakers. Indiana is expected to win big in both games to place the Hoosiers in the Big Ten Championship Game.
If Mendoza and Indiana beat Sayin and Ohio State in Indianapolis, there's a good chance the Indiana quarterback could leave as the Heisman favorite.
Ty Simpson
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Ty Simpson has the most to gain among the Heisman contenders in Week 12.
The Alabama quarterback faces yet another Top 25 opponent, this time in the form of the Oklahoma Sooners.
Simpson has 1,069 passing yards and nine touchdowns against Top 25 foes already this season. Most importantly, he's 4-0 in those games.
A fifth Top 25 win could further bolster Simpson's Heisman resume in comparison to Sayin and Mendoza.
Simpson has the potential to go 6-0 versus ranked teams if Alabama wins out and makes the SEC Championship Game.
Whether he plays A&M, the Georgia Bulldogs or Ole Miss Rebels, Simpson can add to his resume in Atlanta.
Simpson's final set of statistics might not match Sayin or Mendoza, but winning almost half of his games against ranked teams would impress a handful of voters.
Marcel Reed
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Marcel Reed is the best dual-threat quarterback among the four top Heisman contenders.
The Texas A&M quarterback has 378 rushing yards and six ground scores to go along with his 2,193 passing yards an 19 touchdowns.
Like Simpson, Reed is undefeated against Top 25 opponents. All three of his ranked victories occurred on the road. That could be a X-factor that stands out if the four quarterback resumes are so similar.
Reed will be back in the spotlight on November 28, when he has a chance to earn his fourth Top 25 road win against the Texas Longhorns.
A victory in Austin would allow the Aggies to land in the SEC Championship Game, where Reed and Simpson might duel for a higher position in the final Heisman vote tally.
