The rise of Heis-Mendoza

The first eight weeks of the college football season have come and gone, and they’ve certainly been unpredictable.

This year has seen both the rise of breakout stars as well as some major disappointments, most notably in the department of quarterback play.

Signal-callers like Arch Manning, Cade Klubnik and Drew Allar were among the preseason favorites to lift the Heisman trophy come December, but have since seen their names fall completely out of the race.

One name has entered the Heisman conversation that, before his team kicked off against Old Dominion in their season-opener, was buried in the aforementioned preseason odds: Fernando Mendoza.

The Miami native spent his last three seasons at California, before transferring to Indiana in December of 2024. As a Golden Bear, he threw for 4,712 yards and 30 touchdowns through 20 games played.

Mendoza’s move to Indiana was needed for both parties. While Indiana was one of the country’s top-ranked squads in 2024, quarterback Kurtis Rourke was off to the NFL Draft after his career year.

The transfer made sense for Mendoza as well, as his Golden Bears were only able to muster two 6-7 records despite his strong stat lines.

In his first and likely only season at Indiana, Mendoza has thrown for 1,755 yards and 21 touchdowns through seven games, while only being intercepted twice. His Hoosiers sit at 7-0 and at No. 2 in this week’s AP Poll, their highest rank in program history, putting Mendoza squarely in the race for the Heisman.

The wins aren’t coming against lightweights, either. While the team’s opening three contests were against two Group of Five teams and an FCS opponent, Mendoza led his team to a 63-10 dismantling of then No. 9 Illinois in their first real test of the season.

A program-altering win came just two weeks ago, when the Hoosiers stormed into Eugene and took down the No. 3 Oregon Ducks on the road. Mendoza threw for 215 yards and a touchdown in the matchup, outperforming Ducks quarterback Dante Moore on his own field.

Beating Oregon signalled an improvement on the Hoosiers’ strong season last year. While they beat up on the bottom feeders in 2024, they couldn’t get it done when it came time to play the nation’s big dogs.

Indiana entered last season’s matchup with Ohio State an unbeaten 10-0. The then No. 5 Hoosiers received a rude awakening from the Buckeyes, losing 38-15. The pattern would continue in the playoffs, when Indiana was bounced by Notre Dame in the first round.

By beating the Ducks, however, the Hoosiers proved they can hang with the best teams in the country. Mendoza has clearly been a large part of the team’s change in identity, which has led to him receiving nationwide attention.

According to FanDuel Sportsbook, the Hoosier star sits at +340 odds to win the Heisman Trophy, the second shortest behind only Alabama gunslinger Ty Simpson.

He also holds the best odds to go first overall in the 2026 NFL Draft, as FanDuel has Mendoza at +210 to be the first player to hear his name called in Pittsburgh this spring.

Mendoza would become the first player in Indiana history to lift the Heisman. While running back Anthony Thompson was the runner-up in 1989, no Hoosier has ever claimed college football’s biggest prize.

With his biggest tests of the season already in the rearview mirror, Mendoza has a clear path ahead. If he handles business the rest of the regular season and has a strong showing in a potential Indiana playoff run, the former Golden Bear should etch his name in the Hoosier history books.

Elliott Inscho is a first-year student studying digital and print journalism. To contact him, email eli5026@psu.edu