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Justin's top 10 Heisman Trophy contenders ahead of Week 10 of the 2025 college football season. Where do Ty Simpson and Fernando Mendoza rank?
Top 10 Heisman Contenders For Week 10
The battle for the Heisman might look, on the surface, like a two-player battle at the moment, but Fernando Mendoza and Ty Simpson’s closest competitors continue to inch up the board.
One player drops off the list this week: Oregon quarterback Dante Moore, who was seventh last week. Unfortunately for Moore, he took a hard shot to the face in the third quarter against Wisconsin and exited the game, but his stats weren’t great before that as he was 9-for-15 for 86 yards. Backup Brock Thomas threw Oregon’s only passing touchdown in the game.
Who replaces Moore? Here are the top 10 Heisman contenders entering Week 10.
10. Trinidad Chambliss, Quarterback, Ole Miss
Last Week: 10th
Ole Miss picked up a huge win over Oklahoma on Saturday, taking down the Sooners 34-26. It’s a win that puts the program in a prime position to lock down a playoff spot.
Quarterback Trinidad Chambliss was 24-for-44 for 315 yards and a touchdown while also rushing for 53 yards. His Heisman case would be a lot stronger if he threw more touchdown passes, as he has just nine all season, but he hangs on in the top 10 for another week.
9. Jeremiah Smith, Wide Receiver, Ohio State
Last Week: Ninth
Ohio State was off this week, so I’ll just give you a short version here of why I initially moved wide receiver Jeremiah Smith down to ninth last week: Julian Sayin is the one getting credit for what Ohio State is doing.
It’s like Colorado last year. Quarterback Shedeur Sanders had great numbers, but also never really had a viable shot at the Heisman because Travis Hunter was his teammate. This isn’t a knock against Smith, who remains the most talented receiver in college football. It’s more a credit to Sayin.
8. Haynes King, Quarterback, Georgia Tech
Last Week: Not Ranked
Georgia Tech moved to 8-0 this week, thanks to a huge game from quarterback Haynes King against Syracuse. King was 25-for-31 for 304 yards and three touchdowns and also rushed for a pair of scores.
King hasn’t really gotten much Heisman hype because he came into this game with just four touchdown passes on the season, plus he missed the team’s win over Gardner-Webb. Still, King’s 12 rushing touchdowns showcase how dangerous he is, and if the Yellow Jackets win out, he has a shot to make it to New York as a finalist.
7. Jeremiyah Love, Running Back, Notre Dame
Last Week: Eighth
Notre Dame was off last week, but Jeremiyah Love took advantage of Dante Moore’s issues and moved up to seventh. At this point, he’s the only non-quarterback with a viable shot at winning the Heisman.
Love had rushed for 758 yards and nine touchdowns, with a very impressive 6.1 yards per carry. He sits 10th in the FBS in rushing yards on the season and has Notre Dame back in the playoff picture after an 0-2 start.
6. Gunner Stockton, Quarterback, Georgia
Last Week: Sixth
Georgia had the week off. Gunner Stockton stays at sixth thanks to his performance against Ole Miss two weeks ago, when he threw for four touchdowns and rushed for another.
Stockton leads the SEC in completion percentage at 70.5 percent and has 17 total touchdowns between his arms and legs. He’s fourth among all SEC players in rushing scores.
5. Diego Pavia, Quarterback, Vanderbilt
Last Week: Fifth
Diego Pavia joined the rankings last week with his performance against LSU. He stays at No. 5 this week despite a bit of an uneven showing in Vanderbilt’s 17-10 win over Missouri.
Pavia was 10-for-19 for 129 yards and no touchdowns. He was picked off once. Pavia also added 20 rushing yards and a touchdown on the ground. On one hand, this is now three games in a row with under 200 passing yards for Pavia. On the other hand, Vanderbilt has seven wins before the end of October. The program hasn’t had more than seven wins total in a season since 2013.
4. Marcel Reed, Quarterback, Texas A&M
Last Week: Fourth
Yes, Marcel Reed was picked off twice against LSU, but he also threw two touchdowns and rushed for two more in a 49-25 win over the Tigers. Reed did what he needed to do to keep the Aggies undefeated ahead of the upcoming bye week.
Oh, and his performance in the victory also probably contributed a good bit to LSU firing Brian Kelly after the game. I don’t think that’s something that the Heisman voters look at, but it feels like a mark in Reed’s favor, right?
3. Julian Sayin, Quarterback, Ohio State
Last Week: Third
Ohio State was off this week. Julian Sayin moved up to third last week after going 36-for-42 for 393 yards and four touchdowns in a win over Wisconsin. There’s no reason to move him up or down after the bye.
Sayin currently leads the FBS in completion percentage and passing efficiency rating. Sure, he has two elite receivers to help him out, but Sayin deserves the biggest credit of any Buckeyes player for the undefeated start to the season.
2. Ty Simpson, Quarterback, Alabama
Last Week: First
The top two spots here will probably swap back and forth a few times. Alabama narrowly avoided an upset against South Carolina, winning 29-23. Ty Simpson completed just 55.8 percent of his passes, his lowest rate since the season-opening loss to Florida State.
Still, Bama won, and Simpson threw two touchdowns in the process. His 20 touchdown passes lead the SEC, as do his 9.7 adjusted passing yards per attempt.
1. Fernando Mendoza, Quarterback, Indiana
Last Week: Second
Fernando Mendoza moves back up to No. 1 after Indiana’s 56-6 win over UCLA. Mendoza was 15-for-22 for 168 yards and three touchdowns with one interception while also rushing for 45 yards and a touchdown.
Mendoza’s 24 passing scores lead the FBS. His 11.2 adjusted passing yards per attempt lead as well. He’s been the best quarterback in college football so far this season and is currently the Heisman favorite.
