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Justin's top 10 Heisman Trophy contenders ahead of Week 14 of the 2025 college football season. Where do Ty Simpson and Fernando Mendoza rank?
Top 10 Heisman Contenders For Week 14
Week 13 of the college football season is over, but the Heisman race still has a long way to go. Sure, the same guy has looked like the favorite for weeks now, but anything can happen.
This week, we have a new entrant into the top five as a running back’s huge performance this week led to him jumping up in the betting odds. Could he be a viable threat to win the award? Here are the top 10 Heisman contenders as we enter Week 14.
10. Ty Simpson, Quarterback, Alabama
Last Week: Sixth
The last spot here was between Ty Simpson and Georgia Tech quarterback Haynes King, but King’s two interceptions in a must-win game for the Yellow Jackets knocked him off the list and knocked Georgia Tech out of the playoff race.
As for Simpson, he also threw a pair of interceptions this week. Lucky for him, they came in a 56-0 win over FCS program Eastern Illinois, but…I mean, we can’t give a Heisman to a guy who was picked off twice by an FCS team, right?
9. Dante Moore, Quarterback, Oregon
Last Week: Not Ranked
Dante Moore came up big for Oregon this week, going 22-for-30 for 257 yards and two touchdowns in a 42-27 win over USC. He was picked off once.
Moore might have struggled a bit with consistency this season, but he’s got Oregon in great shape as the team is 10-1 with just a road visit with Washington left on the schedule.
8. Jeremiah Smith, Wide Receiver, Ohio State
Last Week: Ninth
The Buckeyes were off this week, but wide receiver Jeremiah Smith moves up one spot due to Haynes King dropping from the rankings.
Maybe Smith hasn’t been as dominant as people expected he’d be this year, but he’s found the end zone 11 total times, including 10 times as a receiver, which gives him the Big Ten lead in receiving scores.
7. Jacob Rodriguez, Linebacker, Texas Tech
Last Week: 10th
Texas Tech had the week off, so why did I move linebacker Jacob Rodriguez up from 10th to seventh? It’s simple: I wasn’t giving this guy enough credit last week.
The Red Raiders have the No. 4 scoring defense in the nation and Rodriguez is a huge part of that. He leads the nation in forced fumbles with seven and the Big 12 in interceptions with four, plus he has 9.5 tackles for loss. He also scored a rushing touchdown last game because…well, why not? After all, he did enter college in 2021 at Virginia as a quarterback.
6. Gunner Stockton, Quarterback, Georgia
Last Week: Fifth
Gunner Stockton didn’t throw a touchdown against Charlotte and he was picked off, but it didn’t matter because it was a Georgia vs. Charlotte game. The Bulldogs won 35-3.
Stockton has completed over 80 percent of his passes in three of the last five games, pushing his overall completion percentage up to 71.4 percent. He has Georgia on the precipice of a first-round bye if he can get past Georgia Tech next week/
5. Marcel Reed, Quarterback, Texas A&M
Last Week: Third
It feels wrong to put Marcel Reed at five when he’s the quarterback for the undefeated Aggies, but a couple of guys are just surging at the right time.
Reed was 10-for-15 for 120 yards and three touchdowns in a 48-0 win over FCS program Samford this week. He’s now thrown for 25 touchdowns on the season, though his eight interceptions make his overall numbers look a bit worse than they are.
4. Diego Pavia, Quarterback, Vanderbilt
Last Week: Fourth
9-2 Vanderbilt probably won’t make the playoffs, but don’t count the Commodores out yet. The right combination of losses ahead of them could get the team the final at-large bid.
That this program is even close to that is all due to quarterback Diego Pavia. This week against Kentucky, Pavia was 33-for-39 for 484 yards and five touchdowns while also rushing for a score. Pavia leads the SEC in completion percentage, touchdown passes, yards per attempt, and quarterback rating while also adding eight rushing scores on the season.
3. Jeremiyah Love, Running Back, Notre Dame
Last Week: Seventh
Jeremiyah Love shot up the rankings in part because of his huge game against Syracuse this week, but that’s not the only reason. First, that game: Love had just eight touches against the Orange, but he turned that into 171 yards and three touchdowns in a 70-7 victory. He had touchdown runs of 45, 14, and 68 yards.
The other reason he moved up is simply that he’s the best player on a team that’s won nine games in a row. Love is the reason Notre Dame is seventh in the nation in scoring offense and on the brink of clinching a playoff spot.
2. Julian Sayin, Quarterback, Ohio Stae
Last Week: Second
The top two remain the top two, with Julian Sayin’s Heisman chances essentially resting on if he can outplay Fernando Mendoza in a head-to-head Big Ten Championship Game matchup.
Against Rutgers, Sayin was 13-for-19 for 157 yards and two touchdowns against Rutgers. His 79.4 percent completion rate and 185.4 quarterback rating both lead the nation.
1. Fernando Mendoza, Quarterback, Indiana
Last Week: First
Fernando Mendoza’s path to the Heisman is simple. If Indiana beats Purdue this week and then beats Ohio State in the Big Ten Championship Game, he wins. I don’t think his performance even matters if he leads the Hoosiers to wins.
Part of that is because Mendoza already had his Heisman moment against Penn State, throwing a late touchdown to save Indiana’s undefeated season. Another part is that his numbers have been great. He leads the nation in touchdown passes and adjusted yards per attempt while also adding five rushing scores this season.
