2025 Heisman Odds and Predictions – Who Will Strike the Heisman Pose?

Mendoza is coming off a 299-yard, four-touchdown performance in a 31-7 win over Wisconsin. However, he had his Heisman moment a week earlier. The junior signal-caller led the Hoosiers on a 10-play, 80-yard drive in 1:15 at Penn State, including an incredible seven-yard TD pass to Omar Cooper Jr. to keep Indiana undefeated.

THROW OF THE YEAR!
CATCH OF THE YEAR!

Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza and Omar Cooper Jr. make an unreal play for a go-ahead TD vs. Penn State with 36 seconds left.

🎥 @CFBONFOX pic.twitter.com/mX4qr3AOe1

— The Athletic (@TheAthletic) November 8, 2025

Mendoza’s 30 touchdowns are first in the NCAA, and he has only thrown five interceptions, completing passes at a 73% clip. He is also second in the country in QB rating at 184.8. Indiana has one game left after this bye week, and it’s a trip to Purdue, to face the 2-9 Boilermakers.

Indiana should run the table and play in the Big Ten Championship, likely against Ohio State. That game could swing the 2025 Heisman odds!

Sayin could have something to “say” about Mendoza winning Indiana’s first Heisman Trophy! The Ohio State QB was relatively quiet in a 48-10 rout of UCLA, throwing for 184 yards and one touchdown. It was his first non-300-yard day in four games.

Ohio State QB Julian Sayin is completing 80.1% of his passes this season.

Best in the nation. pic.twitter.com/HL7DI08ls9

— The Buckeye Nut (@TheBuckeyeNut) November 18, 2025

Sayin leads the nation in QB rating at 186.2, just ahead of Mendoza. His 80.1% completion rate is also tops in the NCAA, and he has thrown 25 touchdowns to four picks. The sophomore also hasn’t played in a close game since a 14-7 win over Texas in the season opener.

That shouldn’t dissuade you from taking Sayin’s Heisman odds, however. Indiana’s defense is just behind Ohio State in points allowed. Sayin has had a considerable hand in the Buckeyes beating the stuffing out of teams. Top-ranked Ohio State hosts Rutgers this week, and then it’s a massive trip to Michigan for their annual rivalry game with the Wolverines.

If Sayin slips in that game, Mendoza should be the runaway favorite in the 2025 Heisman betting odds. But hopefully, these two QBs will be undefeated heading into the Big Ten title game!

Reed is hanging around the top of the board, leading Texas A&M to third in the rankings. He rallied the Aggies from a 27-point deficit against South Carolina, as they were down 30-3 at halftime. The Aggies won 31-30, and Reed threw for 439 yards, three touchdowns, and two interceptions. All three of those TDs came in the third quarter.

Marcel Reed, everyone.

439 passing yards. 27-point comeback.
AP National Player of the Week. #GigEm 👍 pic.twitter.com/VjFnTYvnr5

— TexAgs (@TexAgs) November 17, 2025

The sophomore is 17^th in passing yards, which is two spots behind Sayin and one behind Mendoza. His completion rate is 61.5%, which is well behind the Heisman odds leaders. He also has 22 touchdowns to eight interceptions. But Reed has proven to be a winner, and has had to help rescue the Aggies more than once this season in the tough SEC.

Texas A&M has an easy game against Samford before heading to Texas to conclude the regular season. Reed needs a couple of big games to keep pace with Mendoza and Sayin, but he’s more than capable!

Pavia led the #12 Commodores to a big 45-38 OT win over Auburn, throwing for 377 yards and three touchdowns. He also had his first 100-yard rushing game, running for 112 yards and a score.

Updated @PFSNcollege highest-graded SEC QBs, 2025:

Diego Pavia, Vanderbilt: 97.6
Trinidad Chambliss, Ole Miss: 94.8
Gunner Stockton, Georgia: 92.7
Taylen Green, Arkansas: 91.1
Ty Simpson, Alabama: 90.7
Marcel Reed, Texas A&M: 88.5
Joey Aguilar, Tennessee: 88.1
Arch Manning,… pic.twitter.com/XAnuG24a1p

— Cam Mellor (@CamMellor) November 17, 2025

The senior is completing 70% of his passes, and he is fourth in passer rating at 166.8. He also leads Vanderbilt in rushing with 613 yards and seven touchdowns. You could argue that Pavia has had more to do than the favorites in the Heisman odds.

On the downside, he’s been inconsistent. He was bad in a 30-14 loss at Alabama, and the Commodores fell just short in a 34-31 loss at Texas. Those are good teams to lose to, but the top three don’t have a defeat on their resume. In a race this close, that could be the difference.

Vandy has a home game against Kentucky, and then a trip to Tennessee. Pavia has to keep his foot on the gas to stay in the Heisman race, but I do think he’s a bit overpriced.

Stockton is also slightly overpriced, although he had another good game in a 35-10 win over Texas. The QB threw for 229 yards, four touchdowns, and a pick. He also ran for 29 yards and a score for the fourth-ranked Bulldogs.

Like Pavia, Stockton was also poor in a loss to Alabama, but the Bulldogs haven’t lost since. He also doesn’t have the raw numbers that the players above him on the board do. He has a QB rating of 156.9, he is 46^th in passing yards, and although he has three interceptions, Stockton has just 19 touchdowns.

He’s a good player, no doubt. But I don’t think Stockton has much of a shot in the 2025 Heisman odds. You could argue that either of the next two players should be closer to the main favorites.

The Notre Dame running back had his fifth 100-yard game in a 37-15 win at Pitt, rushing for 147 yards and a touchdown. Three of those outings have come in his last four games.

.@JoeTessESPN says Notre Dame has the best player in CFB in Jeremiyah Love 👀 pic.twitter.com/xpiuKwX7dd

— Get Up (@GetUpESPN) November 18, 2025

Love is fourth in the country in rushing yards with 1,135 yards and 14 touchdowns, and is also better at catching out of the backfield for the ninth-ranked Fighting Irish. I do think he’s fighting an uphill battle, as there hasn’t been an RB Heisman winner since Derrick Henry in 2015. Running backs have won the Heisman 21 times, but quarterbacks have won 12 of the last 15 times.

Notre Dame has a home game against Syracuse and a trip to Stanford remaining this season. Love may have to pull out a pair of 200-yard games to overcome the Heisman odds. But he ran for 228 yards against USC, so it’s on the table!

Smith may have a bigger hill to climb than Love. The sophomore wideout had just 40 yards on four catches in Ohio State’s 48-10 win over UCLA. However, he had 123 yards and two touchdowns against Penn State three weeks ago, and 137 yards and a score against Purdue before the UCLA game.

Smith may also be injured and could miss this week’s game against Rutgers, which would hurt his chances even more. But if the voters had to pick between Sayin and Smith, they’d probably lean towards the quarterback. That’s a shame, because Smith is incredible and should have a fantastic NFL career.