But there’s a third front-runner in this race — Diego Pavia of Vanderbilt. The top riser of Week 8, Pavia has carried Vandy to a 6-1 start, its best in 75 years. He accounted for three touchdowns and 246 yards as the Commodores beat LSU 31-24 Saturday in Nashville.

Justin's top 10 Heisman Trophy contenders ahead of Week 8 of the 2025 college football season. Where do Ty Simpson and Fernando Mendoza rank?

Three players have separated themselves from the pack in the Heisman Trophy race. Here's where Indiana's Fernando Mendoza stands.

The double-edged sword of marquee games is the influence—or, perhaps more accurately, influences—of the result.

Indiana’s win at Oregon pushes Fernando Mendoza into our top spot, but he faces stiff competition from SEC and ACC quarterbacks.

Yet if there’s an early contender for Simpson’s Heisman Moment, it came Saturday at Missouri. His fourth-down pass to Lotzeir Brooks was perhaps his most accurate ball of the season when Alabama needed it the most. The lead was just three and Missouri had an opportunity to take over at its own 38 if that 4th-and-8 throw was off.

This week, those top contenders are Alabama’s Ty Simpson and Miami’s Carson Beck. Both currently have +350 odds to win the Heisman on BetMGM. Beck’s Hurricanes were on bye this past weekend, but he has been among the favorites since Miami picked up ranked wins against Notre Dame and South Florida early in the season.