Who are the Favorites to Win the 2025 Heisman Trophy? Following on from the long family lineage that led uncles Eli and Peyton to Super Bowl glory, 2025 should have been the coming out party for the next in line to the throne: The year the latest Manning rewrote the Longhorns’ record books, swiped the Heisman, and bid a seamless farewell to campus life before ascending as the projected No. 1 pick in next year's NFL draft. If only it were that simple.
Arch Manning's Woes
Under young Arch's stewardship, Texas has endured a brutal baptism. The opening day defeat to the reigning champions was certainly nothing to be ashamed of (albeit mightily disappointing). The disastrous 29-21 humbling at the hands of unranked Florida certainly was. And there have been plenty more scares along the way.
The Horns needed overtime to beat lowly Kentucky, while they very nearly came unstuck against Mississippi State, also coming through overtime unscathed. A recent triumph against high-flying Vanderbilt kept faint playoff hopes alive, but fifth place in the SEC, a miserable 63.1 QBR for Manning, barely good enough for a top 60 spot nationwide, means he's a million miles away from the Heisman. The draft? Forget about it.
Texas came into the season as a favorite with online football betting sites to claim a first national championship in 20 years. Now, however, the latest Bovada football odds make the Longhorns a distant +3000 outsider, while Manning is no longer in contention for the Heisman he had seemingly already won in the preseason. So, who has since inherited the mantle amid the young quarterback's struggles? Let's take a look.
Fernando Mendoza
It’s rare air for an Indiana quarterback to command November headlines, but Fernando Mendoza is accustomed to defying gravity. Written off when he arrived from Cal, he’s morphed into a Big Ten whirlwind—a conductor orchestrating a 10-0 season for the Hoosiers that defies even the wildest preseason projections.
His numbers slice through skepticism: 181 completions on 254 attempts, yielding a cool 2,342 passing yards and 26 touchdowns (just five picks) for an 88.1 QBR—fourth-best in the nation. And when chaos reigns, he is serene: whether threading needles against blitzing Penn State defenders or using those nimble legs (240 rushing yards, five touchdowns) to slip the rush, Mendoza radiates leadership. Should Indiana ride this whirlwind into the postseason unblemished, they may need to clear some trophy space in Bloomington for a Heisman no one saw coming.
Indiana -700 bettors saved 😅
— Bovada (@BovadaOfficial) November 8, 2025
pic.twitter.com/CBQMsjtGFz
Julian Sayin
Sometimes, a star arrives so fully formed that the narrative can barely catch up. Julian Sayin’s emergence in Columbus has been that sort of spectacle—19 years old, transferred from Alabama, already holding the reins of a Buckeyes offense that looks primed and ready to successfully defend the Natty.
The stat line pops: 203 completions on 251 passes, 2,491 yards, 24 touchdowns, four interceptions, and a ridiculous 91.1 QBR. When the lights burn brightest—see: 316 yards, four touchdowns against Penn State, or a spellbinding 393-yard rampage at Wisconsin—Sayin looks less like a first-year starter than a seasoned maestro. Don’t expect rushing theatrics; his 21 ground yards are an afterthought. But in the pocket, he commands time and space with surgical precision. Survive the rugged homestretch, and the Buckeye freshman could turn his rookie year into folklore.
Ty Simpson
Ty Simpson entered 2025 as a safe pair of hands; he’ll exit the fall as the force powering a resurgent Crimson Tide, now 9-1 and still stalking the playoff hunt. The 22-year-old Junior has delivered 2,461 passing yards and 21 touchdowns (against just a single interception) with an 81.3 QBR—numbers that drip with the reliability required to mount a National Championship run.
The tape shows more: a late-drive dagger against LSU (277 yards passing), consistent shredding of SEC defenses, and a toughness that masks the chaos swirling around him. His legs provide spice rather than sustenance (two rushing TDs; 87 yards), but it’s his calm decision-making and RPO mastery that have Alabama dreaming big. The Heisman stage is set—now it’s on Simpson to seize it.
Marcel Reed
Marcel Reed is sculpting a season for the ages at Texas A&M. In preseason, even the most optimistic Aggies fan didn't expect to be in the Natty sweepstakes. Fast forward to mid-November, and not only are they in the conversation; they are unbeaten and motoring toward a first national championship in over 80 years. Not even the enigmatic Johnny Manziel could muster the exploits of which the new sophomore sensation of Kyle Field is making look routine.
Reed's arm sizzles for 2,193 yards and 19 touchdowns, but it’s his breakaway speed—378 rushing yards and six rushing touchdowns—that reshapes games in the blink of an eye. Think of Lamar Jackson in full flight, only younger, slightly smaller, and a hell of a lot hungrier.
The 21-year-old has become college football's ultimate highlight reel this term. He was the swashbuckling wrecking ball dismantling LSU (202 passing, 108 rushing, four total TDs), gashing Missouri, and refusing to lose at Arkansas. Yet he also passes the analytical test: a 78.2 QBR, resilience under pressure, and an audacity that has opponents on their heels. If perfection holds and the Aggies keep conjuring wins in College Station, Reed’s Heisman odds may just be the most tantalizing ticket all fall.
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