Quarterbacks Julian Sayin (Ohio State) and Fernando Mendoza (Indiana) are in a near-dead heat in Heisman Trophy odds following Week 11 of the college football season.
Alabama QB Ty Simpson, who had been in lockstep with the leaders, took a step back to anywhere from +350 to +550 at top online sportsbooks.
Key Takeaways
- Simpson had been right with Sayin and Mendoza for the last few weeks.
- Sayin could become the third redshirt freshman to win the Heisman.
- Even Diego Pavia’s career day didn’t help him gain substantial ground.
| FanDuel | BetMGM | Caesars | bet365 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Julian Sayin | +160 | +175 | +170 | +175 |
| Fernando Mendoza | +170 | +175 | +190 | +175 |
| Ty Simpson | +500 | +550 | +350 | +450 |
| Marcel Reed | +700 | +750 | +800 | +700 |
| Diego Pavia | +2,000 | +2,500 | +2,500 | +2,000 |
| Jeremiah Smith Jr. | +3,000 | +2,500 | +2,500 | +2,500 |
| Gunner Stockton | +3,000 | +3,000 | +3,000 | +2,500 |
| Jeremiyah Love | +5,000 | +4,000 | +2,800 | +3,300 |
Sayin, who would join Johnny Manziel (2012) and Jameis Winston (2013) as the only redshirt freshmen to win the Heisman Trophy, is as low as +160 at FanDuel Sportsbook.
He was +175 at FanDuel and BetMGM a week ago and is now the shortest favorite of any candidate this season with a 38.5% implied chance to win the award. That’s despite him not having an overly special weekend. The Buckeyes passer went 27-33 for 303 yards, a touchdown, and an interception in a win against Purdue.
Mendoza is only a hair behind Sayin at +170 at FanDuel. He had one of the best moments of the season as he led Indiana on a game-winning drive in the dying moments against Penn State, capped off by a toe-tapping touchdown by Omar Cooper Jr. in the back of the end zone.
OMAR COOPER UNREAL CATCH FOR THE TD 😱🤯
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) November 8, 2025
WHAT A GAME. WHAT A CATCH. @IndianaFootball pic.twitter.com/PhHzKjuVB9
While FanDuel and Caesars both favor Sayin over Mendoza, BetMGM and bet365 have the pair locked in a dead heat.
Simpson had a nice game in Alabama’s 20-9 win over LSU, going for 277 yards and one touchdown, but he fell about 100 points of value at most sportsbooks. He’s as short as +350 at Caesars and as long at +550 at BetMGM.
Texas A&M's Marcel Reed is the only other candidate with odds below +1,000. He went 20-29 for 221 yards and two touchdowns in a dominant win over Mizzou, helping to move the Aggies to a perfect 9-0.
Dark-horse Heisman candidates
After falling from +800 to +2,500 at BetMGM last week, Vanderbilt’s Diego Pavia stabilized and has odds from +2,000 to +2,500. That’s after he set career-highs with 377 passing yards and 489 total yards to go with four touchdowns in an overtime win against Auburn.
Wide receiver Jeremiah Smith Jr., the first non-quarterback on the Heisman Trophy odds board and a longtime favorite pick of public bettors, has odds from +2,500 to +3,000. He just caught a career-high 10 passes for 137 yards and a touchdown in the win against Purdue and is easily on pace to set Ohio State’s career all-time receiving yards, receiving touchdowns, and receptions records in just three years.
Georgia’s Gunner Stockton and Notre Dame’s Jeremiyah Love are the last competitive players remaining in the chase pack. The next candidates in line have odds of at least +10,000.
Stockton had a nice game in Georgia’s win over Mississippi State, going 18-29 for 264 yards and three touchdowns. Love, meanwhile, ran 13 times for 94 yards and two touchdowns in Notre Dame’s blowout win over Navy.
The path to the Heisman
There’s a little less than a month of football left for college football teams across America.
Simpson and Love will face ranked opponents, No. 12 Oklahoma and No. 24 Pittsburgh, respectively, in the coming weekend. Mendoza and Sayin will not as Indiana will take on Wisconsin and Ohio State plays UCLA.
