Trent Green hasn't had a chance to meet Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza. That does not mean Green – a CBS Sports analyst who played for the Hoosiers 1989-92 – has not been watching the Indiana quarterback lead a run toward the school's first Big Ten championship appearance.
Green admitted to catching Indiana games at various hotel rooms while in transit this season. One quality stands out.
"I like his moxie," Green told AllSportsPeople.
Green is partnered with Caesars Sportsbook and will celebrate the launch of sports betting in Missouri on Dec. 1. Mendoza is the Heisman front-runner on Caesars' latest odds.
MORE: Picks against the spread for Week 14's Top 25 games
Mendoza is tied for the FBS lead with 30 passing TDs. No. 2 Indiana (11-0) clinches its first berth in the Big Ten championship game with a victory against Purdue on Friday – and a clash with No. 1 Ohio State (11-0) and quarterback Julian Sayin – who has the third-best Heisman odds – appears imminent. Mendoza – who has 2,641 – ranks fourth in the FBS in completion percentage at 73% – has the numbers.
That's not the reason why Green has been impressed.
"What jumped out to me this season – you think about the tough road games they've had – at Iowa, Oregon and Penn State ultimately ended up coming down to the final second," Green said. "In all three of those games he threw an interception in the fourth quarter … but he always came back in each one of those games and came back and threw a TD right after that which ultimately ended up winning the game."
This is true. In all three of those Big Ten road contests, Mendoza threw a fourth-quarter interception then led the go-ahead or game-winning drive in response.
He threw a 49-yard TD pass to Elijah Sarratt with 1:28 left in a 20-15 win against Iowa on Oct. 5. Mendoza threw a game-tying pick six a week later against Oregon, but followed up with a TD pass to Sarratt which led to a 30-20 victory. Against Penn State, Mendoza hit Omar Cooper Jr. For a 7-yard TD with 36 seconds left in a dramatic 27-24 victory. It's not a Heisman moment so much as a collection.
"That just says a lot about his ability as a QB to let that stuff go and go to the next play," Green said.
MORE: CFP forecast | Bowl projections
Green led Indiana to a 7-4-1 mark in 1991, and all four losses were on the road against top-25 teams in No. 7 Notre Dame, No. 4 Michigan, No. 10 Iowa and No. 19 Ohio State. Mendoza has led the Hoosiers to a pair of top-10 victories against No. 9 Illinois and No. 3 Oregon. Now, the chance to win a rivalry game against Purdue before a potential Big Ten championship with No. 1 Ohio State could decide the Heisman Trophy.
Mendoza also is generating more than a little interest for the 2026 NFL Draft.
"He does a lot of good things," Green said. "He's accurate. He's smart, he knows where to go with the football. Not an overly crazy strong arm, but a strong enough arm he can make all the throws."
As part of his partnership, Green will stop at the Caesars Sportsbook at Horseshoe St. Louis, Harrah's Kansas City, and Isle of Capri Boonville on Dec. 1. Caesars' "Party Like a Caesar" promotion will give Missouri sports fans a chance to win a trip to the Super Bowl when they place a bet of $5 or more before the end of the NFL season.
"I have a lot of ties across this state, and on Dec. 1 we're launching things," Green said. "I'm going to work across the state just to promote the day. I am just excited about the fact that sports betting is finally in Missouri."
Here is a look at the Heisman Trophy odds and the leaderboard heading into Rivalry Week.
DECOURCY: Why the CFP needs to expand to 16 teams
Latest Heisman Trophy odds
A look at the latest Heisman Trophy odds, according to Caesars. A total of five players have Heisman odds of +1300 or better:
| PLAYER | SCHOOL | POS. | ODDS |
| Fernando Mendoza | Indiana | QB | -105 |
| Jeremiyah Love | Notre Dame | RB | +375 |
| Julian Sayin | Ohio State | QB | +400 |
| Diego Pavia | Vanderbilt | QB | +600 |
| Marcel Reed | Texas A&M | QB | +1300 |
Top Heisman Trophy contenders
Here are the top five Heisman Trophy contenders heading into the final week of September. These four quarterbacks have Heisman odds of +1000 or better.
- Fernando Mendoza, QB, Indiana (-105)
2025 stats: 2,641 yards, 73%, 30 TDs, 5 INTs
Mendoza is coming off a bye week. He completed 22 of 24 passes for 299 yards and four TDs against Wisconsin on Nov. 15. Mendoza is a blend of accuracy and efficiency, and he has five games with at least four TDs and no interceptions this season. He has a 55.6% completion percentage on passes of 20 yards or more, which ranks sixth among FBS quarterbacks. Mendoza's candidacy likely comes down to the Big Ten championship game. Ohio State quarterback Troy Smith was the last Big Ten player to win the Heisman Trophy in 2006.
- Jeremiyah Love, RB, Notre Dame (+375)
2025 stats: 1,306 rushing yards, 7.1 ypc., 17 TDs
Love is a late-season candidate worth watching. Is there a more exciting player in college football right now? He ranks third in the FBS in rushing yards (1,306) and rushing TDs (17), and he's done that on 7.1 yards per carry. He has 274 receiving yards and three TDs. Each week, a new highlight-reel TD pops up. A late surge – in which he averages 155.2 rushing yards in Notre Dame's last five games – has helped. Notre Dame closes the regular season with Stanford, so this is Love's last chance to impress the voters ahead of conference championship week.
- Julian Sayin, QB, Ohio State (+400)
2025 stats: 2,832 yards, 79.4%, 27 TDs, 4 INTs
Sayin leads the nation in completion percentage. Receivers Carnell Tate and Jeremiah Smith are certainly part of that success, but that does not diminish the efficiency in which Sayin has played as a first-year starter. He has 13 TDs and one interception on passes between 10-19 yards according to PFF, that intermediate range that can be tough for young QBs. Sayin can make his case against Michigan and possibly against the Hoosiers in the Big Ten championship game. It's that simple.
MORE: Setting the table for Rivalry Weekend
- Diego Pavia, QB, Vanderbilt (+600)
2025 stats: 2,924 yards, 26 TDs, 6 INTs
Should Pavia be getting more attention? He has a chance to lead the Commodores to 10 victories for the first time in school history. Pavia ranks third in the FBS in total offense (325.9 ypg.) And perhaps no player on this list means more to their team's success. Vanderbilt leads the nation in yards per play. Pavia leads the SEC with a 71.8% completion percentage. In Vanderbilt's last three games, Pavia has put up 408.3 passing yards and 67.7 rushing yards with 14 total TDs and just one interception. Vanderbilt plays at Tennessee on Saturday.
- Marcel Reed, QB, Texas A&M (+1300)
2025 stats: 2,752 yards, 61.8%, 25 TDs, 8 INTs
Reed led the memorable comeback from a 30-3 deficit to a 31-30 victory against South Carolina on Nov. 15. That included a season-high 439 passing yards. Reed has a chance to make a late run if the Aggies can win the SEC championship game. The visibility will be high in the Black Friday prime-time window against No. 17 Texas. Reed also has 395 rushing yards and six TDs. He is a remarkable quarterback on an unbeaten team. How much room is there to move up?
When is the Heisman Trophy Ceremony?
The Heisman Trophy will be awarded on Dec. 13, 2025; one week after the conference championship games. The ceremony will be televised at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN.