How we voted for the Heisman Trophy

Doug and Bill reveal their Heisman picks after Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza was announced as the winner.

Heisman finalists, from left, Jeremiyah Love, Fernando Mendoza, Diego Pavia and Julian Sayin. (Photo courtesy of the Heisman Trust.)

COLUMBUS — Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza won the 91st Heisman Trophy on Saturday night over second-place Diego Pavia of Vanderbilt. Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love was third and Ohio State quarterback Julian Sayin was fourth.

Mendoza finished with 2,362 points, Pavia had 1,435, Love had 719 and Sayin 432.

Sayin received eight first-place votes; Jeremiah Smith, who finished sixth, had four first-place votes, and Caleb Downs, who finished ninth, had two first-place votes.

We have two Heisman voters here at The Bill and Doug Substack, and here’s how we voted for the award.

First

Doug: Fernando Mendoza, Indiana QB

Easy pick. I was pretty certain I’d vote for the winning quarterback of the Big Ten Championship Game. A No. 1 vs. No. 2 showdown, with both quarterbacks among the statistical leaders at their position, warranted that to me. I’ve always explained that I think a Heisman winner should help tell the story of the college football season, so team success matters a lot. Mendoza as the engine of the No. 1 Hoosiers, while leading the nation in passing touchdowns and ranking second in several QB rating metrics to Sayin, was a no-brainer.

Bill: Mendoza

I’ll echo most of what Doug said, and add that I thought Mendoza made some pretty big-time, meet-the-moment type of throws in the Big Ten title game, even if his overall performance wasn’t earth-shattering.

Second

Doug: Jeremiyah Love, Notre Dame RB

After the first-place vote, I’m more open to individual excellence, regardless of team success. I thought Love was by far the best running back in the country this season, and he was second in yards from scrimmage (138 per game) among power conference players, behind Nebraska’s Emmett Johnson. I considered Diego Pavia here, as both Pavia and Love led 10-2 teams that just missed the playoff. And I thought Love was more excellent.

Bill: Diego Pavia, Vanderbilt QB

I stuck with a more season-narrative approach for this pick. No, Vanderbilt isn’t a playoff team, but it did set a new program record for wins in a season with 10 and, like Indiana, represents the new upward mobility in college football. Pavia, with 36 total touchdowns and more than 4,000 total yards passing and rushing, led them there.

Third

Doug: Julian Sayin, Ohio State QB

As I laid out before the Big Ten Championship game, in the playoff era, eight of 11 Heisman winners played on conference championship weekend. It matters. Love plays for a team that can’t do that — Pavia’s team just didn’t make it. If you’re going to buck that trend, you had better be elite. Lamar Jackson, Jayden Daniels, and Travis Hunter were the three winners who didn’t make a conference title game, and I don’t think Pavia is in that class.

So I went back to the story-of-the-season thinking where team success matters, and I thought an Ohio State player was the right choice. I considered Jeremiah Smith, and if he hadn’t been hurt, or if his game against Michigan had matched his 144-yard output against Indiana, he might have been my pick. As it was, I thought Sayin was the driver of Ohio State’s biggest win of the year — 19 for 26, 233 yards, three touchdowns and a pick against the Wolverines.

Combine that with his stats and Ohio State’s standing as the No. 2 team in the nation, and Sayin got the nod.

Bill: Sayin

I struggled with this pick and probably took the layup. Given the arc of the season, I think Ohio State deserved a spot on the Heisman ballot. I was torn between Sayin, Jeremiah Smith and Caleb Downs. It was more of a Sayin vs. Downs conversation in the end. I fell back on Sayin’s performance against Michigan. He showed some resolve and played well while helping the Buckeyes end their losing streak in the rivalry. Add in the statistical excellence of his single-season record completion rate (78.4 percent), and Sayin got the vote.