Heisman Debate Heats Up: Fernando Mendoza’s Win Sparks Comparison to Shedeur Sanders’ 2024 Season
Fernando Mendoza made history this weekend, becoming Indiana’s first-ever Heisman Trophy winner. But before the confetti had even settled, the discussion around his win turned into a full-blown debate-one that’s lighting up social media and dividing college football fans across the country.
At the heart of the conversation is a side-by-side comparison between Mendoza’s 2025 season and Shedeur Sanders’ 2024 campaign at Colorado. The numbers?
They lean Sanders’ way. Mendoza finished the season with 2,980 passing yards, 33 touchdowns, six interceptions, and a 71% completion rate.
Sanders, by contrast, put up 4,134 yards, 37 touchdowns, 10 picks, and completed 74% of his passes.
That stat sheet alone had fans asking: Did the right guy win?
But numbers don’t always tell the full story. Mendoza led Indiana to a perfect 13-0 record, including a road win over a top-10 team and a Big Ten title victory against the defending champs. He delivered in pressure moments and helped elevate a program that had never produced a Heisman winner-until now.
Sanders, meanwhile, had a statistically impressive season but couldn’t translate that into consistent wins. And in a sport where winning still matters most, that’s hard to ignore.
Still, the online reaction was anything but unanimous. Fans flooded the comments with strong takes.
One user fired back with a simple question: “How many #1 teams (or even ranked) did Sanders beat?” Another wasn’t convinced by the Mendoza hype at all, writing, “Numbers never lie.”
Some fans took it a step further, questioning the overall quality of this year’s Heisman race. “There hasn’t been a legit Heisman guy for the last 2 years.
They all suck,” one commenter wrote. Others dismissed the entire exercise of comparing different seasons altogether: “This was clearly a down year.
If you want, I could throw up Joe Burrow’s numbers and show how bad Sanders looks next to him.”
There was also plenty of criticism aimed directly at Mendoza. One fan didn’t hold back: “This QB class is really bad and Mendoza is probably the worst Heisman winner we’ve seen in a decade plus.”
Another chalked it up to team success, not individual brilliance: “Average quarterback on a well-coached team. This year’s Heisman was a team award.”
And, of course, there were those who pointed out the obvious: “We all know why the people who prefer Sanders over Mendoza say that, but a big thing might be that Sanders couldn’t win a football game.”
Despite the noise, the voting wasn’t even close. Mendoza pulled in 643 first-place votes out of 930 ballots. Vanderbilt’s Diego Pavia came in second with 189.
Pavia had a strong case of his own. He led Vanderbilt to its first 10-win season ever, threw for 27 touchdowns, and added nine more on the ground while rushing for 826 yards.
But his résumé wasn’t spotless. The Commodores’ biggest win came against No.
25 Missouri, and Pavia managed just six touchdown passes against teams with winning records.
That didn’t stop longtime sports personality Skip Bayless from weighing in. On Sunday, he questioned Mendoza’s win on social media, calling the Indiana quarterback’s acceptance speech “rehearsed” and throwing his support behind Pavia. Bayless argued that Pavia’s performance on the field-despite his brash style-deserved more recognition.
Mendoza, meanwhile, let his play do the talking. He engineered a comeback win over Penn State and led Indiana to a Big Ten title win over Ohio State.
Against teams with winning records, he threw 13 touchdown passes and just three interceptions. Critics pointed out that Penn State finished 6-6 and fired its head coach midseason, casting some doubt on the weight of that comeback victory.
As for Pavia, he didn’t stay silent. After finishing runner-up, he posted a photo on Instagram with a blunt message aimed squarely at the voters.
The Heisman debate isn’t going anywhere. But Mendoza has the trophy-and a shot at a national title still ahead. Whether that playoff run quiets the critics or just gives them more to argue about will depend on how Indiana shows up when it matters most.