Week 11 Heisman Poll: How Did We Get Here?

Is it possible to win the Heisman Trophy and not play on a playoff-bound team? In short, yes, Travis Hunter did just last season. Unfortunately, the 2024 results do not follow the trend. In 2025, the lack of one or two truly elite candidates has reduced the award to highlighting the quarterbacks of the top teams in the sport. Shouldn’t the Heisman mean more than looking at the best teams? After all, it is an individual award. This week’s Heisman Poll will highlight the top candidates, but not without examining the process of selecting a Heisman winner.

The top candidates to win the Heisman Trophy are, in order from five to one, Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia, Texas A&M quarterback Marcel Reed, Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson, Ohio State quarterback Julian Sayin, and Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza. The players ranked one through four in this week’s poll represent the top four teams in the country, as well. Thus, the narrative that individual awards are tied to team success continues to advance. In fifth place, Pavia is an outlier, as his Vanderbilt Commodores are not only outside the top four seeds but also need help to make the College Football Playoff field.

Each week, the performances of the week shift the Heisman voting here at Last Word. However, the irregularity of ranking and week-to-week volatility is not unique to this platform. Media members, handicappers, and fans alike shift their opinions of who the top players in the nation are from week to week. This week’s example is the re-emergence of Pavia in the top five. It is no coincidence that Pavia’s ranking comes on the heels of an outstanding performance against Auburn in which the super senior threw for 377 yards and three touchdowns while adding 112 yards and a touchdown on 18 carries. He was efficient as well, completing over 75% of his passes.

The opponent did not matter. Auburn has had a more than disappointing season, fired its coach, and benched its quarterback. Still, the Tigers came into Nashville and took the ‘Dores to overtime. But Pavia prevailed. His stat line stands out in a world where watching all the games on any given weekend becomes increasingly difficult (thanks to Disney and Google), and that is enough for many voters to make a decision. However, stats alone will not be enough. Vanderbilt needs to push for the playoff field for Pavia to continue his ascension.

The famous “Heisman Moment” also showed up in our voting this week. Mendoza’s Hoosiers found themselves in a battle with Penn State on Saturday. Like Vanderbilt, Indiana had no business in a comeback scenario late against a team led by a different head coach than the one they started the season with. Nevertheless, the struggle against the Nittany Lions set up an opportunity for Mendoza to etch his name in history with a defining Heisman moment. Every Heisman Trophy winner has one. It’s the moment that is burned into the minds of college football fans for years to come. If you saw it live, you remember where you were. If highlights served up the play, the disbelief still packs a punch.

The final drive against Penn State, complete with not one, but two connections from Mendoza to his receivers, is the most iconic moment of this football season. The weight of these individual moments is heavy on the minds of Heisman voters. Last week, it was Sayin atop the Last Word Heisman Poll. A four-touchdown performance against Penn State launched the Buckeye QB to number one. But this week is evidence that the Heisman moment is heavier than numbers. Mendoza reclaimed number one because he made football fans feel something that reading stats never will: alive.

Quarterback is the most important position in all of sports. Naturally, the player who touches the ball on every play has the ability to influence the play call and can make a play at any moment; they are, or are often considered, the leader on most football teams. However, being a leader and an impactful player by the nature of the position does not automatically equate to being the best player on the team, much less in the country. The quarterback position garners much attention and has dominated the Heisman Trophy, especially since the turn of the century. But the Heisman winner is defined as the “most outstanding player in college football,” not the most valuable, impactful, or best player on the best team.

Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love, Ohio State wide receiver Jeremiah Smith, and Texas Tech linebacker (yes, you read that correctly) Jacob Rodriguez all received votes this week at Last Word. The inclusion of other players begs the question, “What makes a player outstanding?” The football player who most stands out amongst his peers should be recognized as such. While positions outside of quarterback inherently get fewer opportunities to stand out, it is quite possible for any other player to be the most outstanding.

To truly evaluate the top players in the sport, media members, fans, and voters must zoom out and look at the whole body of work. The season as a whole matters. The success of the team matters. The consistency of play matters. And, yes, those key, memorable moments should also factor in. None of these criteria deserves to dominate the evaluation process. However, to vote based on unbiased, equal criteria is to eliminate the human element from the process. After all, isn’t the true pinnacle of sport and competition to entertain all who watch? Maybe humanity can’t be taken out of voting. Maybe an imperfect process is what makes the Heisman Trophy the most prestigious award in college football.

Main Photo: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports