Heisman Trophy Rankings: 5 Players Who Made Their Case in Week 4, Including Fernando Mendoza

Week four of the college football season is in the books, and there were plenty of standout performances across the country over the weekend. As the season continues, players are starting to make their case for the Heisman, and here are the guys who strengthened their case to win the award this week.

5 Players Who Strengthened Their Heisman Case in Week 4

1) Fernando Mendoza, QB, Indiana

Indiana jumped from No. 19 to No. 11 (No. 14 in PFSN’s rankings) thanks to a standout performance from QB Fernando Mendoza. The junior now has 16 total touchdowns in four games after the Hoosiers dominated No. 9 Illinois, 63-10. Indiana now has an entirely new set of eyes on them after Mendoza had the game of his life.

Mendoza’s odds to win the Heisman entering this season were +5500, and he’s now only behind John Mateer, according to Bet MGM. The Hoosiers QB completed 21 of his 23 passes against a stellar Fighting Illini defense, or so everyone thought. He threw for 267 yards and five touchdowns as Indiana nears the Top 10 and improved to 4-0 (1-0).

2) John Mateer, QB, Oklahoma

Through the team’s first four games,  Mateer is just 10 yards shy of 200 rushing yards. He’s well over 1,000 passing yards as he guided the Sooners to victory over No. 22 Auburn, 24-17. It was a statement win for Oklahoma, one that has them up to No. 7 in the AP Top 25.

Mateer threw for 392 yards in Week 1 and followed it up with an 11-point win over No. 15 Michigan in Week 2. While Michigan is now No. 19, he already has two Top 25 wins and has looked fantastic in both games.

Mateer won’t see any movement next week as the Sooners are off until they welcome Kent State on October 4.

3) Dante Moore, QB, Oregon

The lone sophomore to make this list is Oregon’s 6’3” 206-pound quarterback. Moore threw for four touchdowns against Oregon State, the most he’s thrown in a game this season. He shook off the Northwestern interception last week as Moore’s TD:INT ratio now sits at 11:1.

The Oregon vs. Oregon State rivalry may never go the Beavers way, but this was a clear statement win for Moore and company. He finished 21/31 with 305 yards and four touchdowns. Not only that, he ran the ball seven times for 53 yards. He had more completions, attempts, yards, passing touchdowns, carries, and rushing yards than he had in any of the prior three weeks.

4) Josh Hoover, QB, TCU

TCU is far from a perfect team, but Hoover is the main reason they are 3-0 and currently ranked No. 24. The Horned Frogs junior QB threw for all five of the team’s touchdowns in their 35-24 win over SMU.  After throwing for 379 against the Mustangs, Hoover sits at exactly 1,000 passing yards through TCU’s first three games.

One of the best things about Hoover’s game is that he continues to get better. This is his fourth year on the team, and he’s coming off a fantastic 2024 season. The Texas native is continuing to outdo himself on a weekly basis by increasing his passing yardage and touchdowns.

5) Jayden Maiava, QB, USC

While not everyone was able to stay up for USC and Michigan State’s 11:00 p.m. EST kickoff, Maiava made sure people would want to watch the highlights. USC’s second-year quarterback is just 212 passing yards shy of his 2024 total despite throwing 99 fewer passes.

The Trojans are now ranked No. 21 after their 45-31 beatdown of Michigan State. Maiava went 20/26 with 234 yards and three touchdowns. In total, he finished with five touchdowns, as two of them came on the ground.

Those were his first rushing touchdowns of the season, as five of Maiava’s eight touchdowns came against the Spartans.