Just like that, the 2025 college football regular season is over. And if there’s one thing we can all agree on, regardless of fanbase, it’s that nobody expected this group to be the Heisman finalists based on the preseason favorites. With the endgame for college football’s biggest award creeping in, here’s everything you need to know about the 2025 Heisman campaign and more:

How to watch the Heisman Trophy Ceremony live

The ceremony airs on ABC, so you can just watch it on your local ABC channel Saturday night. If you don’t have cable, no problem. You can stream it on their ESPN app or use a live TV service like YouTube TV that includes ABC.

What time will the Heisman Trophy winner be announced?

The winner will be revealed this Saturday, December 13. The prime show starts at 7:00 p.m. ET, and you’ll probably see some pre-show stuff around 6:00 p.m. ET. The actual Heisman announcement happens somewhere around 7.

 Heisman Trophy Winners by Year – Complete List

Wondering who has taken home the trophy over the years? The list is long, dating back to 1935.

A fun fact: only one person, Archie Griffin from Ohio State, has ever won the award twice (in 1974 and 1975). The table beneath contains a list of the last 15 years of Heisman winners. If you want the full list going all the way back to 1935, click here:

 What is the story behind the iconic Heisman Trophy pose?

That iconic pose with the stiff arm out and the football tucked has a cool backstory that goes all the way back to 1934. The designer, Frank Eliscu, wanted a live sculpture of it. He ended up using his former high school classmate, Ed Smith, who was a star player at NYU at the time, to model for it.

Smith posed in his full uniform, striking that exact stiff-arm pose you see on the trophy today, though he had no idea what the sculpture was actually for. He didn’t even realize he was the face of the Heisman until 1982!

While the pose was always on the trophy, it didn’t become a cultural phenomenon until a famous moment on the field in 1991. Michigan wide receiver Desmond Howard was having an incredible season, and during a big game against Ohio State, he returned a punt for a touchdown.

As he crossed the goal line, Howard stopped in the end zone and perfectly replicated the Heisman Trophy pose. The announcer famously yelled, “Hello, Heisman!”, and the celebration immediately became legendary.

Since then, we’ve seen plenty of players attempt it every now and then. Last season, former ASU Sun Devils RB Cam Skatteboo hit the Heisman pose after going crazy in the Peach Bowl against the Texas Longhorns. And this season, Vanderbilt’s Diego Pavia has been vocal about it, and he hit a couple of times throughout the season.

Who Are the Top Contenders in This Year’s Heisman Trophy Race?

This year’s race is a bit of slow-burn, featuring four standout finalists:

Jeremiyah Love from Notre Dame (1,372 rushing yards and 21 total touchdowns)

Fernando Mendoza from Indiana (2980 yards, 33 TDs, 6 picks)

Diego Pavia from Vanderbilt (3,192 passing yards, 826 rushing yards, and 36 total TD)

Julian Sayin from Ohio State (3,323 yards, 31 TDs)

When was the last time an Indiana Hoosiers player won the Heisman?

Unfortunately, no player from the Indiana Hoosiers has ever won the Heisman Trophy. However, the closest one a Hoosier ever came to winning the award was in 1989 when running back Anthony Thompson finished as the runner-up, losing out to Andre Ware from Houston. This year, though, the Hoosiers have their best shot yet with Fernando Mendoza making the finalist list.

The Vegas already hooked up with -1000 favorite. All thanks to clutch genes coming alive against Ohio State in the Big 10 title bout, Penn State in week 11 and Oregon in week 7.

How does the Heisman voting work?

The Heisman winner comes from a big voting process with 929 total ballots. Most voters are college football media members, split into six regions to keep things fair. Each voter has a right to choose their top three players. All living former Heisman winners cast a vote too. Fans get one official combined vote from online submissions on the Heisman fan site.

First place gets 3 points, second gets 2, and third gets 1. The respected committee rack that up and keep the last results completely secret until the live announcement.

Where is the Heisman Trophy ceremony held each year?

Finally, the ceremony itself always takes place in the Big Apple. The event calls New York City home every year. Since 2002, the venue has been the beautiful Appel Room at Jazz at Lincoln Center, located at 10 Columbus Circle.