With just two game weeks left in the regular season, the Heisman race is getting messier. Gone are the days when SEC QBs were the favorites. Heading into Week 13, Fernando Mendoza sits at the top. However, the No. 1 team in the nation also has two contenders in wide receiver Jeremiah Smith and quarterback Julian Sayin. Who has the edge?

“I think the odds are really good for one of them [Sayin and Smith] to do it,” CFB analyst Bruce Feldman told Dave Revsine of Big Ten Football. “And obviously, it’s a Michigan-Ohio State game, and it’s a huge rivalry game. But, I feel it’s gonna probably come to the Big Ten title game; it’s a huge title game.”

At this point, undefeated Indiana and Ohio State are set to meet in the Big Ten championship game. While it’ll be a battle between Ryan Day and Curt Cignetti, the QBs will also be looked at for the Heisman. And then there’s Jeremiah Smith, who may even see an increase in production after Carnell Tate was ruled out for the season.

So far, first-year starter Julian Sayin has thrown for 2675 yards and 25 touchdowns on an 80.1% completion rate. Interestingly, Mendoza has thrown more touchdowns than Sayin but at a lesser completion rate (73.3%) and has fewer passing yards (2641). But Feldman has a favorite.

“And right now, I would say I am probably leaning towards Mendoza,” he said.  

Entering Week 13, Mendoza is the Heisman front-runner with -125 odds, with Julian Sayin trailing behind with +225. As per Feldman, even the worst-case scenario for the B1G championship game for Indiana and Mendoza doesn’t change anything for the Indiana QB at this stage.

“But what happens if Ohio State shuts Mendoza down and they beat him 28-17, and Sayin does what he does, completes 8 of the passes, and is spot-on with the ball? I am sure Jeremiah is going to be fine. He’s got another year. I think he’s the most outstanding player in college football.”

Moreover, the Heisman chances of both Sayin and Smith are hurt by the dual campaign that the program has to run for its two aces.

Ohio State’s dual Heisman Campaign for Jeremiah Smith & Julian Sayin

With Ohio State’s offensive duo among the top contenders, the program made sure that its star players were at the forefront for the Heisman Trophy, launching a dual campaign. Literally, there are now websites, such as WeSayinHeisman.com and JJ4Heisman.com, providing the statistics of both players, proving why they should be in contention for the prestigious award.

While the Heisman run keeps them competitive, they’re sacrificing each other to snatch the award for the Buckeyes. From a clip shared by 10TV’s Adam King on X, Jeremiah Smith, when asked about his Heisman chances, smiled and said, “No, that’s Julian Sayin’s trophy right there, the Heisman goes to Julian Sayin.” Seconds later, when Julian Sayin was asked the same, he returned the favor, saying the Heisman should go to “Jeremiah Smith… He’s a special player.”

As Feldman refers, they’re kind of put in a 2002 Miami situation, where the QB Ken Dorsey and Willis McGahee both competed for the Heisman trophy. This could be hard for their program to make a stance, especially with another QB having an amazing year.