Indiana and Ohio State traded blows, but Fernando Mendoza kept finding ways while Julian Sayin kept encountering Indiana’s refusal to give up. The Hoosiers won their first Big Ten championship since 1945. They played as if they had been waiting a lifetime for this 13–10 moment, undefeated and all of a sudden at the top of the college football world. And now one Heisman voter has finally picked out his winner.

“When it comes to the Heisman man, like I got to do some soul searching because I got to put my vote in,” David Pollack said on the Nov 7 episode of See Ball Get Ball.”The championship weekend always matters for the Heisman. It always matters, man. But I’ll tell you what, man, it’s going to be really hard to ignore the undefeated heavyweight champion of the world, the only undefeated team in the nation, and a guy that consistently came up big in big-time moments every time they needed it.

I will say this, if you took Mr. Mendoza off Indiana, they dang sure ain’t undefeated. He’s big, he’s strong, he’s tough, he’s athletic, makes the throws. I think Mendoza, because of what he did tonight against Ohio State, who was the best team in the country on a big-time stage in the moment. I think my dude just won a Heisman Trophy.”

The thing that Julian Sayin fans didn’t want to hear was that the Heisman rankings had been tweaked under the Lucas Oil lights. You could see David Pollack convincing himself as he discussed the night’s greatest plays. Mendoza’s calm attitude. His timing. Charlie Becker’s 33-yard shot with 2:40 remaining felt like a door shutting on the Buckeyes’ chances, and perhaps Sayin’s Heisman dreams as well. Even though Sayin was the overwhelming favorite going into the weekend, Pollack made it apparent that Saturday gradually wiped out that edge.

Then Pollack’s tone changed to one that only comes from years of watching football of the highest caliber. He said that it would be almost impossible to ignore, as Fernando Mendoza threw for 222 yards and hit Becker in stride for the 51-yard bomb in the game. Mendoza lifted Indiana each time they stumbled and earned the game MVP.

The head-to-head loss would hurt Julian Sayin’s chances. Every small misstep felt exaggerated next to Mendoza’s last kick, including Sayin’s early interception that gave Indiana three points and the stalled drives. So, Pollack highlighted how the Indiana QB stood out. Even the 22-year-old knows that a Heisman moment is important, but he made sure to highlight his teammates for this honor.

“Coach Cignetti brought me in and he told me, ‘The Heisman is a team award, it’s not a player award. If you win, you can get nominated for it,’” During his post-game news conference, Mendoza credited his teammates for putting him in a prime position to win the prestigious accolade. “I would love the opportunity to get the invite to New York, which would be fantastic.”

The race might be tilted, and Ohio State QB’s performance did not help at all.

Tough night for Julian Sayin and Ohio State

This stage was meant to be the night Julian Sayin stood out from the crowd with a Big Ten championship and a Heisman resume. Rather, he was dragged into a street battle by Indiana’s defense, from which he never really got out. Joel Klatt just stopped mid-sentence as the chaos reached its peak with a baffling whistle. “Are they saying he was in the grasp? No way. How in the world do you call that progress?” he said. The relentless red wall engulfing Sayin shot after snap was the true narrative, even if the officiating controversy dominated social media.

The pressure never let up. Isaiah Jones’ shoe-flying hit, Stephen Daley’s near-sack, and Philip Daniels’ face-mask save all mixed together to create a night in which Sayin could hardly move before someone in red crashed into him. The star of Ohio State had only been sacked seven times throughout the regular season; Indiana hit him and sacked him five times in one night. Despite the penalty, Sayin continued to play, going 20 of 29 for 212 yards and a score.

But his fourth-and-1 sneak, which was first declared a first down but then reversed on review, was the turning point. And the Buckeyes never seemed in control again as Indiana seized momentum. Later, even Ryan Day could only shake his head, acknowledging that the night had fallen apart more quickly than his team could respond. “Very disappointed. Just overall with how we played. Didn’t play very well in the situations,” he added, taking responsibility for the upfront breakdowns, the failed fourth down, and the red zone errors. But in the end, in the Big Ten title game, where Sayin needed his finest performance, the world saw him under siege.

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