Heisman Race Was Wide Open Then Mendoza Won the Big Ten Title

We also have NBA Cup insights and trends

In today’s newsletter…

1. Leading Off: Sportsbooks think Heisman vote isn’t close anymore

2. The Rundown: Sanders took over as starting QB and isn’t looking back

3. Game of the Day: Knicks vs. Raptors face off in NBA Cup quarterfinals

4. By the Numbers: A look at the four CFP first round matchups

5. Overtime: John Harbaugh wants to know what a catch is in the NFL

1. Leading Off

Three quarterbacks and a running back have been named the Heisman Trophy finalists and were invited to New York for Saturday’s ceremony. Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza is coming off of a perfect season, Big Ten title and No. 1 seed in the College Football Playoff. Ohio State quarterback Julian Sayin would have been described that way if not for his team’s 13-10 loss to Mendoza’s Hoosiers on Saturday. Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia took the nation by storm and led the once-SEC bottom-dweller Commodores to unprecedented success (ranked 14th, 10-2 record). And Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love passed Jerome Bettis for the most touchdowns in school history (21) while averaging 6.9 yards per carry.

Mendoza and Sayin had the spotlight in the Big Ten championship game on Saturday and a chance to seize the momentum, as voting opened just before the matchup began. Both were solid, if not spectacular, but the only play that resembled a Heisman moment was Mendoza’s 33-yard strike to Charlie Becker on third down with 2:26 remaining, which allowed Indiana to run the clock to under 20 seconds before giving Ohio State the ball back. Then Sayin’s only chance was a miracle drive that didn’t materialize. Mendoza’s throw seemed to be enough to convince sportsbooks, as he, Sayin, and Pavia had about equal odds going into the game, and now Mendoza’s chances are so good that the Heisman has come off the board at some books.

Mendoza spent two seasons at the University of California before his breakout season at Indiana. The Miami native didn’t come completely out of nowhere before transferring to Bloomington, as he threw for over 3,000 yards last season and had a rating near 145 (he was also sacked 41 times in just 11 games, though). Mendoza threw 70 fewer passes in two more games this year because the Hoosiers won in so many blowouts — they have an astonishing +404 point differential this season — but he increased his completion percentage to 71.5%, more than doubled his touchdowns to 33, and threw just six interceptions.

If Mendoza earns the hardware, Indiana will become the 41st school with a Heisman Trophy. Sayin’s Buckeyes and Love’s Fighting Irish have the second-most winners at seven (USC has the record with eight), while Pavia’s Commodores are also still looking for their first.

Eight quarterbacks have taken home the award since 2014, and all of them have started in the NFL this season: Marcus Mariota (2014), Lamar Jackson (2016), Baker Mayfield (2017), Kyler Murray (2018), Joe Burrow (2019), Bryce Young (2021), Caleb Williams (2022), and Jayden Daniels (2023).

— Abe Rakov

P.S. In one week, Sportmoney turns into Sportspage. You’ll still get the insights, data, and analysis you’ve come to expect, plus even more. Sportmoney will become our premium sports betting product and will relaunch in 2026, so stay tuned. Starting next Monday, look for Sportspage in your inbox!

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2. The Rundown

Sanders’ Breakout Performance Earned Him Starting Role for Rest of Season

• After his 364-yard, three-touchdown performance on Sunday, Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders was named the starter for the rest of the season. The Browns are 1-2 with Sanders under center, but Cleveland inexplicably kept him off the field for a two-point conversion try in a two-point loss to the Titans.

• Arizona is the new men’s college basketball No. 1 team in the AP Top 25 poll, moving up a spot after previously top-ranked Purdue got blown out in record fashion by Iowa State, which moved up six places to No. 4. Gonzaga is back in the top-10 at No. 8 with a three-spot gain, while No. 17 Arkansas had the biggest improvement at +8 and No. 20 Tennessee had the largest drop at -7. On the women’s side, the Big Ten tied a record with nine teams in the Top 25, while the top-10 stayed the same from last week.

• The Chiefs’ playoff hopes are nearly nonexistent, and Tyler Sullivan at CBS Sports argues that next season could be even worse for Kansas City. “Specifically, Kansas City's road schedule in 2026 is projected to be a gauntlet with trips to Buffalo, Los Angeles, and Seattle on deck, with the possible addition of Cincinnati,” Sullivan writes.

• Notre Dame athletic director Pete Bevacqua said on The Dan Patrick Show that the ACC did “permanent damage” to its relationship with Notre Dame by pushing Miami to get a spot in the College Football Playoff over the Fighting Irish. “We were mystified by the actions of the conference to attack their biggest business partner in football and a member of their conference in 24 of our other sports,” Bevacqua said.

• Team USA men’s soccer star Christian Pulisic is back on the bench for his club team AC Milan, but scored in his first minute in the match yesterday. Pulisic has seven goals this season, tied for the most in Italy’s Serie A. His relationship with U.S. coach Mauricio Pochettino has been under scrutiny almost since Day 1 of Pochettino’s hiring, but Pulisic tried to tamp down speculation earlier this fall when he said there’s “not as much drama as you guys think there is,” which, of course, implied there is actually some drama.

3. Game of the Day

Brunson Scored 26+ in 3 Straight, Raptors Have Lost 5 of 6 After 9-Game Winning Streak

The Knicks have won eight of 10 and are suddenly just 2.5 games behind the Pistons for first in the Eastern Conference. Tonight a spot in the NBA Cup semifinals is on the line against the Raptors, who are headed in the other direction — losers of three straight and five of six after their nine-game winning streak. New York scores the fifth-most points a night in the NBA (120.7) and allows the fifth-fewest (112.4). Today’s other quarterfinal is Heat (-1.5, -108) vs. Magic (+1.5, -112) at 6pm ET on Prime Video.

Knicks (16-7, 3-6 Away) vs. Raptors (15-10, 8-5 Home)
7:30pm on Prime Video

The Odds

• Spread: NYK (-4.5, -114), TOR (+4.5, -106)

  • 73% of the money and 67% of the bets are with New York

  • ATS | NYK (road): 2-7, TOR (home): 4-9

• Moneyline: NYK -196, TOR +164

• Total (225.5): Over -114, Under -106

  • NYK: 12-11, TOR: 11-14

• Injuries | NYK: Karl-Anthony Towns (DD), Miles McBride (O); TOR: RJ Barrett (O), Jamal Shead (DD)

Head-to-Head

Players to Watch

• NYK G Jalen Brunson | Points: 28.5 (30, 33, 26), Reb: 2.5 (2, 2, 2), Ast: 6.5 (9, 4, 5)

• NYK G Josh Hart | Points: 13.5 (17, 8, 15), Reb: 8.5 (12, 6, 8), Ast: 5.5 (1, 6, 8)

• TOR F Scottie Barnes | Points: 20.5 (18, 13, 23), Reb: 7.5 (11, 3, 11), Ast: 5.5 (8, 5, 9)

• TOR G Immanuel Quickley | Points: 18.5 (11, 31, 13), Ast: 6.5 (5, 4, 5)

*Stats listed are past 3 games, most recent to least recent

4. By the Numbers

Early Spread Bettors Backing No. 7 A&M Over No. 10 Miami, Running From 2 Group of 5 Teams

College Football Playoff: First Round

No. 9 Alabama (10-3) vs. No. 8 Oklahoma (10-2)

• ALA (-1.5, -105), OU (+1.5, -115): 52% of the money and 53% of the bets are with the Crimson Tide

  • ATS | ALA (road): 2-2-1, OU (home): 2-4-1

• Total (40.5) | ALA: 4-9, OU: 2-10

No. 10 Miami (10-2) vs. No. 7 Texas A&M (11-1)

• MIA (+3.5, -105), TAMU (-3.5, -115): 59% of the money and 64% of the bets are with the Aggies

  • ATS | MIA (road): 2-2, TAMU (home): 2-5

• Total (51.5): MIA: 5-7, TAMU: 8-4

No. 11 Tulane (11-2) vs. No. 6 Ole Miss (11-1)

• TUL (+17.5, -110), MISS (-17.5, -110): 69% of the money and 62% of the bets are with the Rebels

  • ATS | TUL (road): 3-3, MISS (home): 5-3

• Total (56.5) | TUL: 4-9, MISS: 6-6

No. 12 James Madison (12-1) No. 5 Oregon (11-1)

• JMU (+21.5, -115), ORE (-21.5, -105): 82% of the money and 75% of the bets are with the Ducks

  • ATS | JMU (road): 4-2, ORE (home): 5-2

• Total (50.5) | JMU: 6-7, ORE: 6-6

MCBB

• Villanova (+16.5, -115) vs. No. 2 Michigan (-16.5, -105): 86% of the money and 70% of the bets are with the Wolverines

  • Total (150.5) | VIL: 4-4, MICH: 4-4

• Clemson (+7.5, -118) vs. No. 10 BYU (-7.5, -104): 79% of the money and 73% of the bets are with the Cougars

  • Total (150.5) | CLEM: 6-3, BYU: 3-5

• No. 13 Illinois (-4.5, -102) vs. Ohio State (+4.5, -120): 84% of the money and 72% of the bets are with the Illini

  • Total (157.5) | ILL: 2-7, OSU: 4-4

• Penn State (+15.5, -106) vs. Indiana (-15.5, -114): 75% of the money and 54% of the bets are with the Hoosiers

  • Total (152.5) | PSU: 4-5, IND: 5-4

• USC (-16.5, -110) vs. San Diego (+16.5, -110): 81% of the money and 69% of the bets are with the Trojans

  • Total (161.5) | USC: 6-3, SD: 3-4

• No. 18 Florida (+4.5, -110) vs. No. 5 UConn (-4.5, -110): 73% of the money and 75% of the bets are with the Huskies

  • Total (146.5) | UF: 2-6, UCONN: 3-6

5. Overtime

Quotable

“It’s about as clear as mud right now. That’s how I feel about it. … It didn’t clear anything up.” — Ravens coach John Harbaugh on what a catch is in the NFL. Harbaugh is upset because Baltimore tight end Isaiah Likely was awarded a touchdown to temporarily give his team the lead against the Steelers with 2:43 remaining in Sunday’s matchup. But it only took about a minute for officials to overturn the call, explaining Likely lost the ball before he made a third step in the endzone, meaning he didn’t complete “an act common to the game.”

What to Watch (times ET)

• 3pm: Inter Milan vs. Liverpool [Champions League] on Paramount+

• 6pm: Heat vs. Magic on Prime Video

• 6:30pm: Villanova vs. No. 2 Michigan [MCBB] on FS1

• 7:30pm: Knicks vs. Raptors on Prime Video

• 9pm: No. 18 Florida vs. No. 5 UConn [MCBB] on ESPN