Fernando Mendoza is the favorite to win the Heisman Trophy, according to most sportsbooks, thanks to his impressive play this season, which has helped Indiana maintain a perfect 12-0 record. However, their regular-season-ending game against Purdue puts a black mark on his Heisman campaign. As experts say, it isn’t a Heisman contender-level performance.

“Fernando Mendoza is not throwing like a Heisman contender (42 yards), but IU is running hard (127) in building a 21-3 2nd quarter lead,” wrote Purdue editor Tom Dienhart. “This one could slip away very quickly now.”

Mendoza’s passing was remarkably ineffective in the second quarter against Purdue, where he completed just 5 of 12 attempts for 42 yards. That’s not expected from a Heisman frontrunner, and one poor performance can shake up his Heisman odds. Ask Alabama’s Ty Simpson.

Once a Heisman co-favorite with odds as short as +325, Simpson’s campaign took a sharp nosedive following his Week 13 outing against Eastern Illinois. In that game, Simpson racked up two interceptions with zero TDs. Now the same kind of slip can happen to Mendoza if he can’t finish strong against Purdue.

“Fernando Mendoza looks a little shaky to start this game. Some uncharacteristic errant throws and not seeing open receivers. Missed Elijah Sarratt over the middle on that last 3rd down,” wrote IU reporter Jared Kelly. “Could just be a Miami kid playing in cold weather for the first time. We’ll see.”

Early in the first quarter, Purdue turns up the heat on third down and forces Mendoza into an off-target throw, missing the window entirely. While he starts 2-for-6 for 24 yards, with both completions going to Elijah Sarratt, the offense looks stuck in neutral with just 43 yards on 11 plays and 0-for-2 on third down. But he’s still managing scoring drives.

In the second quarter, he scored a seven-yard rushing TD with 10:29 left. By halftime, Mendoza scores another rushing TD, one of four total touchdowns. Despite that, he does damage early in the game with missed opportunities, which can affect Mendoza’s -105 Heisman odds on BetMGM.

Here’s where fans flood social media to share their thoughts on his Heisman chances.

Fernando Mendoza faces wild heat regarding his Heisman

While on-field performance directly affects the CFB’s prestigious Heisman Award finalists, Fernando Mendoza’s performance in the game against Purdue is truly concerning. Against the Boilermakers, Mendoza struggled with his passing throws, which caught the attention of fans.

“Fernando Mendoza with probably the worst half of football I have seen from him. Good. Let’s see if he can right the ship and handle the adversity. It happens to the best of them. How they respond is what you need to pay attention to,” wrote one fan.

While it seems early missed opportunities can drop the IU QB’s Heisman odds, fans are leaning toward Notre Dame’s Jeremiyah Love. Love sits just behind Mendoza with +375 Heisman Trophy odds at BetMGM, the second-shortest odds to win the award.

“Fernando Mendoza stinks. Gotta give Jeremiah Love the Heisman trophy,” stated one fan, while another fan kept it bold, saying, “FERNANDO MENDOZA IS SO BAD JEREMIYAH LOVE FOR HEISMAN HAHAHAHAH”

But it’s not just Notre Dame’s RB; fans are also leaning toward OSU’s Julian Sayin, who holds the third-best betting odds at +400. “Fernando Mendoza playing like ass lmao. Sayin will win the Heisman because he will have 2 games, 1 vs Mendoza. Ballots can’t be submitted until Monday after the conference champ game,” commented one fan.

While playing against Michigan gives Sayin a chance to improve his odds, Mendoza already showed a poor performance in his final regular-season game against Purdue this season.

Perhaps that’s why a frustrated fan even looks ahead and voices support for Texas A&M’s Marcel Reed, who showed better play in their last game against Texas and has +1300 Heisman odds at BetMGM.

“Fernando Mendoza is not a Heisman. He has yet to have a Heisman Performance. Meanwhile, Marcel Reed is about to beat Texas at home,” said a fan.

While the final decision will come after the season ends, Mendoza’s Heisman race now feels a bit shaky.