The Heisman trophy is often considered a herculean task for a Vanderbilt QB, a team that’s long doubted by the SEC. But in a surprising turn of events, after the collapse of his chief rivals on championship weekend, Diego Pavia is now the favorite to lift the coveted trophy.

Before the game, it was a super tight race, with Mendoza and Sayin pretty much neck-and-neck as the top guys, and the feeling was that whoever won that game would likely take the Heisman. Both had all the stats to win it in the low-score Heisman race. Fernando Mendoza led the FBS in most touchdowns (34), and Julian Sayin leads the nation with an almost 80% completion rate, which is unheard of in the Power 4. Plus, he’s got 30 touchdowns.

But things went south for both of them in a hurry. In the first quarter, both Me

See Full Page