Overview
- Indiana beat No. 1 Ohio State 13–10 in the Big Ten title game at Lucas Oil Stadium, with Fernando Mendoza going 15-of-23 for 222 yards, one touchdown and one interception.
- Major sportsbooks now list Mendoza as the clear favorite, with BetMGM moving him to around -5000 after the game while Julian Sayin and Diego Pavia trailed at longer odds.
- Betting lines were volatile during Championship Saturday, including a brief social-posted BetMGM listing that showed Vanderbilt’s Diego Pavia as favorite before markets settled on Mendoza.
- The Big Ten Championship was widely framed as a de facto Heisman decider between Mendoza and Ohio State’s Julian Sayin, with FOX analysts also spotlighting Jeremiyah Love and Pavia as contenders.
- Mendoza credited coach Curt Cignetti’s message that the Heisman is a team-driven award, as finalists are set to be announced Monday evening ahead of the Dec. 13 ceremony on ABC.