The Ohio State Buckeyes and Indiana Hoosiers highlight a massive day of college football featuring battles for conference championships, bragging rights, and Heisman Trophy considerations.
It will be the top two squads in the nation contending for the Big Ten Championship, and appropriately, the two quarterbacks at the top of the Heisman contender odds. Indiana will feature Fernando Mendoza, who has put together a fabulous body of work, while Ohio State will have its sensational star, Julian Sayin, on the field.
Sayin, currently the frontrunner to win the prestigious college football award, recently addressed the Heisman buzz and his focus on the upcoming game against the Hoosiers.
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“Not worried about it. We’re worried about going to win this game. We’re excited about the matchup, but we’re about going to win this game and doing everything we can to win it,” Sayin said in a WBNS 10TV interview.
Heading into the game, Sayin has connected on 258-of-327 passes for 3,065 yards and five touchdowns. He’s also thrown five interceptions.
Mendoza has thrown as many interceptions as two more touchdown passes. He’s achieved 2,755 yards on 211-of-293 completed passes. The two teams’ 12-0 records also make strong cases for how well their quarterbacks have played this season.
“We’re just gonna go and focus on our fundamentals and focus on playing our game. It’s the Big Ten Championship, there are still games left in the season, though,” he said, when asked about “making a statement” in the game.
This is the two teams’ first meeting of their seasons, with one of them leaving with their first and only loss as they enter the College Football Playoff bracket.
The Heisman Trophy award gets handed out on Dec. 13, with Sayin and Mendoza both expected to be on the short list of contenders who get invites. A recent report from The Bloomington Herald-Times suggested the two star quarterbacks are currently tied at +165 odds to win.
However, both are likely focused on the matter at hand: securing that Big Ten Championship before Selection Sunday and the CFP bracket reveal.
Ohio State enters the game as the favorite to win by four points or more. However, many believe Mendoza and the Hoosiers may be out to make a statement at the No. 1 team’s expense. It’s likely to be a fun battle between two of the nation’s best, which could end up being a rematch in the College Football Playoff games.
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