After an excellent start, Oklahoma QB John Mateer was an early favorite for the Heisman — now he'll miss at least a month after undergoing hand surgery last week. This changes the landscape of the most coveted award in college sports.
This resulted in our new No. 1 favorite to win the Heisman Trophy, along with two additions to the rankings.
Below, we'll take a look at the Heisman Watch ahead of Week 6, breaking down the top five contenders to win the Heisman Trophy in 2025.
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2025 Heisman Watch, Week 6
Here are the new top Heisman Trophy watch candidates heading into Week 6. On PrizePicks, you can win real money by picking More or Less on the weekly stats from these Heisman candidates and more CFB players.
5. Ole Miss QB Chambliss Trinidad
Next game: vs. Washington State – Sat. Oct. 11, 12:45 p.m. ET
Chambliss’ story will make you root for this underdog. Coming out of high school, he did not receive any Division I offers, so he enrolled at Division II Ferris State, where he led them to the National Championship.
Now at Ole Miss, he has seized the opportunity to start following QB Austin Simmons' injury and has become a legitimate star. He was dynamic in the Week 5 win against LSU, throwing for 314 yards, rushing for 71, and scoring a rushing TD, earning him the AP Player of the Week.
Doing this against any opponent is impressive, but it looks more impressive against LSU. The Tigers' defense ranks 27th in defensive EPA and did not allow a 300-yard passer until Chambliss.
This gives Chambliss three straight games with 300+ passing yards and 60+ rushing yards. Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin has not announced his starting quarterback going forward, but he has some time, as the Rebels are on a bye this week. In Week 7, they face Washington State, but the strength of the SEC looms as they follow that up with back-to-back road games against No. 12 Georgia and No. 5 Oklahoma.
4. Ohio State WR Jeremiah Smith
Next game: vs. Minnesota – Sat. Oct. 4, 7:30 p.m. ET
After Ohio State’s 14-7 win against Texas in Week 1, they crushed their next three opponents by outscoring them a combined 131-15. Smith has played an integral part in each of those games by averaging 117.6 receiving yards and scoring 4 TDs in that span.
What makes Smith special, like any other top-tier receiver, is that he makes his quarterback better. Ohio State QB Julian Sayin is in his first year as a starter, boasting the highest completion percentage in the FBS at 78.8%. He is also one of three quarterbacks who has thrown for at least 10 TDs and are averaging over 10 yards per completion.
After the Week 5 win against Washington, Sayin credited Smith with the execution of the biggest play of the game.
Jeremiah Smith Projections vs. Minnesota
Jeremiah Smith projections are from the PrizePicks real money CFB game — pick players, predict More or Less on their stats, and win cash when you're right.
- 90.5 Receiving Yards
- 0.5 Rush+Receiving TDs
- 31.5 Longest Reception
3. Miami QB Carson Beck
Next game: @ No. 18 Florida State – Sat. Oct. 4, 7:30 p.m. ET
Beck was idle this week, but he is still on the radar after a great start to the season. Last week against Florida wasn’t his best statistical game, with just 163 passing yards and 1 INT. But they didn’t need his arm as Miami was able to outrush Florida 184-80 to move to a 4-0 record.
Beck hasn’t put up eye-popping numbers with only 972 passing yards and 7 TDs, but he comes in with a 73.2% completion percentage, sixth-best in the country (minimum 90 pass attempts). He has also beaten notable opponents, including last year’s National Championship runner-up, then-No. 6 Notre Dame, as well as then-No. 18 South Florida.
Beck and the Hurricanes will go to Tallahassee and face No. 18 Florida State, which is coming off a heartbreaking overtime loss to Virginia. A third win against a ranked opponent could look good on Beck’s resume.
Smith and the Buckeyes will host Minnesota, then face another road test when they travel to Champaign to take on No. 22 Illinois. As long as the Buckeyes keep winning and Smith plays a significant role, his name could be mentioned as a Heisman candidate.
Carson Beck Projections vs. Florida State
Carson Beck projections are from the PrizePicks real money CFB game.
- 236.5 Passing Yards
- 1.5 Pass TDs
- 41.5 Longest Completion
2. Indiana QB Fernando Mendoza
Next game: @ No. 3 Oregon – Sat. Oct. 11, 3:30 p.m. ET
The Week 7 clash between Oregon and Indiana could have implications for who plays in the Big Ten championship, as well as whether Moore or Mendoza becomes the Heisman favorite.
Mendoza came into the conversation in Week 4 by leading then-No. 19 Indiana to a 63-10 win against then-No. 9 Illinois. He commanded that offense by going 21-23, for 267 yards, and 5 TDs.
In the Week 5 20-15 win against Iowa, Mendoza showed the ability to handle pressure. He led a two-minute drill that was capped off with a 49-yard game-winning touchdown to give him his fourth straight game with 230+ passing yards and 2+ TDs.
Mendoza is on his way to his best season. At 16 passing TDs this season, he has already matched his total from last year at Cal. He’s showcasing his precision as his 73.9% completion rate is sixth-best (minimum 90 pass attempts), and is one of seven quarterbacks to have at least 10 TDs and 1 or fewer INTs.
No. 8 Indiana is off this weekend before their matchup against No. 3 Oregon. Following that, the only other currently ranked team on their schedule is No. 7 Penn State in Week 11.
1. Oregon QB Dante Moore
Next game: vs. No. 8 Indiana – Sat. Oct. 11, 3:30 p.m. ET
Moore is coming into Week 6 with the third-most touchdowns (14) and ranks tenth in quarterback rating (183.5). Until their Week 5 road matchup against then-No. 3 Penn State, Oregon's schedule was a cakewalk, as PFF had its strength of schedule ranked 126th.
In that game, Moore had a slow start in the first half, going 15-for-22 for 112 yards, and he didn’t convert a 20+ yard pass until the second-to-last drive, which set up a field goal.
The second half was when things started to turn around. He threw his first TD of the game on Oregon’s first drive of the third quarter and was starting to stretch the field with 2 20+ yard completions. This game could not be settled in regulation, and Moore threw TDs in both overtimes to help Oregon pull off the 30-24 upset.
Oregon will be idle this week, but it gets right back into the trenches with another tough matchup as it faces No. 8 Indiana at home. If the Ducks beat the Hoosiers, they will have a path to the Big Ten championship, as there are no other currently ranked teams on their schedule.
With this performance, he’s become a darling among NFL scouts. Some have him ranked as the QB1 if he were to declare after this season.
Oregon gets the week off before another marquee matchup against No. 8 Indiana. That is currently the last ranked team they play for the rest of the regular season.
Make Picks on Heisman Candidates on PrizePicks
After Week 5 of the 2025 college football season, and due to the injury of QB John Mateer, the race for the Heisman Trophy is wide open. This allowed two new candidates to join our rankings — QBs Fernando Mendoza and Trinidad Chambliss.
No matter who you're backing to win the Heisman Trophy, you can cash in on your player picks in PrizePicks' real money CFB DFS game every week this season.
Just pick More or Less on weekly stat projections, including Dante Moore’s passing yards or Jeremiah Smith’s receiving yards, and get paid when your picks are right — all the way up to 2000x.
Check out the Playbook for more CFB DFS picks and college football predictions throughout the season.
