ESPN released its list of the top 50 players participating in the CFP and, truthfully, Indiana is represented pretty accurately throughout the list with several players. And when it came to quarterback Fernando Mendoza, even the SEC's favorite network couldn't deny the 2025 Heisman winner his rightful spot at the top.
Mendoza was ranked the top player in the CFP ahead of Ohio State wide receiver Jeremiah Smith, who was ranked second. Texas Tech linebackers Jacob Rodriguez and David Bailey and Ohio State quarterback Julian Sayin rounded out the top five.
Fernando Mendoza this season at Indiana:
— Front Office Sports (@FOS) December 14, 2025
First ever No. 1 ranking
First Big Ten title 58 years
First undefeated season in 80 years
Ended 37-year losing streak to Ohio State
First Hoosiers QB ever to win Davey O'Brien
Now, Mendoza is Indiana’s first EVER Heisman Trophy winner. pic.twitter.com/jciaTA1y9J
Mendoza is the only Hoosier ranked in the top 10 or the top 15 for that matter, compared to the five Buckeyes in the top 13. The next Indiana player on the list is left tackle Carter Smith, who comes in at No. 17.
The junior from Miami, Florida, is in his first year with the Hoosiers after spending two seasons playing for Justin Wilcox at Cal. He threw for 2,980 yards with 33 touchdowns and six interceptions, leading Indiana to a Big Ten championship and No. 1 seed in the CFP 12-team bracket.
Mendoza became Indiana's first Heisman Trophy winner last week, beating out Sayin, Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia and Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love. Up to that point, the highest finisher Indiana had for the trophy was running back Anthony Thompson, who finished second to Houston quarterback Andre Ware back in 1989.
What other Hoosiers made the top 50?
Mendoza and Smith were the only Indiana players to make the top 20. After that, there was wide receiver Elijah Barrett (22), safety Louis Moore (28), wide receiver Omar Cooper Jr. (32), cornerback D'Angelo Ponds (34) and linebacker Aiden Fisher (47) that closed out the group.
All seven of those players, along with the rest of the Hoosiers, will be watching tonight's Alabama-Oklahoma game with great interest. The winner of that game will head to Pasadena to take on Indiana in the Rose Bowl on January 1. It's the second time Oklahoma and Alabama have played this season with the Sooners earning a 23-21 road win.