Make it make sense?! We are only a month removed from Fernando Mendoza helping lead the Indiana Hoosiers to an improbable 16-0 College Football Playoff-winning season. The transfer quarterback from Cal became the greatest player in IU history over the course of one magical season. Prior to coming to Bloomington, he could really spin it for the Golden Bears, too. So why is he ranked No. 14?
ESPN's Bill Connelly only had Mendoza as the 14th best quarterback so far from the 21st century.
- Baker Mayfield (Texas Tech/Oklahoma)
- Cam Newton (Florida/Blinn College/Auburn)
- Vince Young (Texas)
- Tim Tebow (Florida)
- Joe Burrow (Ohio State/LSU)
- Deshaun Watson (Clemson)
- Kyler Murray (Texas A&M/Oklahoma)
- Lamar Jackson (Louisville)
- Marcus Mariota (Oregon)
- Robert Griffin III (Baylor)
- Trevor Lawrence (Clemson)
- Colt McCoy (Texas)
- Johnny Manziel (Texas A&M)
- Fernando Mendoza (California/Indiana)
- Kellen Moore (Boise State)
Yes, there are guys ranked ahead of him that Mendoza was not going to surpass. The top five of Baker Mayfield, Cam Newton, Vince Young, Tim Tebow, and Joe Burrow seem to be the right quintet. While the order can be reshuffled, Mendoza is not on their level of greatness... That being said, there are easily five quarterbacks ranked ahead of him by Connelly that really do not make all that much sense.
Mendoza should easily be seen as the eighth or ninth-best college football quarterback this century.
5. Clemson Tigers quarterback Trevor Lawrence (No. 11, 2018-20)
It was hard to pick a fifth quarterback Mendoza was definitively better than. Former Clemson star Trevor Lawrence makes this list for a few reasons. One, he did not win a national championship as an upperclassmen, having won it on the back of Brent Venables' greatest defense in 2018. Two, the 2015-20 run at Clemson was so dominant in the ACC that it arguably inflated everyone on the roster.
And third, Deshaun Watson seems to have done more with less than Lawrence. He was the one to beat Alabama in 2016, while the team surrounding Lawrence in 2018 got him that national title. Look at how Lawrence's NFL career has gone thus far in Jacksonville. He is talented, but he has not proven to be the tractor of a draft prospect he was deemed coming out like Peyton Manning or Andrew Luck.
If there is any player ranked inside the top 15 that deserves drop down just a bit, it is easily Lawrence.
4. Oregon Ducks quarterback Marcus Mariota (No. 9, 2012-14)
For as much as the Oregon faithful holds Marcus Mariota in high regard, the rest of the college football world is a little bit more down on the former No. 2 overall pick by the Tennessee Titans. Yes, the 2014 Heisman Trophy winner put up a ton of stats while in Eugene, but his play was far more mechanical than anyone else above or around him on this list. It is why he unraveled as an NFL starter.
What was his signature game of the 2014 Heisman campaign? Some argue it was over arch rival Oregon State, but the Beavers were nothing to write home about then. Some things never change. What is baffling here is Mendoza's leadership charisma blows anything and everything Mariota ever did at Oregon out of the water. He is a guy Tennessee bailed on before he quit on the Atlanta Falcons.
Mariota is arguably a top-10 quarterback this century, but he will quickly be surpassed in due time.
3. Baylor Bears quarterback Robert Griffin III (No. 10, 2008-11)
This is a little mean, but we are talking about legacies here. What Robert Griffin III did at Baylor well over a decade ago is the stuff of college football legend. When Griffin came to Baylor, the Bears did not have winning seasons. He helped them win 10 games in 2011, beating out Andrew Luck for the Heisman Trophy. While Griffin certainly earned that honor with his dual-threat player, there is also this.
It is impossible to separate what Griffin did from the scandalous Art Briles era of Bears football. Griffin had a brief, but dazzling NFL career in Washington, one where he flamed out after a season-ending ACL injury in the playoffs. When it comes to Mendoza, he achieved more before winning the Heisman, and did more while winning the Heisman than Griffin. Indiana is just as bad historically as Baylor was.
Mendoza clearly had the better team, but he did more in his Heisman Trophy season than Griffin did.
2. Texas Longhorns quarterback Colt McCoy (No. 12, 2006-09)
Admittedly, Colt McCoy being a top-12 college football quarterback this century seems fair. He was insanely productive during his run at Texas. Althougg not as physically gifted as his predecessor Vince Young, he had the much longer NFL career as a backup. The two-time Heisman finalist and national runner-up in 2009 is one of the best players in Texas history. Too bad Mendoza is way better.
When it comes to comparing apples to oranges in the wonderful world of sports statistics side-by-sides, you should give the player who has to overcome more the greater benefit of the doubt. McCoy was handpicked to go to a readymade situation in Austin. Mendoza was a two-star recruit committed to Cal. Hometown Miami did not want him in the portal. He went on to become a Big Ten living legend.
Mendoza proved to be far more talented, and got the most out of his talent while he was in college.
1. Oklahoma Sooners quarterback Kyler Murray (No. 7, 2015-18)
Kyler Murray being No. 7 on Connelly's list is insane! Yes, he won a Heisman Trophy and yes, he was the No. 1 overall pick in his NFL Draft. However, he benefited tremendously replacing Baker Mayfield at Oklahoma at the peak of Lincoln Riley's coaching powers. He may have been a proficient dual-threat quarterback coming out, but he never proved to be a good teammate during his Arizona run.
We cannot overlook that. What Mendoza did as a leader at Indiana should skyrocket him up this list. Why do we think Tim Tebow is a legend in the sport of college football? Like Tebow, Mendoza was an incredible galvanizer among his teammates. He elevated the guys around him. Murray played like a video-game quarterback because he is a gamer who happens to play some quarterback for millions.
If Tua Tagovailoa did not fade down the stretch, he would have won the 2018 Heisman over Murray.