The date is near to award the most prestigious trophy in college football, the Heisman, to the top player of the season. While several contenders have emerged throughout the year, at the final moment, Deion Sanders Jr., with Colorado in the B1G, is making a strong case for a SEC quarterback to earn Heisman votes.

“Vote @diegopavia02 for Herman!!!” wrote Deion Jr. on his X.

But Indiana’s undefeated run, capped by a B1G title win over Ohio State, has propelled Fremendo Mendoza’s Heisman odds dramatically. He now has a 95% chance of winning this trophy. The media leader still favors Diego Pavia, whose chances, in comparison to Mendoza, are quite low.

It may be because Sanders Jr. already knows the Heisman isn’t going to Colorado this season after their 3–8 finish, unlike last year when former Colorado CB/WR Travis Hunter brought the spotlight. But he seems to believe the SEC deserves the edge over the Big Ten, given the conference’s long, deep rivalries with teams that are now part of the B1G landscape.

There could be another perspective as well. Deion Sanders has long had ties to the SEC, from recruiting battles to past rumors linking him to jobs like Arkansas, and that connection may be pushing Sanders Jr. to make this plea for Pavia, while the sixth-year senior sits second at +1500 on BetMGM.

Considering that, two unlikely Heisman contenders have taken center stage this season: Mendoza and Pavia. While Pavia holds a razor-thin statistical edge over Mendoza (72.0% to Pavia’s 71.2%) and closed the final five games with sharper accuracy, Mendoza gains ground with IU’s unbeaten run and the national pull of the program. Besides, his stunning performance against Wisconsin, with a 91.7% completion percentage, also gained attention; that’s why he sits with odds around -5000.

Yet Pavia pushed Vanderbilt somewhere it hadn’t been since 1947, while Mendoza’s final audition against Ohio State didn’t sparkle. An interception opened the door for Julian Sayin, but Sayin wasn’t immune either. He threw a pick on his first drive against Indiana. Here’s where a strong case is made for Pavia by a sports expert.

“I dare you to tell me I’m wrong about this. I double dare you to poke a single hole in the open and shut case I’m about to make. Diego Pavia of Vanderbilt University should win this year’s Heisman Trophy by a landslide. I dare you to tell me I’m wrong,” said sports columnist Skip Bayless.

Still, the race is tightening; now it’s up to the committee to decide whose grind shines brightest. But Diego Pavia and Vanderbilt continue to make their case for a Heisman win.

Vanderbilt head coach’s take on Diego Pavia’s Heisman odds

Although Vanderbilt gets snubbed from the playoff bracket. But Clark Lea has launched a full-blown campaign to make sure Pavia gets the Heisman respect after guiding the Commodores to a historic 10–2 season.

“Diego didn’t just lead our team; he set the tone every Saturday,” wrote Lea on Sunday. “When the moment got big, he got bigger. That’s a Heisman season!”

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Pavia is a program-changer with dual-threat power, throwing for over 3,045 yards and rushing for more than 815. Here, Lea keeps hitting the same question in every presser.

“What more does this kid have to do?” asked the Vandy head coach.

Lea says the Heisman should reward the best player in the country, not the biggest brand. And he’s not wrong. Pavia’s already stacking awards, including the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm, and he’s openly campaigning too.

“Take me to New York,” he told reporters.

While the issue comes down to the numbers game, Pavia’s resume easily outshines Mendoza’s: Pavia has a 74.6% completion rate and 1,494 yards in four games, while Mendoza is under 70% with just over 1,000 yards.

Now, with preseason strength-of-schedule factored in, Vanderbilt believes Diego Pavia deserves a seat in New York.