The statistic that best captures Fernando Mendoza’s playoff performance seems almost made up. Through two College Football Playoff games, Indiana’s Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback has thrown eight touchdown passes and only five incompletions. Not five interceptions. Five incompletions total. He has been more likely to throw a scoring pass than to have a throw fall incomplete. It’s the kind of number that belongs in a video game, not in actual competition against Alabama and Oregon, two programs that have defined college football excellence for the past two decades.
Mendoza goes into Monday’s national championship against Miami having completed 37 of 42 passes in the playoff, a completion percentage of 88.1% that would be remarkable in any context. Against the Crimson Tide in the Rose Bowl quarterfinal, he went 20-for-22 with five touchdowns in a 38-3 demolition. Against Oregon in the Peach Bowl semifinal, he was nearly as efficient, completing 17 of 20 attempts for 177 yards and three scores in a 55-26 victory. Defensive coordinators have spent weeks game-planning against him. None of it has mattered.
The Making of a Perfect Season
Indiana entered this season as an afterthought in Big Ten title conversations. The Hoosiers hadn’t won a conference championship since 1967. They had appeared in a grand total of zero College Football Playoff games. Their football program was historically defined by futility, a punching bag for Ohio State and Michigan, a team that occasionally produced exciting players but never sustained excellence. Fernando Mendoza changed everything.
The transfer from California arrived in Bloomington with impressive physical tools but questions about his ability to lead a program. Those questions evaporated by September. Mendoza threw for 387 yards and four touchdowns in the season opener against Florida State, announcing immediately that Indiana would be different this year. He followed that with masterful performances against UCLA, Illinois, and Nebraska, building a case for Heisman consideration before October had even begun.
What separates Mendoza from other great college quarterbacks is his decision-making. He has thrown just two interceptions all season, both coming in games Indiana won by multiple scores. His ability to process defensive coverage, identify the correct throw, and execute with precision has been unmatched. Scouts project him as the number one overall pick in April’s NFL Draft, and his playoff performances have only strengthened that projection. Teams in need of a franchise quarterback are already dreaming about what he could do at the next level.
Statistical Perfection in Context
The numbers Mendoza has produced demand historical comparison. His 88.1% completion rate in the playoff would be the highest in CFP history by a significant margin. His eight touchdown passes through two games tie him with Joe Burrow’s 2019 playoff performance, but Mendoza has done it while attempting 16 fewer passes. His efficiency rating in the playoff is 231.4, a figure that exceeds what most quarterbacks achieve in cupcake non-conference games.
For the full season, Mendoza has thrown for 4,287 yards and 43 touchdowns against just two interceptions. His passer rating of 188.7 ranks among the best in college football history. But the raw statistics only tell part of the story. What makes Mendoza special is his ability to elevate everyone around him. Indiana’s receiving corps entered the season with minimal national recognition. Tight end Asher Smith was a third-team preseason All-Big Ten selection at best. Running back Damien Jackson had never rushed for more than 800 yards in a season.
All of them have thrived under Mendoza’s leadership. Smith has become one of the nation’s most dangerous receiving tight ends, catching 67 passes for 891 yards and 11 touchdowns. Jackson rushed for over 1,200 yards because defenses have to respect Mendoza’s arm, opening running lanes that didn’t exist in previous seasons. The offensive line has allowed just 14 sacks all year, partly because Mendoza gets the ball out quickly but also because opposing pass rushers must account for his ability to extend plays.
The Championship Stage Awaits
Miami presents a different challenge than anything Mendoza has faced this playoff. The Hurricanes’ defense is built on speed and aggression, with a front seven that has generated 42 sacks this season. Coordinator Lance Guidry has developed schemes that confuse even experienced quarterbacks, mixing coverage looks and bringing pressure from unexpected angles. Miami reached the championship game as a 10-seed by beating Texas A&M, Ohio State, and Ole Miss in consecutive weeks, proving they can compete with anyone when their defense is clicking.
But Mendoza has seen elite defenses before. Oregon brought the Pac-12’s best unit to the Peach Bowl, and Mendoza carved them apart with surgical precision. Alabama’s defense entered the Rose Bowl ranked in the top 15 nationally, and Mendoza completed his first 12 passes en route to the blowout victory. The Hurricane defense is talented, but they haven’t faced a quarterback who processes information as quickly as Mendoza does.
The historical parallel that keeps coming up is Joe Burrow’s 2019 season at LSU. Burrow went 15-0, won the Heisman, and captured the national championship with performances that seemed to exist in a different category than normal college football. Mendoza’s numbers are comparable, and in some categories superior. Burrow threw 60 touchdowns that season but also had six interceptions. Mendoza has just two. Burrow’s completion percentage was 76.3%. Mendoza sits at 72.8% for the season but has elevated to 88.1% in the playoff, when games matter most.
The Legacy at Stake
A victory over Miami would cement Mendoza’s season as the greatest individual performance in college football history. The combination of statistical excellence, flawless decision-making, and championship success would be unmatched. Every quarterback who follows will be measured against what Mendoza accomplished in 2025, a standard so high that few will approach it.
Indiana as a program is also playing for something beyond a single game. A championship would transform how the Hoosiers are perceived nationally. It would validate the rebuild that began years ago, prove that programs outside the traditional powers can compete at the highest level, and create a recruiting advantage that could sustain success for years to come. The Big Ten would have another championship contender beyond Ohio State, Michigan, and Penn State.
The Bottom Line
Fernando Mendoza has already accomplished enough to be remembered as one of college football’s greatest quarterbacks. The Heisman Trophy sits in his possession. The 15-0 record speaks for itself. The playoff statistics, with more touchdowns than incompletions, belong in the realm of fantasy. What remains is the final chapter, the championship game against a Miami team that has defied expectations throughout this tournament.
History suggests that perfection this complete doesn’t just end when it reaches the final game. Mendoza has shown no signs of regression, no cracks in his armor that opponents can exploit. His preparation is meticulous. His arm is strong. His mind is sharper than anyone he’s faced. Monday night will reveal whether this remarkable season concludes with the only ending that feels appropriate: Mendoza holding the championship trophy, having delivered the most dominant individual performance college football has ever witnessed.
The stage is set. The stakes couldn’t be higher. And Fernando Mendoza has proven all season that he was built for exactly this moment.
