Why Fernando Mendoza was ranked too high on ESPN's Top 100 QBs of the 2000s

Fernando Mendoza’s magical run at Indiana will live forever in college football history. But ranking him No. 14 on ESPN analyst Bill Connelly’s Top 100 quarterbacks of the 2000s feels like a stretch. And one that deserves a closer look.

There’s no disputing what Mendoza accomplished with the Indiana Hoosiers. After transferring from Cal, he delivered one of the most remarkable single seasons in modern college football history. He threw 41 touchdown passes, captured the Heisman Trophy and led Indiana to a 16-0 record and its first national championship. The first undefeated 16-game season in major college football in 132 years. 

For that season alone, Mendoza earned his place in the sport’s history.

But Connelly’s ranking evaluates a 25-year window. Longevity, overall production and multi-season dominance matter in that context. Mendoza’s career totals of 8,247 passing yards, 71 touchdowns and 22 interceptions over three seasons are impressive, but modest compared to several quarterbacks ranked behind him. Many former Heisman winners and College Football Playoff standouts compiled bigger numbers, multiple conference titles and extended runs of excellence.

Mendoza’s rise also coincided with the ideal pairing alongside coach Curt Cignetti in Bloomington. His solid but unspectacular stint at Cal proves how perfectly the system and supporting cast was during Indiana’s championship campaign.

None of that diminishes the 2025 season. Mendoza’s clutch performances defined Indiana’s title run and produced one of the most unforgettable years in college football history. The scramble and dive into the end zone against Miami was outstanding, and compares to Vince Young lifting Texas to a title on a fourth down designed run in 2005. 

More: Fernando Mendoza reveals trying to call Kirby Smart to commit to Georgia

Still, when ranking the best quarterbacks of the past quarter-century, the debate is fair.  Can one transcendent season outweigh longer, more statistically dominant careers?

As Mendoza prepares for the 2026 NFL draft, the No. 14 ranking is powerful validation. Whether it’s historically justified is another question entirely.

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