ClutchPoints
The College Football Playoff Peach Bowl obviously has huge implications for college football. The winner of Oregon vs. Indiana will be playing in the national championship. Indiana is on a hunt to become the first team of the modern era, which dates back to 1932, to go 16-0 in a season. Oregon, meanwhile, is coming off perhaps the most dominant College Football Playoff quarterfinals win of the 12-team era after shutting out Texas Tech 23-0.
Results from this upcoming game extend further than just impact on college football, though. This is also a battle for the number one overall pick, which is owned by the Las Vegas Raiders in the 2026 NFL Draft.
Indiana’s quarterback is Fernando Mendoza, and Oregon’s signal caller is Dante Moore. Those two are the frontrunners to go first overall in the draft, and this game could very well decide who does end up becoming the future of the Raiders. So, heading into the Peach Bowl, who has the edge?
The Geno Smith experiment didn’t work, and at this point, it is pretty clear that the Raiders will hold onto the first overall pick and use it to select a quarterback. After the top two, the talent falls off significantly, so Mendoza or Moore will likely play for the team that just fired Pete Carroll. Mendoza was somewhat unheralded coming into the year, but he has been the number one pick frontrunner for months now, all while capturing the hearts of football fans around the world in the process.
Mendoza won the Heisman Trophy and has led Indiana to one of the best seasons in recent memory. His 36 passing touchdowns are the most in the NFL. Mendoza’s leadership skills are unquestionable, as the Hoosiers have rallied behind their joyful and ever-praising quarterback.
He has incredible football IQ, as he can diagnose what defenses are running and find the weak spots. When he does, Mendoza can deliver the football on time with precision. Mendoza has completed 72.3% of his passes, as he is accurate to all three levels of the football field.
Mendoza looks the part of an NFL quarterback, too. He is 6-foot-5, 225 pounds. While Mendoza wasn’t all that spectacular in his past two seasons with Cal, Moore hadn’t done much before this season, either. His junior season trumps any concern about past production because it was one of the best Heisman-winning seasons of the century, too. Even at Cal, Mendoza showed confidence delivering strikes from the pocket despite the team’s offensive line struggling to protect him.
Mendoza is a poised player who should have a long NFL career. He isn’t viewed as a generational prospect, though. The Indiana product may be more likely to be just good than truly great. Mendoza’s arm strength isn’t something to write home about for a number one pick, and he is somewhat limited as a runner. As of now, consensus shows that Mendoza has the edge over Moore, but that could...
