Fernando Mendoza Outclasses Dante Moore

What Indiana just did to Oregon in the Peach Bowl wasn’t just a college football playoff semifinal. It was a public execution.

56-22. Let that marinate. The No. 1-seeded Hoosiers didn’t just beat Oregon—they embarrassed them in front of 75,000 people who paid good money, expecting a competitive semifinal. By halftime, it was 35-7, and the Ducks looked like they’d rather be anywhere else on planet Earth. Dan Lanning’s squad got boat-raced, out-coached, out-played, and thoroughly humiliated as Fernando Mendoza—Indiana’s cerebral gunslinger—carved up Oregon’s defense for five touchdown passes en route to a lopsided victory. To put that into perspective, the Heisman Trophy winner had more touchdowns than he did incompletions, a mind-boggling statistic. 

On the other sideline, Dante Moore threw for a couple of scores but mostly looked lost, rattled, and completely overmatched. As a result, his hopes of being selected first overall by the Las Vegas Raiders in April’s NFL Draft seem to have gone up in smoke. So, let’s break down the most up-to-date draft odds, sieve through the wreckage of Indiana’s spectacular blowout in Atlanta, and review exactly what has happened to both quarterbacks’ hopes of being selected first overall. 

Fernando Mendoza: Vegas Bound?  

After a blockbuster 2025 season, Fernando Mendoza has been made the overwhelming favorite by online betting sites to be selected first overall in April and secure all the riches that come with being chosen at the top of the board. 

Websites allowing one to bet on sports with Bitcoin make the Indiana superstar a -450 frontrunner, odds that scream that the show is over and a winner has already been crowned. You’d have to lay down $450 just to win a hundred bucks, which in gambling terms means the house thinks this is about as close to a sure thing as exists in an uncertain world. 

And honestly? After Friday night, it’s hard to argue with them.

The numbers are absurd. A 72.3% completion percentage across the entire season. Over 3,100 passing yards. Thirty-six—yes, THIRTY-SIX—touchdown passes against just six picks. His passer rating is 184.7, which is the kind of video game stat line that makes you realize you need to increase the difficulty level. The cherry on top? Mendoza added six rushing touchdowns because, apparently, just being an elite pocket passer wasn’t enough.

But stats are one thing—plenty of college studs have put up gaudy numbers against tomato cans. What separates Mendoza is when he does it. The kid led Indiana to a 15-0 season, the program’s first undefeated campaign in living memory. He beat Alabama in the playoff opener, going 14-for-16 with three touchdowns and looking completely unflappable. Then he came out Friday night against an Oregon team that had just blown out the much-fancied Texas Tech without allowing a single point and simply shredded them. 

Five touchdowns. Zero turnovers. Complete command. And now a shoo-in for the number one pick. 

Is There Any Hope For Dante Moore? 

Mel Kiper had Dante Moore ranked No. 1 on his big board heading into the Peach Bowl, and it’s clear to see why. The kid has all the tools—6-foot-3, cannon for an arm, NFL blood flowing through his veins via his former pro father, the whole package. At +425 odds right now, the bookies clearly think he’s still alive in the battle for top spot. In our opinion, one would have to wonder what they’re smoking over in Sin City if the Raiders go with Moore over Mendoza. 

Here’s the reason why. When it mattered most, Moore couldn’t get it done.

The regular season was fine—better than fine, actually. He threw for 3,280 yards, 28 touchdowns, nine interceptions, with a 72.9% completion rate. He torched Michigan State for 290 yards and four scores and had several other games where he looked like the clear-cut top prospect. Draft analysts kept talking about his composure, how impossible he is to rattle, how clutch he is in big moments.

Then, the playoffs happened, and the wheels came off.

Two interceptions in the first round against James Madison were somewhat papered over by four touchdowns. No touchdowns in the quarterfinals against Texas Tech were overlooked by a staunch defensive effort, which allowed no points. In the semis against top-seeded Indiana, Moore was exposed. Brutally. 

Moore began with an interception and a fumble. As a result, his Oregon side was out of contention by halftime, trailing 35-7 with their Natty hopes torpedoed for another year. He ultimately went 24-of-39 for 285 yards with two touchdowns, one pick, three sacks, and negative 28 rushing yards, with that final stat courtesy of the Hoosiers’ pass rush spending the entire night in his face. 

He looked tentative. Scared, even. Like the moment was just too damn big. That’s something that you simply can’t be in the NFL, especially in Las Vegas, behind the league’s worst offensive line.