Championship Weekend Takeaways: Mendoza’s Coronation, Simpson’s NFL Future, Georgia's D, and My Projected Playoff Field

It’s the morning after in college football, and I’ve got you covered with my biggest takeaways from Championship Weekend in college football. For my full instant-reaction recap, check out the latest episode of The McShay Show.

Fernando Mendoza’s Heisman moment: Breaking down why the Indiana QB is in the driver’s seat for college football’s top award—and to be the first player drafted come April

Ty Simpson’s next move: I still believe the Alabama QB has a bright NFL future, but I think he should strongly consider returning to school in 2026

Georgia’s defense is on the rise: What makes Kirby’s group greater than the sum of its parts?

My projected CFP field: Who made the cut? Who’s on the outside looking in? Heading into Sunday’s bracket reveal, I share which teams I think should be in the tournament

I’ve been waiting for the right moment to go all in on Indiana QB Fernando Mendoza, and he gave me all the ammunition I needed in Saturday’s Big Ten championship win over Ohio State. In fact, I’d go as far to say I learned more about him in this game than at any other point in the season. 

Let’s start with his toughness. Mendoza took a huge hit early in this game and was forced out for a handful of plays. The broadcast showed him on the sidelines with a bloodied elbow and it seemed for a moment like he wouldn’t make it back in the game. But then he trotted onto the field and it was back to business as usual. When I watched that, I wasn’t impressed that he returned, but how he returned. When you take a big hit that forces you out of the game, it’s easy to start seeing ghosts or to become a deer in the headlights, especially against a defense as good as Ohio State’s. But I saw absolutely no fear in Mendoza. 

Another thing that stood out to me was his functional athleticism. Sure, Mendoza’s got some straight-line speed, but I’m not referring to his 40 time here. I’m talking applicable football athleticism, like how effective he is when extending plays, how sudden he is in space, and the way he can throw from multiple arm angles. 

Indiana’s defense—which held Ohio State to a season-low 10 points and was led by Tyrique Tucker and D'Angelo Ponds, the latter of whom made himself a ton of money last night—would’ve been the story on any other Saturday, but this was a coronation of one.  

There’s no mincing words: Mendoza looks like the future Heisman Trophy winner and no. 1 pick.

For a a few weeks earlier this season, it looked like Ty Simpson was going to skip a grade, so to speak, and become a top QB in the 2026 draft—but it’s become clear over the past handful of games that he’s still too early in his career to make that leap without sacrificing his development. 

While his processing is exceptional for his lack of game experience, I’ve seen enough flaws over the past month when it comes to Simpson’s protection of the football and ball carriage (he had five fumbles over the course of five games at one point), his deep-ball accuracy, and his footwork. 

I want to see him take a long hard look at the tape this offseason and go through a “rinse, refine, repeat” process that helps him improve along the margins and learn how to throw his own counterpunches now that defense coordinators have the book on his tendencies. 

It’s important to note that my long-term view on Simpson’s NFL potential has not changed, though. I think he’s going to be a damn good pro quarterback one day. He’s got the arm, the mobility, and the brains to be successful at the next level.

But that doesn’t mean we need to rush the process.

Man, what a job Kirby Smart has done with this Georgia defense. They may not have the elite individual NFL talent that they’ve had in years past, but the Georgia D plays with so much energy and is a unit that’s strength lies in its depth and discipline. 

The defensive line is rotating six guys along the three-man front, the linebacker group is really starting to come into its own, and the secondary is playing smarter and tackling better than it did early in the season. While first-rounders of yesteryear like Jalon Walker, Jordan Davis, Travon Walker, and Jalen Carter may not be walking through the door in Athens, Kirby’s got some guys on the rise that are worth monitoring.

CJ Allen is the leader of the group and looks like a surefire top-50 pick, if not higher. He’s an absolute dude at off-ball linebacker. Other standouts include LB Raylen Wilson, who’s flashed quite a bit in recent weeks, future Day 2 pick DT Christen Miller, edge Quintavius Johnson, and LB Chris Cole, who had five tackles and half a sack in Georgia’s win over Alabama in the SEC title game and is starting to look like a special player. 

This unit is peaking at the exact right time. They shut down a future NFL QB and two potential first-round WRs on Saturday night and look like one of two or three scariest teams in the playoff field.

Join me and Muench LIVE on YouTube at 12 p.m. ET/9 a.m. PT on Sunday to break down every angle of the College Football Playoff bracket reveal. We’ll be talking playoff snubs, first-round matchups, title favorites, and more. See you in the chat!