Why the NFL loves Fernando Mendoza and Dante Moore ahead of CFP’s Indiana-Oregon showdown

The College Football Playoff semifinal clash between No. 5 Oregon and No. 1 Indiana in the Peach Bowl is a fascinating matchup for multiple reasons. For starters, it’s a rematch of one of the best games that we saw during the regular season, one where the Hoosiers went on the road to Eugene and handed the Ducks a 30-20 loss on their home turf. It will also serve as a showcase of the potential top two picks in the 2026 NFL Draft with Fernando Mendoza and Dante Moore manning the helm at quarterback for both teams. Read our latest 2026 NFL mock draft here with Mendoza and Moore going 1-2.

The Las Vegas Raiders and the New York Jets both own the top two selections in the draft and all signs point them making one of these prospects their next franchise QB. Most analysts are projecting Mendoza to go to Vegas at No. 1, while some like ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. has Moore at the top of his draft board. The 2015 Rose Bowl battle between Jameis Winston and Marcus Mariota was the last time the top two QB’s in a class faced each other in the playoffs right before going No. 1 and 2 in the draft, so we’ll be treated to a rarity in t0night’s clash. And who knows, the football world may begin siding with Kiper after the final whistle.

As we get ready to watch this matchup at Mercedes Benz Stadium in Atlanta, we’ll go through the strengths and weaknesses of the two QB’s according to various draft analysts and why exactly they’re being tabbed as the first two guys that will hear their names called by Roger Goodell in April.

Fernando Mendoza, QB, Indiana

Age: 22
Hometown: Miami, FL
Height: 6’5”
Weight: 225 pounds
2025 stats: 72.3 CMP%, 3,172 passing yards, 42 total TD’s, 6 INT’s
2025 Accolades: Heisman Trophy, Maxwell Award, Walter Camp Award, Davey O’Brien Award, Big Ten MVP
Pro Comparisons: Kirk Cousins, Matt Ryan, Jared Goff

After spending the first two seasons of his college career at Cal, Mendoza decided to transfer to Indiana right before Christmas in 2024. No one could’ve predicted him becoming the face of sport one year later. The Miami native joined a Hoosier team that made a surprise run to the CFP the year prior and boosted them to heights once deemed impossible for a program that has historically played second fiddle on campus to men’s basketball. He marched IU through a perfect 12-0 campaign where they absolutely buzz-sawed opponents, leading the nation with an average scoring margin of 29.8 points in the regular season. His gutsy performance in their 13-10 Big Ten Championship Game win over Ohio State earned him the Heisman Trophy one week later and the entire nation watched on as he and the Hoosiers dropped the hammer on Alabama in a 38-3 blowout win on New Year’s Day.

Draft analysts are high on Mendoza for a number of reasons, particularly his ability to scan defenses and make pre/post-snap reads. He currently leads the nation in passing efficiency and his effectiveness as the conductor of the Hoosier offense also bears out with him ranking in the top 10 in metrics like success rate and EPA per dropback. Yahoo Sports’ Nate Tice tabbed him as QB1 of this year’s class back in May before he took a single snap at Indiana and recently lauded him for his effectiveness in dropback situations on third down and in the red zone. But it’s not all straight dropbacks for the potential top pick, as he’s shown his ability to make split-second decisions and get the ball out quickly with both Cal and IU’s offenses incorporating RPO concepts.

Mendoza has the size to absorb big hits and he’s shown his toughness by being able to shake them off. For example, he took sacks on the opening drives of both the Big Ten Championship Game and the Rose Bowl and both times, he brushed them off by leading the Hoosiers to a scoring drive on the following series. That toughness is one of the many leadership qualities that he’s shown since he arrived to Bloomington and Raiders minority owner Tom Brady has certainly taken notice.

There are flaws to Mendoza’s game that could limit his ceiling, particularly his average arm strength. He’s had to compensate for this with near perfect timing and anticipation and as NFL Draft Buzz described, his best chance at success in the pros will be linking up with an offensive coaching staff that values precision over power. That’s where the comparisons to Kirk Cousins kick in and if the Raiders are planning to take him at No. 1, it will be imperative for them to find a head coach that can tailor the offense specifically around his strengths.

Dante Moore, QB, Oregon

Age: 20
Hometown: Detroit, MI/Elyria, OH
Height: 6’3”
Weight: 206 pounds
2025 stats: 72.9 CMP%, 3,280 passing yards, 30 total TD’s, 9 INT’s
2025 Accolades: Third-Team All-Big Ten
Pro Comparisons: C.J. Stroud

Moore began his college career at UCLA and was thrown into the deep end as a true freshman starter in 2023. That didn’t go so well and he opted for a change of scenery by transferring to Oregon, a move that benefitted him in the long run. He spent the 2024 campaign sitting behind Heisman finalist Dillon Gabriel, and the mental reps he gained allowed him to hit the ground running as the starter this season. Like Mendoza, the redshirt sophomore was an effective leader of the Ducks’ offense and his signature moment came when he threw for 248 yards and three touchdowns in a 30-24 double-overtime road victory over Penn State. He stumbled by throwing two interceptions in the aforementioned loss to Indiana, but shook it off by leading Oregon into the playoffs with an 11-1 record and notched a pair of blowout victories over James Madison and Texas Tech to set up this rematch.

Moore has drawn numerous comparisons to C.J. Stroud leading up to this point and draft experts like The Ringer’s Todd McShay has described him as the “best pure passer in the country.” His accuracy has been excellent this season and he’s shown off his ability to make deep passes downfield. He has a quick release and that will definitely come in handy when tasked with getting the ball out in the face of pressure from NFL defenses. His footwork in the pocket has also improved since arriving to Oregon last season and while he isn’t a particularly mobile quarterback, he’s shown an ability to roll out and deliver strikes while on the move.

Another positive attribute is his poise and calmness under pressure, especially for a 20-year-old trying to lead his program to its very first national championship. Similar to Mendoza, he doesn’t melt down when things aren’t necessarily going well, like in the Orange Bowl quarterfinal against Texas Tech where Oregon’s offense squandered multiple opportunities to put points on the board. He just kept things rolling along throughout the afternoon and they were eventually able to stick the dagger in the fourth quarter.

Where Moore compares to Stroud negatively is his aforementioned lack of mobility and that can be a problem considering that most NFL QB’s have to be able to move around a bit. You can’t be a statue and as NFL Draft Buzz alludes to, this lack of scrambling ability could make him a sitting duck for opposing pass rushers as they know that he won’t be much of a threat to take off with his legs. Also, he needs to bulk up a bit as his slime frame at 206 pounds could present concerns over his durability in the pros. We’re starting to see some of the pre-draft injury concerns for Jayden Daniels start to creep up and he’s actually an inch taller and a few pounds heavier than Moore. The spin on this, however, is that he’s only 20 and still has plenty of room to grow. One would hope that either the Raiders or Jets would make sure to provide him with adequate production when he takes the field for the first time.

How to watch Indiana vs. Oregon in CFP Peach Bowl

Matchup: Indiana vs. Oregon

Stakes: College Football Playoff semifinal; winner plays Miami in the national championship

Location: Peach Bowl at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia

Date: Friday, Jan. 9, 2026

Time: 7:30 p.m. ET