Jets fans’ real game to watch this weekend isn’t in the NFL

The New York Jets fanbase is dealing with yet another lost season. Even with a new head coach in Aaron Glenn, it's the "same old Jets," as they are the only winless team entering Week 6. Because of this, they would hold the No. 1 pick in the NFL Draft if the season were to end today.

Given that Justin Fields doesn't look like the answer at quarterback, fans are going to be keeping an eye on the upcoming 2026 draft class in hopes they can finally bring an end to their quarterback carousel.

Jets fans may not want to watch football this upcoming weekend, especially Jets football on early Sunday morning London game against a Denver Broncos team that handed the Philadelphia Eagles their first loss of the season. But there is a game they may need to keep an eye on this upcoming Saturday.

In college football, the top game is the No. 3 Oregon Ducks taking on the No. 7 Indiana Hoosiers. Fernando Mendoza of Indiana is the favorite to be the No. 1 quarterback in the class, while Dante Moore of Oregon has seen his stock rise in the draft.

The game is scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 11 at 3:30 p.m. ET on CBS.

Jets have chance to watch Fernando Mendoza vs. Dante Moore in potential battle for QB1 in 2026 draft

A lot can change in a year. At first, the expectation was that Clemson's Cade Klubnik, Penn State's Drew Allar, and LSU's Garrett Nussmeier were in the running for the No. 1 overall pick. But to start the college football season, none of those players have lived up to the hype.

Mendoza has been fantastic for the early stretch of this 2025 season, his first with Indiana after transferring from Cal.

Sure, Indiana did have extremely winnable first three games of the season, but he silenced the doubters against the No. 9-ranked Illinois Fighting Illini, where he threw for 267 yards and five touchdowns while completing 21-of-23 pass attempts in the 63-10 blowout victory. Those are great numbers, especially against a top 10 team in the country at the time.

So far this season, Mendoza has thrown for 1,208 yards, 16 touchdowns, and one interception on a 73.0 completion percentage. Mendoza measures at a prototypical quarterback size of 6-foot-5, 225 pounds. In terms of pro comparisons, The Ringer NFL Draft expert Todd McShay compared him to Jared Goff, while CBS Sports' Mike Renner compared him to Carson Palmer.

As for Moore, he is a new name that has surfaced as a potential first-round pick. Moore finally received his chance at Oregon after sitting behind Dillon Gabriel, now the starting quarterback for the Cleveland Browns. So far, Moore has been incredibly impressive under offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Will Stein.

Much like Mendoza, Moore and Oregon had an easy start to the season. But facing off against the No. 3 Penn State Nittany Lions, Moore impressed, completing 29-of-39 pass attempts for 248 yards and three touchdowns in the 30-24 double overtime victory.

Through five games, Moore threw for 1,210 yards, 14 touchdowns, and one interception on a 74.6 completion percentage. Moore stands at 6-foot-3 and weighs 206 pounds.

McShay lauded Moore as the "best pure passer" in the country, and compared him to the likes of C.J. Stroud, Baker Mayfield, and Jordan Love. Renner of CBS Sports compares Moore's play style to an early Deshaun Watson.

At this stage of the Jets' season, fans should be scouting the quarterback prospects on Saturdays. Luckily for them, they have one of the best games of the season, with Mendoza and Moore facing off head-to-head.