Toby Gerhart

UCLA safety Tony Dye had a right eye that looked perfectly suited for a "Rocky" movie. Free safety Rahim Moore left the game in the second quarter with a concussion. Linebacker Reggie Carter sat in front of his locker too drained to strip off his uniform. The Bruins carried some day-before-Christmas eagerness into their Pacific 10 Conference opener at Stanford on Saturday. But there was plenty of weariness after a 24-16 loss. The Bruins, 3-1 overall, 0-1 in conference play, expected a physical game and Stanford gave them a physical game.

Two years after Alabama claimed its first Heisman Trophy, Baylor finally bagged one of its own. There's a first time for everything, even in Waco. Robert Griffin III won the 77th Heisman Trophy on Saturday in New York. The junior quarterback, who led Baylor to a 9-3 record this season, collected 405 first-place votes and 1,687 overall points to beat Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck, who captured 247 first-place votes and 1,407 points. "We're all amazed when great things happen," Griffin said on ESPN after winning the award.

The Times' Chris Dufresne unveils his preseason college football top 25, one day (and team) at a time. No. 19 Stanford It was the best unscripted televised moment of 2009. "What's your deal?" Pete Carroll barked at Jim Harbaugh on the field after Stanford walloped USC, 55-21, at the Coliseum. "What's your deal?" Harbaugh barked back. Now we know at least the half of it. Carroll's deal turned out to be five years with the Seattle Seahawks worth at least $6 million annually.

Reporting from Palo Alto They had to subtract the Heisman Trophy runner-up from the backfield at Stanford when Toby Gerhart graduated to the NFL, and then Coach Jim Harbaugh couldn't come up with someone to replace him. So he found five instead. It's something like running back by committee for the Cardinal, and even though Harbaugh doesn't like that label very much, the evidence is right there. That's really what it amounts to if you just look at the crowd of tailbacks all trying to move closer to offensive coordinator David Shaw on the sideline, as if proximity means playing time.

Toby Gerhart and Stanford did to the Oregon defense what the Ducks did a week ago to USC, opening up the Pacific 10 Conference race with a program-defining victory. Gerhart ran for a school-record 223 yards and three scores, Andrew Luck threw two touchdown passes and Stanford held on to beat No. 7 Oregon, 51-42, Saturday at Palo Alto to become bowl-eligible for the first time in eight years. "This was definitely my biggest win since I've been here at Stanford," Gerhart said, ranking it ahead of the victory over No. 2 USC two years ago. "I think it's definitely bigger than the USC win because it gets us to that bowl game.

No. 5 Boise St. (8-0) at Louisiana Tech (3-5) Friday, 5 p.m., ESPN2 If Boise State doesn't make a Bowl Championship Series game this year, it won't be for lack of exposure. Four of the Broncos' last five games are on ESPN networks -- three on Friday nights. Boise State did not impress many judges in its most recent ESPN effort, a 28-21 win over Tulsa on Oct. 14. The pick: Boise State. No. 9 Louisiana St. (7-1) at No. 3 Alabama (8-0) Saturday, 12:30 p.m., Channel 2 If you like field goals and defense, this is your game.

Nic Grigsby raced 57 yards for a touchdown with 2:57 to go, and Arizona rallied from a 15-point deficit to defeat Stanford, 43-38, on Saturday night at Tucson. The Wildcats ended a wild night in the desert by repelling the Cardinal on a fourth-and-10 play at Arizona's 17, with cornerback Trevin Wade batting down a pass intended for Chris Owusu in the end zone. Nick Foles threw for 415 yards and three touchdowns as the Wildcats (4-2, 2-1) overcame a big night by the Stanford offense.

Two years after Alabama claimed its first Heisman Trophy, Baylor finally bagged one of its own. There's a first time for everything, even in Waco. Robert Griffin III won the 77th Heisman Trophy on Saturday in New York. The junior quarterback, who led Baylor to a 9-3 record this season, collected 405 first-place votes and 1,687 overall points to beat Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck, who captured 247 first-place votes and 1,407 points. "We're all amazed when great things happen," Griffin said on ESPN after winning the award.

Norco running back Toby Gerhart had some making up to do against Corona Centennial. After losing to the Huskies twice last season, Gerhart couldn't wait to play Centennial in a Mountain View League opener Friday night at Norco. In his first full game this season, Gerhart, a senior, rushed for 441 yards and scored six touchdowns to lead Norco, ranked No. 10 in the Southland by The Times, to a 42-21 victory over No. 8 Centennial at Norco.

USC's secondary is a veteran group, featuring starters with four, five and even six seasons of college experience. Cornerback Josh Pinkard played in the 2005 Bowl Championship Series title game against Oklahoma. Pinkard and cornerback Kevin Thomas also played in the 2006 BCS title game against Texas. And safety Taylor Mays has started all but two games in four seasons. The Trojans will need all of their collective savvy, along with safety Will Harris' playmaking ability, when 11th-ranked USC plays No. 25 Stanford at the Coliseum today.

The Times' Chris Dufresne unveils his preseason college football top 25, one day (and team) at a time. No. 19 Stanford It was the best unscripted televised moment of 2009. "What's your deal?" Pete Carroll barked at Jim Harbaugh on the field after Stanford walloped USC, 55-21, at the Coliseum. "What's your deal?" Harbaugh barked back. Now we know at least the half of it. Carroll's deal turned out to be five years with the Seattle Seahawks worth at least $6 million annually.

The wrong guy won the Heisman. That's what I thought. That's what I screamed. The bronze man had been mugged by Good Ol' Boy bias, leaving reality rolling in a gravy-lined gutter. It should have been Toby Gerhart. The Stanford running back was the best college football player in the country. He was the most dominating running back, the most compelling offensive presence, the biggest creator of moments. The Heisman went to the wrong man. Then, on Monday morning, I met that man. Stocky running back from Alabama.

Tim Tebow taught Mark Ingram how to win a Heisman Trophy from his knees. Before the ceremony Saturday that made Alabama football history, Tebow noticed Ingram was a little nervous inside the Nokia Theatre. The Florida quarterback asked Ingram, the Crimson Tide 'running back, if he wanted to pray for tranquillity. Ingram can say "amen" after becoming Alabama's first Heisman winner in the closest race in the award's 75-year history. "We went in a quiet room and just prayed for peace for him, that all the nerves would die down and he would be able to enjoy the moment," Tebow said.

Kobe Bryant seems to be following in the footsteps of former teammate Karl Malone , who was the NBA's most valuable player in his 12th and 14th seasons with the Utah Jazz. . . . Bryant, 20 games into his 14th season with the Lakers, won the award for the first time two seasons ago. . . . The only other player to capture the honor so late in his career was Michael Jordan , who hauled off the last of his five MVP awards in his 13th season with the Chicago Bulls. . . . The Clippers have stayed close enough to give fans hope that a playoff run with Blake Griffin is still a possibility.

The player most worthy of winning the Heisman Trophy? That would be Toby Gerhart of Stanford. The player who will win the Heisman? That's a lot tougher call. Only one of the three other players who could win it had a star-quality game Saturday. Mark Ingram of Alabama rushed for 113 yards and three touchdowns in 28 carries as the Crimson Tide routed top-ranked Florida. Meanwhile, Florida's Tim Tebow , even with 247 yards passing and 63 yards running, could put only 13 points on the board.

It's not yet clear who will supplant USC as the Pacific 10 Conference champion, the scenarios still needing to play out over the next 2 1/2 weeks. But you don't have to look at this week's conference or Bowl Championship Series standings to realize that most of the teams sometimes referred to as the Nine Dwarfs have closed the gap -- in recruiting and on the field -- with USC. Trojans Coach Pete Carroll acknowledged as much Saturday after Stanford walloped his team, 55-21, at the Coliseum.

UCLA hopes a pattern isn't forming that entails the opponent's tailback having a showcase performance. First it was Stanford's Toby Gerhart (134 yards). Then it was Oregon's LaMichael James (152 yards). This week, UCLA faces California's Jahvid Best , considered a Heisman Trophy front-runner before the Bears were thumped in consecutive losses to Oregon and USC. "If you don't get your arms around him, he is going to make you pay and pay dearly," Coach Rick Neuheisel said.

USC's secondary is a veteran group, featuring starters with four, five and even six seasons of college experience. Cornerback Josh Pinkard played in the 2005 Bowl Championship Series title game against Oklahoma. Pinkard and cornerback Kevin Thomas also played in the 2006 BCS title game against Texas. And safety Taylor Mays has started all but two games in four seasons. The Trojans will need all of their collective savvy, along with safety Will Harris' playmaking ability, when 11th-ranked USC plays No. 25 Stanford at the Coliseum today.

Toby Gerhart and Stanford did to the Oregon defense what the Ducks did a week ago to USC, opening up the Pacific 10 Conference race with a program-defining victory. Gerhart ran for a school-record 223 yards and three scores, Andrew Luck threw two touchdown passes and Stanford held on to beat No. 7 Oregon, 51-42, Saturday at Palo Alto to become bowl-eligible for the first time in eight years. "This was definitely my biggest win since I've been here at Stanford," Gerhart said, ranking it ahead of the victory over No. 2 USC two years ago. "I think it's definitely bigger than the USC win because it gets us to that bowl game.