Toby Gerhart News

Nationally, it's often been said of Pac-10 football that the league is USC and nine guys named Joe.

Shane Vereen rushed for 193 yards on 42 carries with three touchdowns Saturday, leading California to a 34-28 win over arch-rival and 17th-ranked Stanford.

Mark Ingram rushed for 102 yards Saturday on only 11 carries . Alabama tailback Mark Ingram 's shortened day against UT-Chattanooga didn't seem to have much impact on his Heisman Trophy stock.

California quarterback Kevin Riley, top left, is lifted by teammates and fans after a win over Stanford during a NCAA college football game in Stanford, Calif., Saturday, Nov.

No. 25 California Golden Bears' coach Jeff Tedford was all smiles after the game--and with good reason.

Here are my top five observations from Stanford's stunningly easy victory over USC on Saturday: 1. 2009 NFL draft + freshman QB = rebuilding year It's time to face the reality we have been denying, even after Oregon: This is a rebuilding year for USC, and it was inevitable that Pete Carroll would experience one at some point.

The college season began as the Year of the Quarterback. All the Heisman Trophy talk centered on Oklahoma's Sam Bradford, Florida's Tim Tebow and Texas' Colt McCoy.

College football pundits have deemed 2009 the "Year of the Running Back." And why not? The top three passers coming into the year are either injured , inconsistent or underwhelming .

One night this week, a handful of sweaty receivers played catch in nearly empty Stanford Stadium.

The USC game wasn't the first time Jim Harbaugh went for a two-point conversion with a big lead.

Clemson running back C.J. Spiller is listed among the top five candidates for the Heisman Trophy in eight published polls this week.

Happy Friday. Bowls, bowls, bowls -- what are you guys, college football fans? To the notes.

Cal coach Jeff Tedford has seen what the Stanford football team did to Oregon and USC -- score a combined 106 points against two defenses that held his offense to a total of two field goals.

By JIMMY BURCH Alabama running back Mark Ingram lengthened his lead in the Scripps Howard News Service's weekly Heisman Trophy poll, released Wednesday.

The surest sign that the presumptuously named Big Game is finally a big game arrived Monday with the announcement that Tiger Woods will serve as Stanford's honorary captain Saturday when Cal makes the bus trip across the bay.

After two back to back stellar performances against Oregon and USC, Stanford running back Toby Gerhart is getting some legitimate consideration for the Heisman Trophy award.

Stanford running back Toby Gerhart has been mostly overlooked despite rushing for 1,395 yards and 19 touchdowns.

How volatile is the 2009 Heisman Trophy race? According to two of the more reliable tracking polls, Texas quarterback Colt McCoy either drew closer to winning the award, or saw his chances all but evaporate.

Stanford's 2-point conversion has turned into something of a 2-point controversy.

The 14th-ranked Stanford Cardinal are one of the hottest teams in college football, and they will play host to the California Golden Bears this weekend in a Pac-10 Conference rivalry bout referred to as the "Big Game". The Golden Bears have won four of their last five games to move to 7-3 overall and 4-3 in conference play.