Associated Press
NEW YORK -- Carson Palmer, who capped his rise from mediocrity to stardom by winning college football's most prestigious award Saturday night, can forget those first three seasons at USC, when he lost as much as he won and failed to fulfill the high expectations.
Palmer took the bronze statue back to the West Coast for the first time since Marcus Allen did it 21 years ago.
Palmer completed nearly 63 percent of his passes for 3,639 yards and 32 touchdowns with 10 interceptions this year. His biggest performance was his last against Notre Dame in a nationally televised game.
