STANFORD, Calif. — The California players listened quietly all week to the pregame talk about how powerful Stanford had a chance to go to the Rose Bowl.

The Golden Bears provided their emphatic answer in one of the most exciting and important Big Games in recent memory.

Shane Vereen ran for a career-high 193 yards and three touchdowns, and Mike Mohamed intercepted a pass from Andrew Luck at the 3 with less than 2 minutes left as Cal beat No. 14 Stanford, 34-28, yesterday.

"We've heard a lot of talk about, 'Oh, they're going to go to the Rose Bowl,' " Mohamed said. "We felt like they were overlooking us a little bit. For us to come out and to prove all these guys wrong, it feels good. And we're keeping the Axe in Berkeley another year. You can't get much better than that."

And it's tough to imagine a better Big Game than one that had Rose Bowl implications, memorable performances by Vereen and Stanford's Heisman contender Toby Gerhart and a dramatic finish.

Gerhart ran for 136 yards, four touchdowns and carried defenders on a 29-yard reception that set up Stanford (7-4, 6-3 Pac-10) at the Cal 13 with less than 2 minutes left.

Luck then threw an incompletion on first down and was intercepted by Mohamed with 1:36 to go, setting off a wild celebration on the Cal sideline.

"It wasn't a good enough throw," Luck said. "I wish I had that one back. I could have done a lot of different things."

The Golden Bears (8-3, 5-3) won the coveted Axe for the seventh time in eight years under coach Jeff Tedford.

Stanford came into the game off two of its biggest wins, back-to-back victories over nationally ranked Oregon and Southern California that put the Cardinal in position to win the conference title.

Stanford looked poised for another big win after jumping to a 14-0 lead in the first quarter. But the Golden Bears responded.

"All week long the talk was about how physical they are, how they were going to run the ball on us, things like that," Tedford said. "Our motto all week was, 'We're going to find out on the field.' "

NO. 1 FLORIDA 62, FIU 3

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Tim Tebow accounted for three touchdowns and Brandon Spikes returned an interception for a score as the Gators to extended the nation's longest winning streak to 21 games with a rout of the Golden Panthers (3-8).

Florida improved to 11-0 for just the second time in school history and needs two more wins — against Florida State and Alabama — to earn a shot at repeating as national champion.

NO. 2 ALABAMA 45, CHATTANOOGA 0

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Mark Ingram ran for 102 yards and scored on runs of 25 and 40 yards in the first half when the Crimson Tide (11-0) raced to a 35-0 lead and showed no signs of a letdown ahead of games with rival Auburn and No. 1 Florida.

NO. 3 TEXAS 51, KANSAS 20

AUSTIN, Texas — Colt McCoy set an NCAA record with his 43rd career victory as a starter, passing for 396 yards and four touchdowns as the Longhorns (11-0, 7-0) wrapped up the Big 12 South title with a rout of the Jayhawks (5-6, 1-6).

NO. 4 TCU 45, WYOMING 10

LARAMIE, Wyo. — Matthew Tucker and Joseph Turner each ran for two touchdowns, and the Horned Frogs (11-0, 7-0) overcame four turnovers to rout the Cowboys (5-6, 3-4) and clinch at least a share of the Mountain West Conference crown.

NO. 9 OHIO STATE 21, MICHIGAN 10

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Tate Forcier threw four interceptions and fumbled in his end zone, and the Buckeyes (10-2, 7-1) took advantage to beat the Wolverines (5-7, 1-7) and clinch the outright Big Ten championship and trip to the Rose Bowl.

MISSISSIPPI 25, NO. 10 LSU 23

OXFORD, Miss. — Dexter McCluster ran for 148 yards and passed for a touchdown, and the Rebels (8-3, 4-3 Southeastern Conference) held on to upset the Tigers (8-3, 4-3). After recovering an onside kick, LSU's Jordan Jefferson heaved a pass to Terrance Tolliver at the Ole Miss 6 as time expired.

No. 11 Oregon 44, Arizona 41: Jeremiah Masoli tied it with a touchdown pass to Ed Dickson with six seconds left, then won it with a 1-yard run in the second overtime as the visiting Ducks (9-2, 7-1 Pac-10) rallied from a 24-14 deficit in the fourth quarter to beat the Wildcats (6-4, 4-3).

No. 13 Penn State 42, Michigan State 14: Daryll Clark passed for 310 yards and four touchdowns as the visiting Nittany Lions (10-2, 6-2 Big Ten) broke from a 7-7 halftime time to wrap up their regular season with a rout of the Spartans (6-6, 4-4).

No. 15 Iowa 12, Minnesota 0: Daniel Murray kicked field goals of 30 and 45 yards, and Brandon Wegher scored on a 1-yard as the host Hawkeyes (10-2, 6-2 Big Ten) beat the Gophers (6-6, 3-5) to win the Floyd of Rosedale — a bronze pig awarded to the winner of the border rivalry.

No. 16 Virginia Tech 38, North Carolina State 10: Ryan Williams ran for 120 yards and four touchdowns, linebacker Cody Grimm forced an NCAA-record three fumbles, and the host Hokies (8-3, 5-2 Atlantic Coast) raced to a 24-10 halftime lead in beating the Wolfpack (4-7, 1-6).

NO. 18 CLEMSON 34, VIRGINIA 21: C.J. Spiller ran for a touchdown and the host Tigers (8-3, 6-2 ACC) beat the Cavaliers (3-8, 2-5) to win the Atlantic Division. Clemson will face Coastal division winner Georgia Tech in two weeks at Tampa, Fla.

No. 19 BYU 38, Air Force 21: Max Hall threw for five touchdowns and set a school record with his 30th career win, and Harvey Unga became the school's all-time rushing leader with 3,268 yards, leading the host Cougars (9-2, 5-1 Mountain West) past the Falcons (7-5, 5-3).

No. 21 Miami 34, Duke 16: Jacory Harris threw for 348 yards and two touchdowns, Darryl Sharpton scored on a 73-yard interception return, and the host Hurricanes (8-3, 5-3 Atlantic Coast Conference) beat the Blue Devils (5-6, 3-4) for the fourth straight year.

No. 23 Utah 38, San Diego State 7: Eddie Wide rushed for 84 yards and two touchdowns and the host Utes (9-2, 6-1 Mountain West) scored all their points in the first half in coasting past the Aztecs (4-7, 2-5) for their 17th consecutive home win.

No. 24 Houston 55, Memphis 14: Case Keenum threw for 405 yards and five touchdowns — setting a school record for TD passes with 94 — in just more than two quarters as the host Cougars (9-2, 5-2 C-USA) hammered the Tigers (2-9, 1-6).

Syracuse 31, No. 25 Rutgers 13: Greg Paulus had 142 yards passing and the host Orange (4-7, 1-5 Big East) jumped to a 14-0 lead in the first quarter and never looked back to upset the Scarlet Knights (7-3, 2-3).