Newton named AP Player of the Year

Cam Newton lifted Auburn from the back of the Top 25 to No. 1 in the nation.

The Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback led the Tigers into the national title game against No. 2 Oregon with a mix of flair and poise. Besides the Heisman, Newton has also raked in the Davey O'Brien and Maxwell awards. He added Associated Press Player of the Year to his collection yesterday.

An NCAA investigation into Newton's recruitment, which threw his eligibility into doubt in November, had no effect on how he played down the stretch - or the voting for the AP award. It was about as lopsided as the Heisman vote. Newton received 51 votes from the 60-member AP football poll panel. Boise State QB Kellen Moore received three, Stanford QB Andrew Luck got two and four ballots went unreturned.

* At Las Vegas, Doug Martin shook Boise State out of its brief postseason funk with an 84-yard touchdown run in the second quarter, and the 10th-ranked Broncos dominated the rest of the way last night to beat No. 20 Utah, 26-3, in the MAACO Bowl.

Boise State had turned the ball over three times and was trailing 3-0 when Martin went up the middle and outran Utah defenders down the left side to give the Broncos a much-needed spark. From there, Boise State's defense shut the Utes out and Kellen Moore threw two TD passes as the Broncos cruised to an easy win.

* Ohio State is investigating allegations that several football players traded autographs for tattoos, according to multiple reports.

WBNS-TV and the Columbus Dispatch, both citing unidentified sources, reported on their websites last night that the school was looking into the possible NCAA violations just 2 weeks before the Buckeyes face Arkansas in the Sugar Bowl on Jan. 4.

Quarterback Terrelle Pryor, not mentioned in either report, quickly responded on Twitter.

"I paid for my tattoos. GoBucks" he posted.