Mayfield wins Player of the Year

Baker Mayfield is The Associated Press college football Player of the Year, becoming the fourth Oklahoma quarterback to win the award since it was established in 1998.

Mayfield easily outpointed Stanford running back Bryce Love, who came in second. Louisville quarterback Lamar Jackson, the other finalist and last year’s Heisman Trophy winner, was third in the award announced Thursday.

Mayfield received 51 first-place votes from the 56 AP college football poll voters who submitted player of the year ballots, and a total of 157 points. Love (83 points) and Jackson (39 points) each received two first-place votes and Penn State running Saquon Barkley received a first-place vote and came in fourth.

Mayfield, Love and Jackson are also the finalists for the Heisman, which will be handed out Saturday night in New York.

Mayfield is a former walk-on who has led the No. 2 Sooners to the College Football Playoff, where they will play No. 3 Georgia in the Rose Bowl on Jan. 1. Mayfield leads the nation in passer efficiency rating and has thrown for 4,340 yards and 41 touchdowns.

NFL

FALCONS RALLY PAST SAINTS » The Falcons rallied past the Saints, 20-17, to keep their divisional title hopes alive. Atlanta trailed, 17-10, entering the fourth before QB Matt Ryan connected with Mohammed Sanu for a 8-yard touchdown with 9:55 left. Kicker Matt Bryant nailed a 52-yard field goal with 3:49 remaining to give the Falcons the lead, before Saint QB Drew Brees drove New Orleans to the 11-yard line before getting picked off in the endzone by Deion Jones. Ryan struggled early throwing three interceptions. Brees tossed two TDs and threw for 271 yards. Atlanta improved to 8-5, and New Orleans dropped to 9-4.

MLB

MARLINS TRADE GORDON » Miami second baseman Dee Gordon has been traded to the Seattle Mariners for three prospects in a deal that marks the start of the Marlins’ latest payroll purge, this time under new CEO Derek Jeter.

The Marlins want to cut their payroll by more than 20 percent to $90 million or less, which is why NL MVP Giancarlo Stanton is also on the trading block.

Seattle has eighttime All-Star Robinson Cano at second base and is expected to move Gordon to center field. While Gordon has never played center in the majors, the Mariners believe he can make the transition and fill perhaps the biggest remaining need among their position players.