INLAND FIELDHOUSE

With college football’s bowl season beginning this weekend, here’s the Four & More best 2011 NCAA Division I football players from the Inland Area:

1. Chris Polk (Redlands East Valley) — Did the Univ. of Washington know it was recruiting a player who would turn out to be one of the best all-around backs in school history? The 5-foot-11, 222-pound junior ran for more than 1,300 yards and totaled 15 TDs for the Huskies (7-5), who play Baylor in the Alamo Bowl at San Antonio on Thursday, Dec. 29.

2. Vontaze Burfict (Corona Centennial) — The scariest defensive player since Ray Lewis, this 6-foot-3, 250-pound human torture device is widely considered the best player at his position. He made 12 starts at ILB for Arizona State (6-6), which plays Boise State in the MAACO Bowl at Las Vegas on Thursday, Dec. 22.

3. Kenjon Barner (Riverside Notre Dame) — Should he decided to stay for his senior season, the 5-foot-11, 195-pound Univ. of Oregon scatback is a legitimate Heisman Trophy candidate. He remains one of only three players ever to run for 3,000 in the history of Riverside County, and he totaled more than 1,200 this year for the Ducks (11-2), who plays Wisconsin in the Rose Bowl at Pasadena on Monday, Jan. 2.

4. Garth Gerhart (Norco) — The younger brother of the Minnesota Vikings RB Toby Gerhart, this 6-foot-2, 302-pound senior will probably join his big bro in the NFL by about April. Now in his third varsity season, he is a 2nd Team All-Pac-12 selection for Arizona State (6-6), which plays Boise State in the MAACO Bowl at Las Vegas on Thursday, Dec. 22.

AND MORE: Taylor Martinez (Corona Centennial) — The much-maligned, “Corn Fed” quarterback totaled 21 TDs and nearly 3,000 yards for Nebraska in its first season in the Big 10. The 6-foot-1, 200-pound sophomore averages 7.8 yards per attempt for the Huskers (9-2), who play South Carolina in the Capital One Bowl at Orlando on Monday, Jan. 2.