UCLA returns to Pasadena on Saturday night looking for its third consecutive victory as it continues to turn its season around during Pac-12 play.

The Buffaloes are looking to turn their luck around after dropping the last four games and fielding one of the worst pass defenses in the conference.

The Colorado defense has allowed at least 30 points in each of its first eight games this season and will have a busy night trying to stop a Bruins offense that leads the conference in scoring (29.1 ppg) and rushing yards per game (167.1).

The Bruins (3-5 overall, 3-2 Pac-12) have won six of their last seven home games against Colorado (3-5, 1-4), including a pair of four-point wins in 2017 and 2015.

Follow along for live updates from reporter James H. Williams before, during and after UCLA’s football game against the Colorado Buffaloes at the Rose Bowl.

A Twitter List by JHWreporter

Orange County water polo flexed its muscle again Saturday by earning five spots in the eight-team Division 1 bracket and two other top seeds for the upcoming CIF-Southern Section boys playoffs.

Newport Harbor (24-3), Orange Lutheran (16-9), Huntington Beach (17-8), Santa Margarita (18-8) and Mater Dei (13-13) were tabbed for Division 1 as the section announced the postseason pairings.

Defending champion Harvard-Westlake (25-2) is the top seed in Division 1 followed by No. 2 Newport Harbor, whom it beat in the finals last season and in 2 of 3 meetings this fall.

Mater Dei, the third-place team in the Trinity League, will play at Harvard-Westlake in the first round Thursday. The Surf League champion Sailors, led by reigning O.C. player of the Ike Love, play host to Oaks Christian (21-7) .

The best first-round matchup Thursday could be fourth-seeded Orange Lutheran, the Trinity League champion, playing host to No. 5 and Surf League runner-up Huntington Beach. The match will be at Santiago Canyon College at 6 p.m.

“I’m excited for the game,” Orange Lutheran coach Steve Carrera said. “It’s going to be a close game throughout.”

Orange Lutheran recently edged the host Oilers 13-12 in sudden-death overtime to continue a late-season surge in the rankings. Huntington Beach has bounced back this fall after missing the playoffs in 2018.

The Lancers defeated Oilers 9-7 in a memorable Division 1 final in 2016. The match added to one of the best rivalries in the county.

Orange Lutheran also features 6-foot-6 goalie Brennis Lidecis, a junior transfer from Huntington Beach.

In another matchup Thursday, Santa Margarita and 6-foot-7 goalie Will Kieckhafer play at No. 3 seed Loyola (23-5), which finished second to Harvard-Westlake in the Mission League.

JSerra (22-5) and Mission Viejo (16-12) earned top seeds in Division 4 and 5, respectively.

Under the tutelage of second-year coach and Olympian Brett Ormsby, the Lions placed fourth in the Trinity League and earned an-large berth despite playing with no seniors.

San Juan Hills and high-scoring senior Max Miller are seeded second n Division 4.

Mission Viejo placed third in the Sea View League behind Capistrano Valley and Aliso Niguel. The Diablos last reached the finals in 1980.

In Division 2, second-seeded San Clemente (20-7) leads a strong contingent that includes reigning champion Foothill, Woodbridge, Corona del Mar and Laguna Beach. Upstart Palos Verdes is seeded first.

Reigning Division 3 champion Servite (11-14) didn’t qualify for the playoffs. The Friars needed a .500 record to apply for an at-large berth

Somewhere in California right now, there is a dead battery that is going to change everything in the Golden State.

For years, Californians have been told that the state must lead on climate change policy, even as the policies drove up the cost of energy and everything powered by it. Residential electricity rates here are more than 50 percent higher than the national average.

Everybody seemed to be fine with it until the power went out. Historians may someday identify the turning point in state politics as the exact moment that a Californian plugged an iPhone into the wall and it didn’t charge.

The connection between the massive electricity shutdowns and climate change policies has been highlighted by two Republican lawmakers who represent the fire-devastated town of Paradise. Sen. Jim Nielsen and Assemblyman James Gallagher announced that they will introduce a bill in January that will require utilities to redirect the money they’re spending to comply with the state’s mandate for ever-increasing use of renewable energy. They want that money to be spent on hardening the grid and managing vegetation near power equipment.

California law first established a renewables portfolio standard (RPS) in 2002. It called for 20 percent of retail electricity sales to be generated by “RPS-eligible” sources, primarily wind and solar energy, by the end of 2017. In 2015, the state passed another law to increase the requirement for RPS compliance to 50 percent by 2030.

Last year, the state enacted Senate Bill 100, the “100 Percent Clean Energy Act,” which increased the RPS obligation for electricity sellers to 60 percent by 2030. It also established a state policy that “RPS-eligible and zero-carbon resources” supply 100 percent of all retail electricity sales in California by December 31, 2045.

“RPS-eligible” refers to the fact that electricity generated by renewable hydropower and nuclear energy don’t count toward the requirement, even though they don’t generate any greenhouse gas emissions.

The RPS laws aimed to create a market for solar and wind power by forcing utility companies to sign long-term contracts to procure it. The consequence of this has been to force ratepayers to pay higher rates. Even though the price of solar and wind power has come down, utilities that signed contracts years ago to comply with the RPS requirement are locked in at the higher prices.

Potentially, a bankruptcy court could relieve the utilities of their obligations under those old contracts.

And this explains why politicians in California who supported laws like SB100 are trying so hard to bail out the investor-owned utilities. A recent law signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom stuck ratepayers with half the cost of filling up a wildfire liability fund and created a more reliable path for utilities to recoup wildfire losses by charging their customers.

If the idea of requiring utilities to comply with a renewables portfolio requirement was to forcibly create a market for a product that the market wasn’t buying, bankruptcy could undo the whole scheme. A bankruptcy court can set aside current contracts and force the negotiation of new ones. Investors who plowed money into companies that plowed money into solar and wind energy projects will lose much of their cash crop.

You can follow the drama by watching the performance of so-called yieldcos, investment vehicles that own long-term contracted assets in the renewable energy space. They generate stable cash flows for investors, as long as the long-term contracts aren’t canceled by a bankruptcy court and replaced with new contracts at the current, lower prices for renewable energy.

The threat to the long-term contracts was made clear by Nielsen and Gallagher, who said they’ll introduce a resolution urging the judge overseeing Pacific Gas & Electric’s bankruptcy to rescind the company’s electricity contracts. PG&E has acknowledged that some of the older contracts have locked the company into paying higher prices for power than they would pay if they negotiated new contracts in today’s market.

If they paid less for power, they’d have more money to pay for hardening the grid and managing vegetation, or for paying refunds to angry ratepayers who are sitting in the dark with dead phones.

Senate President Pro Tem Toni Atkins reacted furiously to the proposal from the GOP lawmakers. She denounced the idea of “backsliding on renewable energy” and declared, “Replacing clean energy sources with more energy generated from fossil fuels exacerbates the climate change that is causing the extreme weather and wildfires we are facing.”

But that ignores the fact that California could have reliable electricity from hydro and nuclear power without increasing greenhouse gas emissions, not to mention the fact that the whole state only accounts for 1 percent of global GHG emissions and our RPS doesn’t affect the climate at all.

The fires caused by old equipment are a consequence of the state’s decision to micromanage how utilities spend their (or your) money.

There’s no reason to stick with the requirements in SB100. What Atkins called “backsliding” could also be called a reasonable adjustment to reflect current costs and conditions.

Politicians like Atkins are desperately trying to sustain an unsustainable policy that is driving electricity rates to insane heights, harming consumers and businesses.

California needs reliable and affordable electricity. We should all be able to agree on that.

Susan Shelley is an editorial writer and columnist for the Southern California News Group. Susan@SusanShelley.com. Twitter: @Susan_Shelley

PLAYA VISTA — Clippers center Ivica Zubac looks like he spent the summer improving his strength, diet and overall game, motivated to prove his worth and fulfill some high hopes.

“The sky is the limit for him, he could be a very dominant center,” Kawhi Leonard said recently of Zubac, noting also, “how good he’s gonna be is gonna be up to him.”

In the first six games this season – before which the good-natured 22-year-old center signed a four-year, $28.5 million contract – Zubac is averaging 8.7 points, shooting 72 percent from the field and grabbing 5.8 rebounds in 16.3 minutes.

More important: his defense. Zubac is posting a career-best defensive rating of 93.7 (the number of points per 100 possessions that the team allows while a player is on the court).

He’s doing it with performances like he had in a victory against the San Antonio Spurs on Thursday, when he defended LaMarcus Aldridge for 16 possessions and allowed the talented big man only four shot attempts, none of which he made.

In the two games before that, Utah’s stellar defensive center, Rudy Gobert, went 1 for 1 with Zubac guarding him, and Charlotte’s center Cody Zeller was just 1 for 5. Zubac posted a career-high five blocks in that victory over the Hornets last week.

Zubac and the Clippers will face Gobert and the Jazz again at 6 p.m. Sunday at Staples Center.

“We need him to be big, because he is big,” Clippers coach Doc Rivers said of his 7-foot, 240-pound starting center, acquired via a trade with the Lakers at the deadline last season. “I tell him, ‘Be large, be heavy, be all the things you are every night. They need to feel you every night.’”

Zubac has taken that advice, and much else, to heart, getting up and down the floor more swiftly this season and avoiding fouls by keeping his feet moving and his arms raised to challenge shots.

“They’re all pushing me every day,” Zubac said, referring to his teammates. “They think I have a big defensive potential … so I’m just learning from everyone a little bit. I understand what my role is, and that’s to play defense and rebound, set screens, be physical and finish at the rim. Just understanding my role helps me to get better.”

“He’s really gettin’ it,” said Rivers, who indicated after Saturday’s practice that he hasn’t determined whether Zubac’s improved play will portend increased minutes, though the head coach wouldn’t rule it out.

“It’s game to game. It’s just the way things have gone so far. I do want to cut some of Trezz’s (Montrezl Harrell’s) minutes because he’s playing a lot of minutes in a row, so my guess is Zube will end up playing more.”

“You could feel his presence out there on the floor.” – Doc Rivers on @ivicazubac

CourtVision powered by @awscloud pic.twitter.com/jLH7aUo5tu

— LA Clippers (@LAClippers) October 29, 2019

GEORGE’S DEBUT TBD

Rivers said he didn’t have an update on when Paul George – who participated in some three-on-three work with a few of the team’s young players late in practice Saturday – might take the floor for the first time as a Clipper.

“Nah,” Rivers said, before qualifying his response: “I didn’t ask. I don’t ask. I really don’t know. I’ve never (been hands on). I’ve always believed the trainer. At some point, someone’s gonna tell me he can play.”

Half of the Clippers’ new superstar tandem, George continues to rehabilitate following surgery to both shoulders this offseason.

Meanwhile, Leonard has played in five of the Clippers’ first six games, three of which were victories. He’s averaging 29.2 points, 7.6 rebounds and 6.2 assists — with a 99.4 defensive rating.

Bernhard Langer and Fred Couples each posted a 7-under 65 in Saturday’s second round of the Invesco QQQ Championship at Sherwood Country Club, leaving both players just one shot behind leader Retief Goosen who sits atop the leaderboard at 10-under 134.

But while their scores were identical, the way each player viewed their respective rounds was drastically different.

For Langer, Saturday’s 65 was a bit of a disappointment, especially when you consider he was 8 under through 12 holes and still had two par 5s left to play. Langer played the final six holes 1 over, finishing off his day with a bogey-5 on the 18th hole.

“Just sour to have finished with a bogey there on the last, not the way to finish a day like that,” a disappointed Langer said. “I had two par 5s to play and I had a really good birdie chance on the first par 5 (13) and I just lipped out.  Yeah, you know, I would have liked to finish one or two under those last six holes, but I didn’t.”

Langer, and most of the players at the top of the leaderboard did the majority of their scoring on the front side on Saturday, but Couples did most of his damage on the back nine. He made five birdies over the final nine holes, including one on the 18th hole that left him at 9 under for the event and in prime position to try and capture his first PGA Tour Champions title since 2017.

“I hit a lot of very good irons and it was an easy 7 under, I’ll say that,” Couples said. “There were some darn good pins (on the back nine), and the greens are firm and fast but they’re absolutely perfect. There was a pin on 14 that was brutal, and I birdied that. And then 15, it was all the way over that par 3, which no one likes, and both Doug (Garwood) and I both birdied there. So, I felt like I really got going.

Both players are hoping to have similar success in Sunday’s final round and ultimately walk away with the title.

Langer, who won this tournament in 2017, needs a win to keep his chances of winning another Schwab Cup title alive. If he were able to win this week and at next week’s Schwab Cup final in Phoenix, it’s possible the five-time Schwab Cup champion could come from behind and snatch the title away from current points leader Scott McCarron.

Couples has no chance of winning the Schwab Cup, but he would love to close out the tournament’s stay at Sherwood by being its final champion. The tournament’s contract with Sherwood is done and the Tour has decided to move to another venue next year.

“I’m very disappointed we’re not coming back here,” Couples said. “It’s one of our better courses and for me personally, this is a great course. I’m a California guy, it’s a two-hour drive for me, I like that.

“Tomorrow will be a fun day. It might be my last day of the year and if it is, great, but I’m going to go out and try and play the best round I can.”

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The CIF-SS football playoff pairings for all of the divisions.

FOOTBALL PLAYOFFS

DIVISION 1

First round, Friday, Nov. 15

Bishop Amat at Mater Dei

Servite at Mission Viejo

JSerra at Centennial

Calabasas at St. John Bosco

DIVISION 2

First round, Friday, Nov. 8

Santa Margarita at Sierra Canyon

Sherman Oaks Notre Dame at Vista Murrieta

Orange Lutheran at Long Beach Poly

Murrieta Valley at Rancho Cucamonga

Chaminade at Norco

Oaks Christian at Upland

Serra at Rancho Verde

San Clemente at Valencia

DIVISION 3

First round, Friday, Nov. 8

Corona Santiago at Corona del Mar

St. Francis at Cajon

Tesoro at Cathedral

Alemany at Paraclete

Capistrano Valley at La Habra

Heritage at Edison

Los Alamitos at Lawndale

Westlake at Grace Brethren

DIVISION 4

First round, Friday, Nov. 8

El Toro at Paramount

Eastvale Roosevelt at South Hills

Chaparral at Hart

Murrieta Mesa at San Juan Hills

Loyola at Palos Verdes

Great Oak at Villa Park

Downey at La Mirada

Damien at Camarillo

DIVISION 5

First round, Friday, Nov. 8

Biship Diego at Culver City

Chino Hills at Mayfair

El Modena at St. Paul

Citrus Hill at Yorba Linda

Lompoc at Glendora

Etiwanda at Diamond Ranch

Oak Hills at Aquinas

St. Bonaventure at Oxnard

DIVISION 6

First round, Friday, Nov. 8

Los Osos at Ayala

Dos Pueblos at Crespi

Silverado at Citrus Valley

Mira Costa at Oxnard Pacifica

Warren at La Serna

Los Altos at St. Margaret’s

Apple Valley at San Jacinto

Redondo at Kaiser

DIVISION 7

First round, Friday, Nov. 8

Canyon Country Canyon at Serrano

Burbank at Don Lugo

Ventura at Northview

Huntington Beach at Cypress

Placentia Valencia at Temecula Valley

Carter at Elsinore

Quartz Hill at West Ranch

Fullerton at Long Beach Wilson

DIVISION 8

First round, Friday, Nov. 8

Tustin at Sunny Hills

Grand Terrace at Riverside Notre Dame

Garden Grove Pacifica at Trabuco Hills

Anaheim Canyon at San Gorgonio

Garden Grove at Palmdale

Aliso Niguel at Santa Ana

Temescal Canyon at Palm Desert

Gahr at Santa Barbara

DIVISION 9

First round, Friday, Nov. 8

Troy at Foothill

La Salle at San Dimas

El Dorado at North Torrance

Hillcrest at Palm Springs

Santa Fe at Monrovlia

Newport Harbor at St. Anthony

Lakewood at Brea Olinda

Bonita at Highland

DIVSION 10

First round, Friday, Nov. 8

Peninsula at Crescenta Valley

Big Bear at Eisenhower

Summit at Katella

Segerstrom at Pomona

Montebello at J.W. North

San Marino at Orange

Simi Valley at Western

Rancho Mirage at Norte Vista

DIVISION 11

First round, Friday, Nov. 8

Linfield Christian at Beaumont

Pasadena at Cerritos Valley Christian

Claremond at Chaffey

Brentwood at Muir

Compton at El Rancho

Hemet at Arroyo

Riverside Poly at Ontario Christian

Laguna Hills at Marina

DIVISION 12

First round, Friday, Nov. 8

Ocean View at El Monte

Glenn at Nordhoff

Coachella Valley at Jurupa Hills

Northwood at Rio Hondo Prep

Artesia at Moreno Valley

Ontario at Adelanto

Orange Vista at Yucca Valley

Maranatha at Oak Park

DIVISION 13

First round, Friday, Nov. 8

Diamond Bar at Alhambra

Santa Ana Calvary Chapel at Santa Ana Valley

Rim of the World at Cantwell-Sacred Heart

Ramona at Rosemead

South Pasadena at Fillmore

Esperanza at Rancho Alamitos

Santa Monica at St. Bernard

Banning at Inglewood

DIVISION 14

First round, Friday, Nov. 8

Garden Grove Santiago at St. Pius X-St. Matthias

Workman at Ganesha

Fairmont Prep at Mary Star

Moreno Valley Vista Del Oro at Wildomar Cornerstone Christian

Capistrano Valley Christian at Portola

South Torrance at Trinity Classical Academy

California Military at Loara

Riverside Prep at Sierra Vista

Orange County firefighters have contained a 2.75-acre wildfire in the Cleveland National Forest near Silverado Ranch, northeast of Foothill Ranch.

The fire, in Williams Canyon and dubbed the Williams fire, was reported at 12:09 p.m., the Orange County Fire Authority said.

More than 10 engines and brush rigs were on scene, and helicopters dropped water on the blaze, officials said.

Firefighters on the ground and in the air kept a brush fire near Santiago Canyon to 2.75 acres. The #WilliamsFire broke out just after noon today and was stopped shortly after 1pm. Support came from #CNF and #OCSD pic.twitter.com/xWA5QjEqOR

— OCFA PIO (@OCFA_PIO) November 3, 2019

Aerial photo of #WilliamsFire from FIRIS in Santiago Canyon. Helos are handling a spot fire but forward rate of spread has been stopped. Firefighters are working on containment. Approximately 2 acres has burned in state area that OCFA protects. pic.twitter.com/s4rqdBVbA4

— OCFA PIO (@OCFA_PIO) November 3, 2019

UPDATE: #WilliamsFire off Williams Canyon Road is approx. 2 acres and is now a second alarm. 10+ engines and brush rigs on scene as well as water dropping helicopters. Santiago Canyon and Williams Canyon Roads are now blocked.

— OCFA PIO (@OCFA_PIO) November 3, 2019

Santiago Canyon and Williams Canyon Roads were temporarily blocked off.

Good samaritans stopping by the #WilliamsFire with a horse trailer, just in case. Always good to see such kind hearted people willing to help. pic.twitter.com/ctW5ky18mb

— icannotfly (@sovietmoonbase) November 3, 2019

No evacuations were reported.

Thousands of people had to flee their homes last week as wildfires erupted around Southern California amid high winds and red-flag warnings.

Former state legislator Ted Lempert is personally and professionally committed to improving the wellbeing of California’s children.

Lempert, the president of Children Now, has tirelessly advocated to improve children’s futures and last week released a lengthy report comparing California to other states and concluding that we are woefully underspending on education.

“Since the 1960s, and accelerated by the passage of Proposition 13 in 1978, California has experienced a decline in adequate funding for the public education system that has created a jarring reality for its 6.2 million students,” the Children Now report asserted.

“California is at the bottom of the country in terms of the amount of supports it provides to its students,” Lempert said in a statement. “If, as a state, we’re serious about providing an equitable, high-quality education for all kids, state leaders must invest more in education, starting early on in order to prepare them for success in high school and beyond.”

The report is clearly timed to support drives to place two tax increase measures on the November 2020 ballot, one that would increase property taxes on commercial structures, and another that would increase corporate and personal income taxes.

If both passed, schools would see about $20 billion a year in additional financing, or roughly $3,000 for each of the state’s 6.2 million K-12 students.

Proponents of the measures, unions for the property tax proposal and the California School Boards Association for the income tax hike, will echo Children Now, telling voters that our schools will once again shine if they have billions of more dollars to reduce class sizes, hire more teachers and expand support services.

But is it true?

By happenstance, the report was issued just as the federal government released scores from the latest round of national academic testing of 4th and 8th graders in reading and mathematics.

California maintained its mediocre status in the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) tests, up a little in some categories, down a little in others, with huge gaps separating poor and English-learner students from more affluent white and Asian classmates.

California’s test results have shown virtually no overall improvement even though we have increased per-pupil spending by about 50 percent in recent years. Nevertheless, Children Now and others contend that our academic shortfall would be closed by spending more.

However, there’s almost no correlation between spending and NAEP standing in 8th-grade reading, which is particularly important because reading comprehension is vital to success by students about to enter high school.

The District of Columbia tops per-pupil spending from all sources, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, at $23,091, followed by New York at $21,974, Connecticut at $19,322 and New Jersey at $18,920.

Although the District of Columbia spends the most, its 8th-grade reading score of 250 is 12 points under the national average and one of the nation’s lowest. New York is second in spending but its reading score, 262, is identical to the national average, and just three points higher than California’s 259.

No. 3 Connecticut and No. 4 New Jersey are both markedly above average, but so are No. 51 Utah and No. 50 Idaho.

An adequate amount of money is obviously needed for education, but contrary to the assertions of Children Now and other advocates, it’s not the only factor, and shouldn’t be oversold. Our educational dilemma is much more complicated than that.

CalMatters is a public interest journalism venture committed to explaining how California’s state Capitol works and why it matters. For more stories by Dan Walters, go to calmatters.org/commentary

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The Orange County high school football schedule for the first-round games.

FOOTBALL PLAYOFFS

DIVISION 1

First round, Friday, Nov. 15

Bishop Amat vs. Mater Dei at TBD

Servite at Mission Viejo

JSerra at Centennial

DIVISION 2

First round, Friday, Nov. 8

Santa Margarita at Sierra Canyon

Orange Lutheran at Long Beach Poly

San Clemente at Valencia

DIVISION 3

First round, Friday, Nov. 8

Corona Santiago vs. Corona del Mar at TBD

Tesoro at Cathedral

Capistrano Valley at La Habra

Heritage at Edison

Los Alamitos at Lawndale

DIVISION 4

First round, Friday, Nov. 8

El Toro at Paramount

Murrieta Mesa at San Juan Hills

Great Oak vs. Villa Park, at Orange Coast College

DIVISION 5

First round, Friday, Nov. 8

El Modena at St. Paul

Citrus Hill at Yorba Linda

DIVISION 6

First round, Friday, Nov. 8

Los Altos at St. Margaret’s

DIVISION 7

First round, Friday, Nov. 8

Huntington Beach at Cypress

Placentia Valencia at Temecula Valley

Fullerton at Long Beach Wilson

DIVISION 8

First round, Friday, Nov. 8

Tustin vs. Sunny Hills at TBD

Pacifica at Trabuco Hills

Canyon at San Gorgonio

Garden Grove at Palmdale

Aliso Niguel vs. Santa Ana at TBD

DIVISION 9

First round, Friday, Nov. 8

Troy vs. Foothill at TBD

El Dorado at North Torrance

Newport Harbor at St. Anthony

Lakewood at Brea Olinda

DIVSION 10

First round, Friday, Nov. 8

Summit at Katella

Segerstrom at Pomona

San Marino vs. Orange at Segerstrom HS

Simi Valley at Western

DIVISION 11

First round, Friday, Nov. 8

Laguna Hills at Marina

DIVISION 12

First round, Friday, Nov. 8

Ocean View at El Monte

Northwood at Rio Hondo Prep

DIVISION 13

First round, Friday, Nov. 8

Calvary Chapel at Santa Ana Valley

Esperanza at Rancho Alamitos

DIVISION 14

First round, Friday, Nov. 8

Santiago at St. Pius X-St. Matthias

Fairmont Prep at Mary Star

Capistrano Valley Christian at Portola

California Military at Loara

By Sheryl Gay Stolberg and Nicholas Fandos

LOS ANGELES — The crowd was buzzing with Hollywood types — actress Patricia Arquette, producer Norman Lear — at a private film screening on Sunset Boulevard one recent Sunday afternoon. But here in liberal America, the biggest celebrity in the room was not someone who makes a living in what people call “the industry.”

It was Rep. Adam Schiff, the straight-laced former federal prosecutor who was on the brink of prosecuting his biggest defendant yet: President Donald Trump.

These are heady but perilous days for Schiff, the inscrutable and slightly nerdy chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, who is leading the impeachment inquiry into Trump. Adored by the left, reviled by the right, he has become a Rorschach test for U.S. politics. Depending on one’s point of view, he is either going to save the republic or destroy it.

Here in his home district, at the screening of “The Great Hack,” a film about disinformation in the 2016 election, Lear introduced Schiff as a “current American hero.” As the audience leapt to its feet in a standing ovation, the congressman emerged from backstage in standard Washington uniform — navy blazer, white shirt, light blue tie — his manner as inoffensive as his attire.

“We thank them for their patriotism,” Schiff said somberly, praising whistleblowers, including the anonymous one whose complaint against Trump prompted the impeachment inquiry, “and we hope others will follow their courageous example.”

Now Schiff, 59, is poised to take a much bigger stage as his inquiry moves from a secure office suite in a Capitol Hill basement into nationally televised public hearings. He will make the case against Trump to a divided nation, in what amounts to an epic courtroom drama meant to unveil evidence of the president’s pressure campaign to enlist Ukraine to smear his political rivals — a moment that is bound to be must-watch TV.

At home in his district, which stretches from West Hollywood to Pasadena and north to the San Gabriel Mountains, Schiff is well acquainted with the celebrity lifestyle.

He lives with his wife, Eve (yes, Adam and Eve), and their two children in suburban Maryland, but they also have an apartment in Burbank, home to Walt Disney Studios. He favors vegan Chinese food and drives an Audi whose license plate frame bears a line from the movie “The Big Lebowski” (“I don’t roll on Shabbos”), from which he can quote at length. He has dabbled at screenwriting, once drafting a script that featured a prosecutor as the hero. He tried stand-up comedy, too, during a fundraiser at the Improv in Hollywood.

“He did a whole riff on being a nihilist,” said one of his best friends, former congressman Steve Israel, who joined him onstage. “Basically, we got told to stick to our day jobs.”

But if Schiff has a sense of humor (his friends insist he does have a dry one), he rarely shows it in Washington, where he has carefully cultivated his image as the stylistic and substantive opposite of Trump: calm, measured, reserved and brainy.

He makes no secret of his disdain for the president, who refers to him as “Little Pencil Neck” or “Shifty Schiff” when he is not replacing the congressman’s surname with the expletive with which it rhymes. In an interview, Schiff called Trump a “grave risk to our democracy” who is conducting an “amoral presidency” and has debased his office with “infantile” insults.

“What comes through in the president’s comments and his tweets and his outrage and his anger toward me in particular is, this president feels he has a God-given right to abuse his office in any way he sees fit,” Schiff said.

Trump and his allies, sensing the threat posed by Schiff’s inquiry and divided over how to defend the president against a rush of damning testimony, have united in trying to undermine the congressman’s credibility. They sought unsuccessfully to have the House censure him and have accused him of running a “Soviet-style impeachment inquiry.” On Saturday, Trump proclaimed him “a corrupt politician” on Twitter.

Republicans who work side by side with him on the Intelligence Committee contend that he has changed as his star has risen alongside Trump’s. A figure they once saw as a serious and studious policy wonk they now describe in viscerally negative terms, as a liar and a hypocrite who will stop at nothing to oust a duly elected president.

Schiff has an “absolute maniacal focus on Donald Trump” said one committee Republican, Rep. Michael Turner of Ohio, who accused Schiff of routinely lying to the press and the public about what happened in private interviews and conducting the inquiry’s initial hearings out of public view so he and other Democrats could distort the findings.

And Schiff has let the publicity go to his head, Turner said: “Schiff finds the media intoxicating. And he is pretty much willing to do whatever it takes to get to the top of the media cycle.”

Schiff has made some missteps. His dramatized description of the president’s phone call with the leader of Ukraine drew attacks from the president and Republican lawmakers, who said he was fabricating evidence — and surprised even a close friend, Alice Hill, who knows the congressman from their days as young prosecutors in Los Angeles.

“I was a bit surprised because he is reserved and not prone to overstatement, very careful with his words, very careful with the facts and keeping to the facts,” she said, adding, “It felt out of character.”

And Schiff’s assertion that he had not had any contact with the whistleblower who incited the inquiry drew a “false” rating from The Washington Post; the whistleblower had approached his panel for guidance before filing his complaint. Schiff conceded he “should have been much more clear” about that.

Democrats, who are united behind Schiff, counter that the attacks are opportunistic; Republicans, they said, are attacking Schiff over process because they cannot defend the president on the merits of his behavior.

There is little room for error as Schiff pushes the inquiry forward in the coming months. His performance could determine not only Trump’s future but also his own. Schiff is a close ally of Speaker Nancy Pelosi and viewed by some as her possible successor. At a recent news conference, Pelosi — not ordinarily one to cede control — took the rare step of sitting with reporters to watch admiringly as the congressman spoke.

“He’s a full package,” Pelosi said in an interview, praising Schiff as “always gracious, always lovely.” She added, “He knows his purpose, and his purpose is not to engage in that silliness that the president is engaged in.”

A lawyer educated at Stanford University and Harvard Law School, Schiff tried his first big case three decades ago when, as a young federal prosecutor in Los Angeles, he secured the conviction of an FBI agent who was seduced by a Soviet spy and traded secrets for gold and cash. In 1996, he won a seat in the California Senate; in 2000, he was elected to the House by beating a Republican who had been a manager in the impeachment of President Bill Clinton.

In Washington, Schiff joined the Blue Dogs, a group of conservative Democrats, and made a name for himself as a national security expert. He joined the Intelligence Committee in 2008 — drawn to it, Israel said, because he viewed it as “a quiet place for bipartisanship.”

His breakout moment came in 2014, when the Republican-led House established a committee to investigate attacks on the U.S. diplomatic compound in Benghazi, Libya. Schiff had argued that Democrats should not participate in what he viewed as a partisan exercise, but Pelosi put him on the committee.

But it was the election of Trump that elevated Schiff’s profile and made him a sought-after speaker and fundraiser in Democratic circles. As the top Democrat on the Intelligence Committee last term, when Republicans still had the majority, he vigorously investigated Russian election interference and questions around whether the Trump campaign had conspired with hostile foreign actors, becoming the most recognizable public face explaining the biggest story in Washington on national TV. When Democrats won the majority in the House, he helped Pelosi draft a broad investigative strategy.

Schiff was a late convert to the impeachment push; like Pelosi, he held back until revelations about Ukraine emerged. For the last five weeks, he has spent much of his time in a secure room four floors below the Capitol, overseeing the closed-door questioning of witnesses. He opens each witness interview and sometimes steps in to conduct questioning himself.

“The American people have a right to know — they have a need to know — how deep this misconduct goes,” he said, adding, “There’s no hiding the president’s hand in any of this.”

These days, Schiff has tried to tightly control his public profile. He goes on television less than he used to and zips wordlessly through the Capitol, trailed by a phalanx of aides and a scrum of journalists, smiling wanly as they pepper him with questions.

It has all given him “a new appreciation” of the struggles his celebrity constituents face in maintaining their privacy, he said. And he is well aware that, out there in the rest of the U.S., he has become a polarizing figure.

“I feel I’ve become kind of a human focus group,” he said during a panel discussion after the screening here. “People will stop me in the airport in close succession. One will come up to me and say, ‘Are you Adam Schiff? I just want to shake your hand — you’re my hero,’ immediately to be followed by someone else who says, ‘Why are you destroying our democracy?’”

The congressman paused for a moment and concluded that both couldn’t be right “because last time I checked, I’m the same person.”

By CHRISTOPHER WEBER

LOS ANGELES — Authorities lifted all evacuation orders as firefighters made progress Sunday on a large blaze that sent thousands fleeing homes and farms northwest of Los Angeles.

Crews working in steep terrain were tamping down hotspots and keeping an eye on lingering gusts in mountain areas that could carry embers, said Ventura County Fire Capt. Steve Kaufmann.

“I’d say we’re cautiously optimistic,” Kaufmann said, citing calmer winds overall and rising humidity levels.

Firefighters have contained 50% of the blaze, which has burned nearly 15 square miles (39 sq. kilometers) of dry brush and timber. Three buildings were destroyed.

More than 11,000 people evacuated after the flames spread Oct. 31 during dry winds that fanned fires across the state this fall.

In his first recent comments on the California fires, President Donald Trump threatened to cut U.S. aid funding to the state.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom has done a “terrible job of forest management,” Trump tweeted. When fires rage, the governor comes to the federal government for help. “No more,” the president tweeted.

The Governor of California, @GavinNewsom, has done a terrible job of forest management. I told him from the first day we met that he must “clean” his forest floors regardless of what his bosses, the environmentalists, DEMAND of him. Must also do burns and cut fire stoppers…..

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 3, 2019

Newsom replied with a tweet of his own: “You don’t believe in climate change. You are excused from this conversation.”

California has increased fire prevention investments and fuel management projects in recent years while federal funding has shrunk, the governor’s office said in a statement.

“We’re successfully waging war against thousands of fires started across the state in the last few weeks due to extreme weather created by climate change while Trump is conducting a full on assault against the antidotes,” Newsom said.

The state controls just 3% of forest land in California, while the federal government owns 57%, according to numbers provided by Newsom’s office. About 40% of the state’s forest are privately owned. Neither of the two major fires currently burning are on forest land.

Last year Trump made a similar threat as wildfires devastated Malibu and Paradise, California — accusing the state of “gross mismanagement” of forests.

At the time Newsom defended California’s wildfire prevention efforts while criticizing the federal government for not doing enough to help protect the state.

In Northern California, more people returned to areas evacuated from a huge fire that burned for days in the Sonoma County wine country.

The 121-square-mile (313-square-kilometer) fire was 76% contained on Sunday, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection said.

The tally of destroyed homes reached 175 and there were 35 more damaged, authorities said. Many other structures also burned.

The causes of both fires were under investigation but there was a possibility that electrical lines might have been involved — as was the case at other recent fires.

Southern California Edison said Friday that it re-energized a 16,000-volt power line 13 minutes before the fire erupted in the same area of Ventura County.

Edison and other utilities around the state shut off power to hundreds of thousands of people last week out of concerns that high winds could cause power lines to spark and start fires.

Southern California Edison will cooperate with investigators, the utility said.

As a treat for helping to raise money to research treatments and a cure for juvenile diabetes, volunteers on Sunday, Nov. 3, got to see themselves on the jumbotron at Angel Stadium.

The loop around the warming track of the stadium’s field was part of the 3.5 miles participants walked during the JDRF One Walk.

More than 7,000 people participated, raising $620,000 and surpassing the goal of $619,000 for type 1 diabetes research, organizer Lauren Christ said.

The morning event also featured a kids zone, a vendor fair and food trucks.

Support our high school sports coverage by becoming a digital subscriber. Subscribe now

Dan Albano and Steve Fryer take a look at the season highlight, key player and playoff outlook for every Orange County team that made it to the postseason.

The teams are listed alphabetically.

PLAYOFF OUTLOOKS

• Aliso Niguel (Division 8): The Wolverines (7-3 overall, 2-2 league) finished third in the Sea View League.

Season highlight: defeated Sunny Hills 36-35

Key player: QB Kyle Kyckelhahn has been fantastic as a first-year starter, passing for 2,732 yards and 25 touchdowns.

Playoff outlook: The Wolverines stumbled in Week 10 against Trabuco Hills but remain a dangerous team in the division based on their strength of schedule. They also face an opponent they know well in the first round. Aliso Niguel plays at Orange Coast League runner-up Santa Ana, which the Wolverines beat 48-35 earlier this season. The Saints played better in league and added sit-out transfers.

• Beckman (Division 14): The Patriots (6-4 overall, 3-2 in league) finished third in the Pacific Coast League.

Season highlight: defeated Woodbridge 21-13.

Key player: RB Jett Daviss is a bruising junior who entered Week 10 with 732 yards and nine TDs. He rushed for 100 yards in a key victory against Woodbridge.

Playoff outlook: Don’t forget about the Patriots. They’ve got excellent size along the offensive and defensive lines and quarterback Jason Cheng is a dual threat who can extend drives with his feet.

• Brea Olinda (Division 9): The Wildcats (6-4 overall, 2-1 league) finished second in the North Hills League.

Season highlight: defeated Esperanza 16-10 OT.

Key player: LB Kion Marshall is the Wildcats’ impact player on defense with his pursuit skills and tackling.

Playoff outlook: The Wildcats were Division 9 runner-ups last season and face visiting Lakewood in the first round. Lakewood, an at-large entry from the Moore League, is led by Coach Scott Meyer, the former coach at Servite, Corona del Mar and University.

• Calvary Chapel (Division 13): The Eagles (8-2 overall, 3-1 league) finished third in the Orange Coast League.

Season highlight: defeated Estancia 24-14.

Key player: WR/CB Gavin Price proved to the difference maker in the victory against Estancia.

Playoff outlook: The Eagles have improved under first-year coach Pat McInally but will encounter another improved squad in Santa Ana Valley in the first round. Calvary Chapel’s spread attack could offer a new look to the Falcons’ defense, but the Eagles’ defense will need to be ready for a physical game.

• Canyon (Division 8): The Comanches (2-8 overall, 0-3 league) finished fourth in the Crestview League.

Season highlight: defeated Spanish Springs of Nevada 41-40

Key player: WR/DB/K Joey Rouly has scored 12 touchdowns and kicked four field goals.

Playoff outlook: The at-large Comanches enter the playoffs riding an eight-game losing streak and play at No. 4-seeded San Gorgonio. The Spartans finished in a three-way tie for first in the San Andreas League.

• Capistrano Valley (Division 3): The Cougars (4-6 overall, 1-3 league) finished fourth in the South Coast League.

Season highlight: defeated Trabuco Hills 42-24.

Key player: QB Dartanyon Moussiaux has delivered a solid junior season, throwing for almost 2,000 yards and 20 TDs. He tossed five touchdowns in a Week 10 victory against El Toro.

Playoff outlook: The at-large Cougars open at No. 3-seeded La Habra in the first round, but the Cougars shouldn’t be intimidated based on their experience in the South Coast League. Capo Valley also has an excellent pass rusher in Patrick Griu (11 sacks) to pressure La Habra quarterback Ryan Zanelli. The Highlanders, however, can put Clark Phillips III on top wide receiver Jack Haley.

• Capistrano Valley Christian (Division 14): The Eagles (7-3 overall, 2-1 league) finished second in the San Joaquin League.

Season highlight: defeated Saddleback Valley Christian 29-8.

Key player: QB Tyler Henry has passed for 20 TDs and rushed for almost 500 yards.

Playoff outlook: The Eagles take on Pacific Coast League champion Portola just one week after a 56-7 loss to St. Margaret’s. That’s a tough back-to-back set. Portola plays a physical style of offense with several running backs.

• Corona del Mar (Division 3): The Sea Kings (10-0 overall, 5-0 in league) won the Surf League.

Season highlight: defeated San Clemente 42-21.

Key player: QB Ethan Garbers makes the high-powered offense go. He has passed for 3,357 yards and 47 TDs.

Playoff outlook: The top-seeded Sea Kings are back for unfinished business after losing in the Division 4 finals two of the past three seasons to Grace Brethren and Sierra Canyon. CdM opens against at-large Santiago of Corona and should reach the finals, where Grace Brethren or La Habra likely awaits. Stanford-committed wide receiver John Humphreys rolls into the playoffs with 23 touchdown catches, including eight in the past two games.

• Cypress (Division 7): The Centurions (10-0 overall, 5-0 league) won the Empire League.

Season highlight: defeated Capistrano Valley 42-28.

Key player: Senior RB Isaac Hurtado entered Week 10 with 1,641 yards rushing and 23 TDs. He then rushed for 285 yards and four scores.

Playoff outlook: Coming off the best regular season in school history, the fourth-seeded Centurions are contenders to make a deep playoff run. They lost in the first round in Division 6 last season but should be able handle visiting Huntington Beach in the first round.

• Edison (Division 3): The Chargers (7-3 overall, 4-1 league) finished second in the Sunset League.

Season highlight: defeated San Juan Hills 24-17.

Key player: RB/LB Mike Walters leads the Chargers in rushing with 491 yards and 15 TDs as well as tackles with 77.

Playoff outlook: The Chargers drew a first-round game at home against Heritage of Romoland, which lost to Rancho Verde 44-0 last week in the Ivy League championship game. Edison can’t look ahead. Heritage nearly upset Upland in the first round last season in Division 2, but a second-round showdown against La Habra looms for the Chargers.

• El Dorado (Division 9): The Golden Hawks (3-7 overall, 1-2 league) finished third in the North Hills League.

Season highlight: defeated Esperanza 15-13

Key player: Safety/running back Jacob Robinson is a two-way force.

Playoff outlook: El Dorado earned an at-large berth and a trip to North Torrance in the first round. North finished second in the Pioneer League to undefeated Inglewood, one of the favorites to capture Division 13. The Golden Hawks might have gained some momentum with a Week 10 win against Esperanza.

• El Modena (Division 5): The Vanguards (5-5 overall, 1-2 league) finished third in the Crestview League.

Season highlight: defeated Marina 28-24

Key player: QB Nathan Lomeli is a dual-threat who leads the Vanguards’ offense.

Playoff outlook: The at-large Vanguards played a strong schedule but drew a challenging opener at St. Paul. The Swordsmen won the Del Rey League title and their only losses on the field are to Sierra Canyon and Narbonne.

• El Toro (Division 4): The Chargers (1-9 overall, 0-4 league) finished fifth in the South Coast League.

Season highlight: defeated Eldorado of Nevada 23-20

Key player: LB Giulio Fernandes leads the Chargers with 138 tackles as junior. He’s been a bright spot for a unit that has allowed an average of almost 40 points a game.

Playoff outlook: Scary. The at-large Chargers drew the top-seeded Pirates, whose only loss was 28-27 in overtime to Division 1 Bishop Amat.

• Esperanza (Division 13): The Aztecs (6-4 overall, 0-3 league) finished fourth in the North Hills League.

Season highlight: defeated El Modena 31-28

Key player: RB Walter Gooding entered a Week 10 clash with El Dorado with 1,534 yards rushing and 15 TDs.

Playoff outlook: The Aztecs lost their final three games of the regular season but earned an at-large berth and expect quarterback Nate Nadeau (knee) to return this week. That’s good news for a first-round matchup with Rancho Alamitos, tri-champion from Garden Grove League.

• Fairmont Prep (Division 14): The Huskies (6-4 overall, 2-1 league) finished second in the Academy League.

Season highlight: defeated Webb, 35-8

Key player: RB Jason Terry entered a Week 10 showdown with Trinity Classical Academy of Valencia as Orange County’s leading rusher with 2,049 yards. The sophomore rushed for 147 yards and scored twice in a 28-22 loss.

Playoff outlook: The Huskies, a young squad that nearly won the league title, open against a familiar foe in Mary Star of the Sea. The Camino Real League co-champion beat Fairmont Prep 36-7 earlier in the season.

• Foothill (Division 9): The Knights (10-0 overall, 3-0 league) won the North Hills League title.

Season highlight: defeated Yorba Linda 14-7

Key player: QB Luke Peterman has been a steady senior leader and clutch performer. He has tossed 21 touchdowns.

Playoff outlook: The Knights are the top seed and appear to have the balance on offense, the athletes on defense and coaching to win a championship. They open against at-large Troy at Tustin High on Friday.

• Fullerton (Division 7): The Indians (6-4 overall, 3-2 league) finished third in the Freeway League.

Season highlight: defeated Sonora 21-13.

Key player: Speedy RB Arthur Shaw entered the league final against Buena Park with almost 1,300 yards and 15 TDs.

Playoff outlook: The Indians played in a tough league and drew No. 2 seed Long Beach Wilson in the first round. The Bruins’ only loss came against Long Beach Poly 42-24 in the game for the Moore League title.

• Garden Grove (Division 8): The Argonauts (4-6 overall, 1-2 league) finished third in the Big 4 League.

Season highlight: defeated Rancho Alamitos 14-7.

Key player: Do-it-all junior Czaln Lobaugh stars at wide receiver and safety after playing quarterback early in the season. He has caught TD passes the past two games.

Playoff outlook: The Argonauts earned an at-large berth to make the playoffs for the 16th consecutive year, but play at Golden League champion Palmdale (9-1). That’s a long trip for a tough foe.

• Huntington Beach (Division 7): The Oilers (2-8 overall, 1-4 league) finished fifth in the Sunset League.

Season highlight: defeated Fountain Valley 9-0

Key player: DL Brandon Bova has recorded 11 sacks and played a key role in the shutout against Fountain Valley.

Playoff outlook: The Oilers scored all nine of their points in the second half to edge Fountain Valley in Week 10, and that victory helped deliver an at-large bid. They face No. 4-seeded Cypress and standout running back Isaac Hurtado in the first round.

• JSerra (Division 1): The Lions (6-4 overall, 2-3 in league) finished fourth in the Trinity League.

Season highlight: defeated Bishop Amat 38-14.

Key player: RB/CB Sammy Green was already the Lions’ best breakaway threat on offense before Chris Street’s season-ending leg injury, but the speedy junior becomes more important now. He also is a key player on defense.

Playoff outlook: The Lions have struggled offensively in recent weeks and open against a Centennial of Corona team that knows how to score points. The Huskies average 54.1 points and have won seven straight games. Getting into a shootout with Centennial seems unlikely, so JSerra will need a strong defensive effort to have a chance.

• Katella (Division 10): The Knights (9-1 overall, 5-0 league) won the Orange League.

Season highlight: def. Esperanza 34-18

Key player: RB/LB Miles Poland is a playmaker on both sides of the ball. He entered a Week 10 showdown with Santa Ana Valley with 15 rushing TDs. He returned an interception 39 yards for a score in a 36-8 win against the Falcons.

Playoff outlook: The Knights open by playing host to Summit, which they beat 42-35 in the first round last season in Division 8. Summit (8-2) has improved by four games from last season, so this looks like a tough game for Katella.

• Laguna Hills (Division 11): The Hawks (5-5 overall, 1-3 league) finished fourth in the Sea View League.

Season highlight: defeated Dana Hills 28-27 OT

Key player: Junior Mitch Leigber is one of the top players in Orange County. He has rushed for almost 1,000 yards, has 490 yards receiving and plays outstanding defense.

Playoff outlook: The at-large Hawks get a chance for revenge against No. 2-seeded Marina, which they lost to 33-20 in their season opener. Laguna Hills lost quarterback Hayden McKenna to injury in the game but the junior has since returned.

• La Habra (Division 3): The Highlanders (8-2 overall, 5-0 league) won the Freeway League.

Season highlight: defeated Upland 21-14.

Key player: Ohio State-committed Clark Phillips III entered Week 10 leading the Highlanders with four interceptions and also had nine TD receptions.

Playoff outlook: Orange County football fans might be dreaming of a La Habra-Corona del Mar final, but the Highlanders have plenty of work ahead of them. They open against Capistrano Valley in the first round and will likely need to beat Edison and No. 2 seed Grace Brethren to make it happen.

• Loara (Division 14): The Saxons (8-2 overall, 4-1 league) shared the Garden Grove League title with Rancho Alamitos and Santiago.

Season highlight: defeated Santiago 37-0.

Key player: DL Tasi Malo helps anchor a defense that has posted four consecutive shutouts and six overall.

Playoff outlook: The Garden Grove League tri-champion plays California Military of Perris (5-5) in a winnable first-round game. The Saxons defense is holding teams to under 10 points a game.

• Los Alamitos (Division 3): The Griffins (4-6 overall, 3-2 league) finished third in the Sunset League.

Season highlight: defeated Newport Harbor 44-3.

Key player: WR/LB Giovanni De Leon has made an impact on both sides of the ball.

Playoff outlook: The Griffins drew a scary foe in Lawndale. The Ocean League runner-up dominated its past three opponents after a loss to undefeated Culver City. Lawndale also won Division 5 and CIF State Division 2A titles last season.

• Mater Dei (Division 1): The Monarchs (10-0 overall, 5-0 league) won the Trinity League.

Season highlight: defeated St. John Bosco 38-24.

Key player: QB Bryce Young continues to raise his level of play. He entered Week 10 with 2,837 yards and 34 TDs and then went 17 for 17 passing for 373 yards and five scores in a 51-14 victory against JSerra.

Playoff outlook: The nation’s No. 1-ranked team opens against familiar foe Bishop Amat, but the Monarchs appear headed toward another showdown in the finals against No. 2-seeded St. John Bosco. Mater Dei and St. John Bosco have played in the finals the past three Division 1 championships.

• Marina (Division 11): The Vikings (8-2 overall, 3-0 league) won the Big 4 League.

Season highlight: defeated Segerstrom 25-14

Key player: RB Pharoah Rush rushed for 80 yards and two TDs in the victory against previously undefeated Segerstrom.

Playoff outlook: The second-seeded Vikings, who captured their first league crown since 1986, are contenders to reach their first CIF final — and could win it. They open against at-large entry Laguna Hills, which they beat 33-20 in their season-opener. Top-seeded Beaumont, the third-place team from the tough Mountain Pass League, looms in Division 11. Beaumont lost 35-34 at home to eventual champion Western in the Division 11 semifinals last season.

• Mission Viejo (Division 1): The Diablos (10-0 overall, 4-0 in league) won the South Coast League.

Season highlight: defeated San Clemente 38-6.

Key player: DE Lance Keneley is one of several standouts on arguably the best defensive line in the county. He’s often the defensive player mentioned first by opposing coaches.

Playoff outlook: The Diablos earned the No. 4 seed and a home game, but will be tested by Servite on Nov. 15. Mission Viejo features one of the best defenses in the county while the Friars have one of the best offenses. It’s a tough but winnable game for the Diablos, but the likely reward will be a duel with Mater Dei in the semifinals. This first-round game is the best chance for Mission Viejo and Servite to shine.

• Newport Harbor (Division 9): The Sailors (7-3, overall, 2-3 league) finished fourth in the Sunset League.

Season highlight: Got off to a 7-0 start, including a 24-14 win over Aliso Niguel.

Key player: Sophomore Nick Kim, a transfer from JSerra, has guided the offense at quarterback since Cole Lavin went out midseason with a knee injury.

Playoff outlook: The Sailors lost their final three regular-season games, all in the Sunset League, and had to qualify as an at-large team, which means it will have a difficult first-round assignment.

• Northwood (Division 12): The Timberwolves (8-2, overall, 4-1 league) finished second in the Pacific Coast League.

Season highlight: Northwood beat Beckman 21-7 in a game that decided second place in league.

Key player: Quarterback Jordan Piazza has thrown for more than 1,500 yards and is the team’s leading rusher.

Playoff outlook: The Timberwolves have momentum with back-to-back wins over Beckman and Irvine, but at least one upset would be required for them to reach the semifinals.

• Orange (Division 10): The Panthers (9-1, overall, 5-0 league) won the Orange Coast League championship.

Season highlight: A 57-13 win over Santa Ana on the final night of the regular season got the Panthers their league title.

Key player: Running back Isacc Galvan is averaging 17 yards a carry.

Playoff outlook: Orange has the size and speed on offense and defense to make a deep run in the playoffs.

• Orange Lutheran (Division 2): The Lancers (5-5 overall, 1-4 league) finished fifth in the Trinity League.

Season highlight: The Lancers defeated Southwestern League champion and Division 2 playoff team Vista Murrieta 42-17.

Key player: Senior running back Cooper Vander Hill has been a productive player for the Lancers.

Playoff outlook: Wins over Vista Murrieta and Santa Margarita show that the Lancers will be a factor in Division 2.

• Pacifica (Division 8): The Mariners (5-5, 3-2) tied for second in the Empire League.

Season highlight: A 21-14 win over Tustin three weeks ago put the Mariners in the playoffs.

Key player: Senior running back Isiah Blevins is among the county’s leading rushers.

Playoff outlook: The Mariners lost their final two league games, which does not bode well for the playoffs.

• Rancho Alamitos (Division 9): The Vaqueros (7-3 overall, 4-1 league) finished in a three-way tie for first in the Garden Grove League.

Season highlight: The Vaqueros defeated league co-champion Loara 21-10.

Key player: Running back Jason Nguyen rushed for 106 yards in the win over Loara.

Playoff outlook: Rancho Alamitos is not in the Division 9 top 10, so the Vaqueros are certainly a sleeper.

• Sage Hill (8-man Division 1): The Lightning (8-1 overall, 5-0 league) finished first in the Express League.

Season highlight: A 40-28 win over Avalon on Friday secured the league championship.

Key player: Quarterback Finn McClintock.

Playoff outlook: Sage Hill’s win over Avalon gives the Lightning a boost going into the 8-man Division 1 playoffs, but Windward of Los Angeles is the team to beat.

• San Clemente (Division 2): The Tritons (8-2 overall, 3-1 league) finished second in the South Coast League.

Season highlight: Beat Tesoro 44-28 to secure second place in the South Coast League.

Key player: Nick Billoups has been a standout at quarterback and defensive back.

Playoff outlook: The Tritons will be among the favorites in Division 2.

• San Juan Hills (Division 4): The Stallions (7-3 overall, 4-0 league) finished first in the Sea View League.

Season highlight: The Stallions beat Aliso Niguel 35-7 in a crucial win en route to the league championship.

Key player: Washington State-committed all-purpose senior Joey Hobert might be the best all-around player in Orange County football.

Playoff outlook: San Juan Hills is Orange County’s best team in the division, and perhaps the top challenger to Camarillo.

• Santa Ana (Division 8): The Saints (6-4, 4-1) finished second in the Orange Coast League.

Season highlight: A 35-6 league win over Calvary Chapel was Calvary’s first loss this season.

Key player: Receiver Isaac Larivva makes the tough catches.

Playoff outlook: The Saints’ pride and passion is palpable, but they might not be talented enough to get far in Division 8.

• Santa Ana Valley (Division 13): The Falcons (8-2 overall, 4-1 league) finished second in the Orange League.

Season highlight: A 36-7 win over Magnolia kept the Falcons in the running for the league championship.

Key player: Defensive lineman Pedro Ayvar has a team-high 19 tackles for losses.

Playoff outlook: The Falcons are not a favorite in Division 13, and the 38-6 loss to Katella in the league finale was not a great way to end the regular season.

• Santa Margarita (Division 2): The Eagles (3-7 overall, 0-5 league) finished sixth in the Trinity League.

Season highlight: The Eagles shut out Suburban League champion Mayfair of Lakewood 21-0.

Key player: Running back Nick Barcelos has been among the Eagles’ most consistent offensive players.

Playoff outlook: Playing in the ultra-tough Trinity League could have the Eagles ready to swoop into the semifinals in Division 2 … but first they must get past top-seeded Sierra Canyon in the first round,

• Santiago (Division 14): The Cavaliers (6-4 overall, 4-1 league) finished second in the Garden Grove League.

Season highlight: Defeated Rancho Alamitos 27-0.

Key player: Running back Derrick Martin has rushed for 1,017 yards and 11 touchdowns.

Playoff outlook: The Cavaliers, blanked by Loara 37-0 last week, have suffered injuries to key personnel in recent weeks, damaging their playoff potential.

• Segerstrom (Division 10): The Jaguars (9-1 overall, 2-1 league) finished second in the Big 4 League.

Season highlight: Defeated Division 5 playoff team El Modena 19-14.

Key player: Defensive end Saul Ramirez has 55 tackles and six sacks.

Playoff outlook: Jaguars are the second-best O.C. team in this division, behind Orange, so they should win at least one playoff game.

• Servite (Division 1): The Friars (7-3 overall, 3-2 league) finished third in the Trinity League.

Season highlight: Defeated JSerra 34-21 in a league game.

Key player: Sophomore quarterback Noah Fifita has thrown for more than 2,000 yards.

Playoff outlook: Servite has a tough first-round assignment, at Mission Viejo, and will be the underdog in that one.

• Sunny Hills (Division 8): The Lancers (8-2 overall, 4-1 league) finished second in the Freeway League.

Season highlight: Beat Fullerton 56-21 in a league game that ultimately decided second place.

Key player: Jun Ahn has rushed for 1,339 yards aand 20 touchdowns.

Playoff outlook: The Lancers have one of their better teams in recent years, and are a top contender for the Division 8 championship.

• Tesoro (Division 3): The Titans (8-2 overall, 2-2 league) finished third in the South Coast League.

Season highlight: Defeated Sea View League champion San Juan Hills 20-3.

Key player: Justin Schafer, one of the county’s better receivers, has 66 receptions for 879 yards and 13 touchdowns.

Playoff outlook: Tesoro is in a loaded division that includes Corona del Mar, Grace Brethren of Simi Valley, La Habra and Edison, so it would take an upset or two for the Titans to win this division title.

• Troy (Division 9): The Warriors (3-7 overall, 2-3 league) finished fourth in the Freeway League and qualified as an at-large team.

Season highlight: After an 0-4, Troy got its first win with a 68-0 rout of Savanna.

Key player: Quarterback Roman Arriaga has passed for nearly 1,000 yards.

Playoff outlook: With a tough first-round draw, Troy is unlikely to post a playoff win.

• Tustin (Division 8): The Tillers (5-5 overall, 3-2 league) finished in a three-way tie for second in the Empire League, and they are the league’s No. 3 playoff representative via tiebreaker procedures.

Season highlight: Defeated Valencia 27-14, a result that helped them be he league’s No. 3 team.

Key player: Matt Rodriguez is among the county’s leading rushers with 1,498 yards and 19 touchdowns.

Playoff outlook: The Tillers are one of the county’s better 5-5 teams, and could beat a couple of Division 8’s top-10 teams.

• Valencia (Division 7): The Tigers (5-5 overall, 3-2 league) finished in a three-way tie for second in the Empire League and, after tiebreaker procedures, had to get into the playoffs as an at-large team.

Season highlight: Defeated Pacifica 35-34 in a crucial league game.

Key player: Kaine Rosas rushed for 240 yards and two touchdowns in the win over Pacifica.

Playoff outlook: A first-round victory for the Tigers would be an upset victory.

• Villa Park (Division 4): The Spartans (5-5, overall, 2-1 league) finished second in the Crestview League.

Season highlight: Beat El Modena 24-7 on the final night of the regular season to finish second in the Crestview League.

Key player: Denalin McCall has been a consistent receiver for Villa Park.

Playoff outlook: The Spartans’ rough-and-tough nonleague schedule has them ready for the playoffs, making them a top candidate in Division 4.

• Western (Division 10): The Pioneers (9-1 overall, 3-0 league) finished first in the Pac 4 League.

Season highlight: A 31-0 league win over Ocean View was Western’s sixth shutout this season.

Key player: Caine Savage has 83 receptions for 1,280 yards and 14 touchdowns.

Playoff outlook: Western, the Division 11 champion last year, is a top contender in what is a fairly deep division.

• Yorba Linda (Division 5): The Mustangs (9-1 overall, 3-0 league) finished first in the Crestview League.

Season highlight: Defeated Villa Park 42-17 to win the league title.

Key player: Keaton Haddad has rushed for 1,180 yards and 13 touchdowns.

Playoff outlook: Yorba Linda has one of its better teams and will be a factor in Division 5.

CARSON — The Chargers’ new tall and lean offensive coordinator rarely stopped moving on the sidelines. Shane Steichen’s white Nikes were put to good use Sunday, and so was his playbook.

Steichen had the Chargers’ offense in a rhythm early during his debut as a play-caller in an NFL game. But there was a sense that the Chargers were still trailing despite being up by nine points against the Green Bay Packers at halftime.

It’s never a good idea to trade touchdowns for field goals against quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who has delivered numerous comebacks throughout his decorated 15-year career.

But even Rodgers couldn’t stop this rhythm, which didn’t end with the offense. The Chargers delivered their best all-around performance of the season, dominating one of the best teams in the NFL in a 26-11 victory at Dignity Health Sports Park.

It’s just Green Bay’s second loss of the season. The Chargers are 4-5 and winners of two in a row as they head into a Thursday-night game against the Oakland Raiders.

The Chargers eventually found the end zone in the third quarter and Melvin Gordon got to exorcise some demons in the process. The last time Gordon received the ball with a first-and-1 at the 1-yard line, he fumbled and it cost the Chargers’ a win against the Tennessee Titans in Week 7.

Gordon had no issues against the Packers, scoring a 1-yard touchdown to give the Chargers a 19-0 advantage with 3:56 in the third quarter. Gordon recorded a second 1-yard touchdown run to extend the Chargers’ lead to 26-3 with 10:32 to play.

The Chargers silenced the home crowd for most of the game. The pro-Packers crowd didn’t get to cheer until a moving Rodgers found running back Jamaal Williams in the end zone. Rodgers then ran for the 2-point conversion to trim the Chargers’ lead to 26-11 with 6:21 left in the fourth quarter.

The Chargers ended their four-game drought of failing to reach 40 yards rushing in a game. They recorded a season-high 159 rushing yards. Wide receiver Mike Williams had three catches for 111 receiving yards and quarterback Philip Rivers was 21 of 28 for 294 yards.

Chargers kicker Michael Badgley made four of five field-goal attempts after missing the first eight games of the season with a groin injury.

Perhaps the best rhythm came from the Chargers’ defense. Pass rushers Joey Bosa and Melvin Ingram set the tone for the Chargers’ dominance against Rodgers and his high-octane offense.

Badgley gave the Chargers a 12-0 lead after making a 43-yard field goal with 9:41 in the third quarter. At that point, the Chargers had 302-52 yards advantage against the Packers. By game’s end, they had a 24-13 edge in first downs, and nearly a 12-minute advantage in time of possession.

The Chargers held the Packers’ offense to 50 yards in the first half. It was the first time since 2011 that the Chargers held a team to 50 yards or fewer in the opening half. Rodgers and the Packers only had the ball three times, with all ending on punts.

Steichen went deep into the playbook on the opening drive of his debut as the Chargers’ offensive play-caller.

Steichen designed a sweep run for Williams on the third play of the game. It only went for two yards, but it set the tone for the Chargers’ first two drives that ended with Badgley field goals for a 6-0 lead in the first quarter.

The Chargers marched down the field for a 15-play, 84-yard drive that ate 6:56 off the clock, but their first drive stalled at the Packers’ 10-yard line before Badgley made a 29-yard field goal.

On the second drive, Williams had a 56-yard reception, which was the Chargers’ longest play from scrimmage this season. Williams’ yards-after-catch play set up Badgley’s second field goal, a 40-yarder.

More to come soon on this story.

FINAL: @Melvingordon25 scores twice in a big home win for the @Chargers! #BoltUp #GBvsLAC pic.twitter.com/XtmssMDy1d

— NFL (@NFL) November 4, 2019

BLOCKED @DTranquill | #BoltUp pic.twitter.com/TCsbswicNd

— Los Angeles Chargers (@Chargers) November 3, 2019

There might be more hardware in Cody Bellinger’s future this offseason. But the first piece is golden.

Bellinger won a Gold Glove award Sunday as the National League’s top defender in right field. Bellinger topped fellow finalists Bryce Harper and five-time winner Jason Heyward.

“I’m not going to lie — it’s pretty cool to me. I’ve always wanted the gold (logo) on my glove,” Bellinger said, referring to the trophy logo only Gold Glove winners can wear on their gloves. “The people who have that … obviously they’re really special defensively. So I’d be lying if I said that I wasn’t really happy about this.”

Bellinger’s ability to play defense at a high level at multiple positions is special indeed. By one measure, his 22 defensive runs saved as an outfielder (19 in right field) was topped only by one outfielder in the National League (Nationals center fielder Victor Robles) and the same was true of his UZR as an outfielder (topped only by Cardinals center field Harrison Bader).

Bellinger is the first Dodgers outfielder to win a Gold Glove award since both Matt Kemp and Andre Ethier won in 2011. He is the Dodgers’ first Gold Glove winner at any position since Zack Greinke won the award with Los Angeles in 2014-15.

More honors could be coming Bellinger’s way in the next two weeks. The Silver Slugger awards (for the top offensive player at each position) will be announced Thursday at 3 p.m. on MLB Network.

The finalists for the MVP awards will be announced Monday at 3 p.m. on MLB Network. The winners of that award will be announced Thursday, Nov. 14 at 3 p.m. on MLB Network.

The collegiate model. Remember those words.

They represent the deal-breaker. They are the tipoff that, in response to California’s “Fair Pay To Play” legislation and similar bills advanced and considered by other states, the NCAA’s commitment to allowing its athletes to be compensated for their name, image and likeness is at this point not much more than lip service.

Those words were the qualifier coming out of last week’s statement from the NCAA Board of Governors, which appeared to begin the process of allowing college athletes to profit from their name, image and likeness but was in fact little more than noise.

Rather than saying the rules should be adjusted immediately to make the system more fair for the athletes, their action directed each of the NCAA’s three divisions to immediately “consider” updating the rules. And this was the key phrase in the news release: the board unanimously agreed athletes should benefit from their name, image and likeness “in a manner consistent with the collegiate model.”

So what does that mean to Ramogi Huma, the Eastvale-based director of the National College Players Association?

“To me, the college model is the status quo,” he said. “And it’s the model that California is seeking to change for college athletes in this state, and other lawmakers are seeking to change in other states.

“It’s an unjust system, where college athletes are denied economic freedoms while schools extract even more of the players’ wealth, which ends up in additional pay raises for coaches with multi-million dollar salaries, or luxury boxes. I think it’s a non-starter.”

Delaying won’t help. Huma said he’s been in contact with lawmakers in various states who have indicated they will go ahead with their efforts to change the system.

Like it or not – and I think I remember Gov. Gavin Newsom using that phrase previously – change is coming. Either the NCAA (a) gets in front of it, or (b) lets it happen and has to deal with the fallout. Given the association’s record, I predict (b).

Worth noting:

• If the California legislature hadn’t passed this bill and/or Newsom hadn’t signed it, emboldening legislatures in other states, the NCAA and its member schools wouldn’t have changed a thing.

• Even if the ultimate changes are far reaching – even if our suggestion of the Sam Gilbert Rule, with no caps or limits on income from outside, were to come to pass – any benefits the athletes receive likely won’t affect the money flowing to coaches and administrators.

• The argument that opening the money spigot would hurt female athletes, a key talking point initially, has been exposed as hogwash. Female athletes, especially those in sports with little or no professional opportunity after college, would benefit more, not less.

Still, those who are employed by College Sports Inc. are reading from the same playbook, such as Pac-12 commissioner Larry Scott when he met the media at halftime of Saturday’s USC-Oregon game.

“We’re supportive of the NCAA’s exploration,” he said. “We’re opposed to a state-by-state approach and a lot of unintended consequences and loopholes in what California had proposed … It’s clear that there is a strong desire from a lot of people speaking up for that, and (trying) to figure out a way to do that, consistent with the collegiate model of supporting the primacy of the academic mission of students, understanding the recruiting environment and what makes college sports different and special from pro sports and from the Olympic movement.”

Note the term “exploration,” and remember that in response to the California bill the NCAA had indicated it would come up with an actual proposal in response. Instead, they’ve given us the 21st century version of the Four Corners.

And another nugget buried in that word salad: The powers-that-be are terrified of somebody else getting any sort of recruiting advantage, and never mind that allowing athletes from every school and every sport to accept outside income might enable the have-nots to narrow the gap with the haves a bit.

“If I’m the third-string running back at Alabama, do I stay and get no endorsement money or do I go to San Diego State, be a starter and get some endorsement money?” Huma asked. “San Diego State currently doesn’t have the wherewithal to land Alabama’s third-string back.”

Scott said he’d had conversations with athlete representatives from each of the conference’s campuses, and when I asked their reaction he said the responses were “mixed.”

“There’s a lot of different views about this,” he said. “But, you know, most support the idea of being students first (and) realize there are a lot of benefits that they get that don’t often get talked about, don’t often get reported. You know, the value of a scholarship and the other support that student-athletes get. And some are really supportive of this exploration that we’re going through. … They feel it’s something that should be explored, that the California approach is not the right approach and that we’ve got to come up with more thoughtful solutions.”

The NCAA has only had, oh, decades to come up with thoughtful solutions.

“Not to mention O’Bannon,” Huma added, referring to former Bruin basketball star Ed O’Bannon’s lawsuit against the NCAA over the use of athletes’ images for commercial gain. “That went from 2009 to 2015.

“So they pretend to need more time to figure it out, when in fact they’re kicking it down the road.”

The longer they wait, the worse it will be for the NCAA – and the better it will be for the athletes people actually pay to see.

jalexander@scng.com

@Jim_Alexander on Twitter

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The Orange County football season stat leaders through the regular season. (Leaderboards are based on season stats available each Monday morning.)

El Toro’s football team concluded the regular season with a 1-9 record.

The Chargers’ lone win was over a Nevada team that went 1-8.

El Toro finished 0-4 in the South Coast League with an average margin of defeat of 31 points a game.

Still, El Toro sought a berth in the CIF-Southern Section playoffs. And it received a berth in the Division 4 playoffs.

El Toro coach Andy Diaz figures the playoffs represent an opportunity for growth in the school’s football program.

“We have only three seniors starting on defense,” Diaz said, “and only four on offense. We’re really young and the kids have been improving as the season has gone along.”

El Toro’s reward for getting into the playoffs is a first-round game at top-seeded Paramount which is 9-1 and averaging 46 points a game.

We’ve seen this before.

El Dorado in 2015 was 1-9, with an asterisk, and got into the playoffs. The Golden Hawks were 0-10 on the field, but Canyon’s 49-14 win over El Dorado became an El Dorado win by forfeit because Canyon used an ineligible player in that game. And at 0-10 (OK, 1-9) El Dorado sought a playoff berth and got one.

El Dorado getting into the 2015 playoffs was so audacious that it made national news, with USA Today and Yahoo! Sports covering it.

El Dorado coach Zach La Monda at the time said a playoff game was a reward for the seniors who hung in there throughout the season.

Diaz said the same about El Toro’s players getting a playoff berth.

“They’re working hard,” Diaz said, “and they deserve this opportunity.”

El Dorado’s opportunity in 2015 did not work out so well. The Golden Hawks lost to Garden Grove 55-6 in the first round.

The talk on Twitter about El Toro getting into the playoffs at 1-9 has included “#EveryoneGetsATrophy.”

It’s fine that Little League baseball kids and AYSO soccer kids get a trophy even when their team finishes in last place. Any time we can make a little kid happy, let’s go for it. These are little kids who sleep with stuffed animals.

But once the kids get to high school, maybe it’s time to take away their stuffed animals. Real life is going to be harsh, it’s just around the corner and let’s get them ready for it.

Extra points

• Mater Dei senior quarterback Bryce Young completed 17 of 17 passes in the a 51-14 win over JSerra on Friday. He broke his own school record of 16 straight complete passes. Young, who committed to Alabama, threw for 373 yards and five touchdowns.

• The best first-round matchup involving Orange County teams is Servite at Mission Viejo in Division 1. But that’s not until Nov. 15 because the eight-team Division 1 playoffs do not start for another week.

Until then, here are some fine first-rounders this Friday:

Division 6: Los Altos of Hacienca Heights at St. Margaret’s. Los Altos is No. 6 in the latest Division 6 top 10 that has St. Margaret’s at No. 10.

Division 8: Tustin vs. Sunny Hills at Buena Park High; Aliso Niguel vs. Santa Ana at Santa Ana Stadium.

Division 11: Laguna Hills vs. Marina at Westminster High.

Division 13: Esperanza vs. Rancho Alamitos at Bolsa Grande High.

• San Clemente is seeded second in Division 2 but is playing a first-round away game at Valencia of Valencia. That’s because of the CIF-SS playoff rules.

San Clemente is the South Coast League’s No. 2 playoff representative, Valencia is the Foothill League’s No. 1 representative. So by rule, a No. 2 team must be the visiting team in the first round when it plays another league’s No. 1.

If the CIF-SS can convince member schools to fix that, future football playoffs will be seeded 1-16 and the higher-seeded team will always be the home team against a lower-seeded team.

• Western will play its Division 10 first-round game against Simi Valley on Thursday night. The game at Western High will start at 7 p.m.

The most successful regular season in franchise history did not lead to any reward in the postseason. But two players who helped make that 106-win season possible could reap individual rewards for their performances.

Dodgers left-hander Hyun-Jin Ryu and outfielder Cody Bellinger were named Monday as finalists for the National League Cy Young and Most Valuable Player awards, respectively.

The top three vote-getters for each of the four major awards – Rookie of the Year, Manager of the Year, Cy Young and MVP – were announced on Monday. Ryu was joined by the 2018 winner Jacob deGrom (New York Mets) and three-time Cy Young winner Max Scherzer (Washington Nationals) as the top three in NL Cy Young voting.

Bellinger was one of the top three vote-getters for MVP along with last year’s winner Christian Yelich (Milwaukee Brewers) and Washington Nationals third baseman Anthony Rendon.

The award winners will be announced next week on MLB Network at 3 p.m. PT each day – Monday (Rookie of the Year), Tuesday (Manager of the Year), Wednesday (Cy Young) and Thursday (MVP).

Ryu (currently a free agent) led the majors with a 2.32 ERA and allowed two runs or fewer in 23 of 29 starts. Ryu’s 1.01 WHIP was third in the National League behind deGrom and Jack Flaherty and his strikeout-to-walk ratio (6.79) was second only to Scherzer (7.36).

Bellinger, meanwhile, thrust his name into season-long MVP consideration with a torrid two-month start to his season.

Bellinger was batting over .400 (.404) as late as May 21 and finished May batting .379 with 20 home runs and a 1.213 OPS. He finished the season with career-highs in nearly every offensive category – home runs (47, third in the NL), RBIs (115), an NL-leading 351 total bases, batting average (.305), on-base percentage (.406), slugging percentage (.629) and OPS (1.035, behind only Yelich and the Angels’ Mike Trout). And Sunday, he was recognized for his defensive ability with the Gold Glove Award among NL right fielders. That defensive ability helped boost Bellinger’s WAR by one measure to a major-league high 9.0 in 2019.

Kershaw is one of five MVP award winners in Los Angeles Dodgers history – Maury Wills (1962), Sandy Koufax (1963), Steve Garvey (1974), Kirk Gibson (1988) and Kershaw.

Ryu would be the 13th Cy Young Award winner in Dodgers history, joining Don Newcombe (1956), Koufax (1963, 1965 and 1966), Mike Marshall (1974), Fernando Valenzuela (1981), Orel Hershiser (1988), Eric Gagne (2003) and Kershaw (2011, 2013, 2014).

LOS ANGELES >> After playing in his first game in three weeks Saturday against Oregon, USC defensive end Christian Rector says he still feels “100 percent.”

The senior captain missed the previous two games because of a sprained ankle that’s plagued him most of the season. Rector was able to play against the Ducks and make three tackles.

“I feel really good. I felt I was able to cover the backs out of the backfield well,” Rector said. “Keep up with them, pursue the ball better than I have in the past.”

Rector has been part of an unfortunate pattern for USC this season, as injuries have piled up on both sides of the ball. Most recently, USC was without starting end Drake Jackson and safety Talanoa Hufanga against the Ducks.

But the senior said it’s important for USC not to dwell on what could have been.

“You can never really do that, play that ‘what if’ game,” Rector said. “We’re expected to win no matter what. We’re ‘SC. We’re a big-time program and we expect ourselves to come out victorious no matter the circumstances.”

FORD FINDS END ZONE

USC receiver Kyle Ford made his collegiate debut against Colorado, entirely working on special teams. Then against Oregon, he got the chance to play some receiver, even coming out with his first career touchdown reception in the fourth quarter of the loss.

Ford saw that he had one-on-one with the safety and the route opened up perfectly for him as quarterback Kedon Slovis found him for the 20-yard score, also Ford’s first career reception of any kind.

After undergoing surgery for a torn ACL last fall as a senior at Orange Lutheran, it was an important moment for Ford, making it feel like his comeback was complete.

“It kinda felt like some weight was lifted off my shoulders a little bit,” Ford said. “It was really nice, but I also wish we got the win. Sometimes it doesn’t work out the way you want it to, but it’s alright.”

INJURY REPORT

USC nickel corner Greg Johnson and running back Dominic Davis both left Saturday’s game against Oregon and entered concussion protocol, Helton said on his Sunday conference call. Max Williams came in to play at nickel in Johnson’s absence, while Davis had been getting some snaps at RB as USC tried in vain to get its run game going.

Right guard Liam Jimmons dislocated his elbow against the Ducks, an injury that will take an extended period of time for the junior to recover from, Helton said. Jimmons had been splitting time with Jalen McKenzie, who took over the position on his own following Jimmons’ exit.