New York ? The way Carson Palmer finished last season, he had no reason to even think about the Heisman Trophy.

Southern California went just 6-6 in coach Pete Carroll’s first year, which ended with a 10-6 loss to Utah in the Las Vegas Bowl. Palmer, criticized for not living up to his considerable potential, ended the season with 39 career touchdown passes and 39 interceptions.

So of course he didn’t make anyone’s “Heisman watch” list entering this season, and he wasn’t even regarded as the best college quarterback in Los Angeles.

Not only did he eclipse UCLA’s Cory Paus, Palmer led USC to a brilliant season, culminating with an Orange Bowl berth for the Trojans and the Heisman for their resurgent quarterback.

The 6-foot-6, 230-pound senior won college football’s most prestigious individual honor Saturday night, and it wasn’t really close. He received 242 out of 811 first-place votes and 1,328 points overall – 233 more than Iowa quarterback Brad Banks.

“I still can’t believe it,” Palmer said. “I wasn’t expecting it. Going into my senior year, I just wanted to go out with a bang and get back to a big bowl. I don’t know when it’s going to sink in. It’s been a whirlwind.”

Penn State running back Larry Johnson finished third, followed by two Miami teammates: running back Willis McGahee and quarterback Ken Dorsey.

Palmer, who is the first West Coast player to win the Heisman since USC tailback Marcus Allen in 1981, won every region but the Midwest, disproving the notion of an “East Coast bias” among Heisman voters.

The Trojans (10-2) will play Banks and the Hawkeyes (11-1) in the Orange Bowl on Jan. 2. Palmer enters the game having completed nearly 63 percent of his passes this season for 3,639 yards and 32 touchdowns with 10 interceptions.

His biggest performance, the one that might have helped the voters make up their minds, came in the regular-season finale against Notre Dame. Palmer passed for 425 yards – the most ever against the Irish – and four touchdowns in the Trojans’ 44-13 victory.

Early in the season, though, USC struggled and started 3-2. In a 27-20 loss at Kansas State, Palmer went 18-of-46 for 186 yards and a touchdown. But over the final eight games, Palmer put up sensational numbers: 2,676 yards and 27 touchdowns, with only seven interceptions.

USC quarterback Carson Palmer carries the Heisman Trophy to his news conference. He won the award Saturday night at The Yale Club in New York.

“I knew we would have a great year,” Palmer said. “I don’t know if I expected the Orange Bowl, but I knew we would blow it up this year. We started off slow, and at one point we realized we couldn’t lose another game. We kept rolling and rolling and finished off with a bang.”

It’s no coincidence that his success came in the second year for Carroll and offensive coordinator Norm Chow. Palmer feels more comfortable in the system, and Chow used his players’ abilities to make everything click.

Chow won the Broyles Award last week as the nation’s top assistant coach. In Chow’s offense, Palmer set seven Pac-10 records and 23 Southern Cal marks for passing and total offense.

“Coach Chow is tremendous,” Palmer said. “He shaped our offense around me and understood our strengths and weaknesses. He is the one of the keys to our success this season.”

Carroll has seen Palmer mature during the last two seasons.

“It’s been a tremendous season for Carson to elevate his game, elevate our team,” Carroll said recently. “Now that he’s a fifth-year senior, he’s cashed in on all the experience. There’s nobody who can play better in the country.”

Palmer’s first four seasons at USC were a struggle, and he said he was “dumb and naive” for thinking he’d go to the Rose Bowl every year. The Trojans never met the expectations, and Palmer was only mediocre. USC was 16-16 in the games he started before this year.

“Going through that has made me stronger, made me a better person,” Palmer said. “It’s been the best thing for me. I never thought about leaving, I love it here. I kept telling myself, ‘If I love this place so much when we’re losing, imagine how fun it’s going to be when we’re winning.”‘

He’s got the Heisman. He’s got the Orange Bowl. And now he doesn’t have to imagine anymore.