Posted by ESPN.com's Adam Rittenberg
As we hit the home stretch, it's time to bring back the rooting interest feature, which was a lot of fun in 2008. This is your weekly guide to who the Big Ten's BCS bowl hopefuls should root for or against. Iowa fans undoubtedly know who to support on Saturday, but just in case, here's a reminder.
Iowa should root for ...
As we hit the home stretch, it's time to bring back the rooting interest feature, which was a lot of fun in 2008. This is your weekly guide to who the Big Ten's BCS bowl hopefuls should root for or against. Iowa fans undoubtedly know who to support on Saturday, but just in case, here's a reminder.
Iowa should root for ...
- Oklahoma State to beat Texas. Unlike Florida and Alabama, the third-ranked Longhorns likely can't afford a regular-season loss and still reach the BCS championship game. If Texas falls to Oklahoma State on Saturday, Iowa will jump ahead in the BCS standings and stay there if it keeps winning.
- Oregon to beat USC. The computers love Iowa (average rank: 1) and don't love USC (average rank: 9), but the Hawkeyes would like to get the Trojans off of their backs the rest of the way. The human voters always will love USC, which, like Iowa, will have several quality road wins (Ohio State, Notre Dame, Oregon) if it runs the table. A loss Saturday in Eugene knocks USC out of the national title picture.
- Syracuse to beat Cincinnati or remain close to the Bearcats. Cincinnati must continue to win impressively, but the Bearcats still have two games against ranked opponents (Pitt and West Virginia), where Iowa has only one (Ohio State). A loss or a few ho-hum wins would create some separation.
- UNLV and San Jose State to beat or stay within striking distance of TCU and Boise State. The Horned Frogs and Broncos must not only continue to win, but look very impressive in doing so to remain high in the polls. A close win or two would hurt them and help Iowa.
- Arizona not to do anything crazy during its bye week. Every win by the 20th-ranked Wildcats helps Iowa, which beat Arizona 27-17 back on Sept. 19.
- Penn State to keep winning in impressive fashion. With the tiebreaker in hand, Iowa can afford to root for Penn State, as every Nittany Lions' win helps the Hawkeyes' cause.
- Indiana to upset Iowa. The Hawkeyes own the head-to-head tiebreaker, so Penn State needs them to lose twice and sweep its remaining schedule to return to the Rose Bowl.
- UNLV and San Jose State to beat or stay within striking distance of TCU and Boise State. The Frogs and Broncos could be Penn State's primary competition for at-large BCS berths, so anything to knock them out of the running would help Joe Paterno's team.
- USC to beat Oregon. The Trojans are the more attractive at-large BCS selection than the Ducks, so if Penn State isn't going to win the Big Ten, it would rather not compete against USC for a spot in, say, the Fiesta Bowl. If USC beats Oregon and goes on to win the Pac-10, it would be tough to see the Ducks receive an at-large BCS invite.
- Texas to beat Oklahoma State. Same idea as above. Penn State would rather not give the Big 12 a chance to earn an at-large BCS berth. The Lions could struggle to beat out Texas for a BCS berth, but if the Longhorns survive in Stillwater, it would be tough to see them losing the rest of the way. An 11-1 Penn State team likely would get the nod against a 10-2 Oklahoma State team if it came down to that.
- Itself. The only way Ohio State gets to a BCS bowl is by winning out and heading to the Rose Bowl. The Buckeyes control their own destiny.
ABOUT THIS BLOG
Adam Rittenberg
Rittenberg joined ESPN.com in 2008 after four years at the Arlington Heights (Ill.) Daily Herald, where he covered sports at Notre Dame, Northwestern, DePaul and several other colleges. He lives in Chicago.
Brian Bennett
Bennett joined ESPN.com in August 2008 after nine years at The Courier-Journal in Louisville, Ky., where he covered college sports and the University of Louisville beat. He lives in Louisville.
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