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At the Big Ten meetings, commissioner Jim Delany voiced his preference that only the four highest-ranked conference champions be included in a possible four-team playoff, which could begin in 2014.

He also expressed his preference that the games be played using the current bowl structure instead of the home stadiums of the top two seeds, mostly because of the conference’s desire to preserve the Rose Bowl.

Since the inception of the BCS in 1998, the Big Ten has failed to place a team in the top four of the final BCS standings in eight of 14 seasons. In other words, if there had been a four-team playoff using the BCS standings to select the top teams, the Big Ten would have been left out 57 percent of the time. In the last four seasons, the highest-ranked Big Ten team was Wisconsin in 2010 at No. 5.

The Big Ten is afraid of a possible SEC monopoly on the four-team playoff. However, history suggests Delany’s proposal could work against his conference.

In half of the 14 seasons under the BCS, at least one conference placed two teams in the top four of the BCS Standings – including each of the last two years and three of the last four. In two of those instances, the Big Ten was the conference with two top-four teams.

In 2006 and 2008, two conferences produced the BCS’ final top four teams. In 2006, the top four were No. 1 Ohio State and No. 3 Michigan of the Big Ten, and No. 2 Florida and No. 4 LSU of the SEC. In 2008, it was No. 1 Oklahoma and No. 3 Texas of the Big 12, and No. 2 Florida and No. 4 Alabama of the SEC.

The two plans are vastly different. How so? Take a look at the table to the right, which shows the different matchups using the 2011 season as an example.

Under Delany’s plan, the 10th- and fifth-ranked teams would have reached the national semifinals and the second- and fourth-ranked teams would have been left out.

Even after Alabama won the BCS Championship Game, the question of whether a team that failed to win its conference championship is worthy to play for the national title still divides fans. In the next few weeks, we’ll have an answer which could change college football.

Here’s a look back at Joe Paterno’s coaching career from a statistical perspective.

Paterno won 409 games, the most of anyone in major college football history. That total ranks second all-time among college coaches in all divisions to John Gagliardi’s 484 (Gagliardi is the head coach for St. John’s, a Division III school in Minnesota).

Paterno averaged 8.9 wins per season as Penn State’s head coach. He also holds the NCAA records for most bowl appearances (37) and bowl wins (24). He was 24-12-1 in bowl games.

He had 24 bowl wins as Penn State’s head coach. Only six teams other than Penn State have won more bowl games in their history.

While at Penn State, Paterno defeated 80 different teams. Oklahoma and Florida were the only teams that Paterno faced MORE than once without a win (0-2 vs both).

Paterno debuted as Penn State’s head coach on September 17, 1966, as the Nittany Lions defeated Maryland, 15-7. He coached the team to five undefeated seasons (1968, 1969, 1973, 1986, and 1994), winning his first national title on January 1, 1983 when Penn State defeated No. 1 Georgia in the Sugar Bowl, 27-23.

Paterno has been the record-holder for wins by an FBS coach since October 27, 2001, when Penn State defeated Ohio State, 29-27 for career win No. 324, breaking the mark he shared with Bear Bryant.

His 409th and final win, breaking the NCAA Division I record shared with Eddie Robinson, came with a 10-7 triumph over Illinois on October 29, 2011.

Paterno’s 46 seasons as a head coach are the second-most in major college history, trailing only Amos Alonzo Stagg’s 57.

His 46 seasons are by far the most of anyone who coached a major college program and never coached another team (Frank Howard and Dan McGugin are second with 30 seasons at Clemson and Vanderbilt, respectively).

Paterno finished with 548 career games coached, matching Stagg’s total.

Paterno’s Penn State tenure (including 16 years as assistant coach) spanned 61 years and 12 U.S. Presidential administrations. He was the head coach for 46 seasons, for more than one-third of the games played by the program in its 125-year history.

Playing in its first BCS bowl game since the 2006 season, the Michigan Wolverines kicked a field goal in overtime to claim their first BCS win since the 2000 Orange Bowl. It was the eighth bowl game decided by three points or fewer this season and the first time that two BCS games have gone to overtime in the same season.

Special-teams play has been a strength for the Virginia Tech Hokies under Frank Beamer, but a series of special-teams miscues was the difference in the game. Michigan picked up 16 points on special teams against the Hokies.

Michigan scored its first touchdown on a drive that was extended by a roughing the punter penalty. Virginia Tech fumbled twice, once on a kickoff return and once on a fake punt, with each leading to a field goal for the Wolverines. After making four field goals in regulation, third-string kicker Justin Myer missed a 37-yard attempt in overtime.

That helped the Wolverines win a game where they were outgained by nearly 200 yards and Denard Robinson completed only two passes after halftime. Michigan’s 184 yards were the lowest for the school since a 2007 loss to Ohio State. The last team to win a bowl game when gaining less than 200 yards was Mississippi State, which beat UCF 10-3 in the 2007 Liberty Bowl.

Denard Robinson was held to 117 passing yards and 13 rushing yards. It was the first time in three seasons that Robinson ran for less than 20 yards when he had at least 10 carries. The 130 yards of total offense was his second lowest output in the last two years, and the only time he has been held below 200 yards when he was involved in 30 or more plays.

Robinson was able to connect with Junior Hemingway for two touchdowns on throws of 15-plus yards. Those were Michigan’s only two touchdowns and Robinson’s only completions on nine throws downfield.

The Hokies loss continues recent trends for the school and the conference. Virginia Tech was the first ACC at-large selection to a BCS bowl game, and with the Sugar Bowl loss the ACC falls to 2-12 in BCS games. Frank Beamer and the Hokies have been to six BCS games, but were only able to win the 2009 Orange Bowl.

David Wilson broke the Virginia Tech single-season rushing record with 1,709 yards but was held without a touchdown for the eighth time in 14 games this season.

In tonight’s Allstate Sugar Bowl (8:30 ET on ESPN), one of college football’s bluebloods from the Big Ten returns to the BCS Bowl party for the first time in five years to face an ACC team that has become a regular participant in the postseason.

The Michigan Wolverines are playing in a BCS Bowl for the first time since a loss in the 2007 Rose Bowl vs USC; their only win on college football’s biggest stage came in the 2000 Orange Bowl against Alabama.

Virginia Tech has extended its bowl appearance streak to 19 games, the third-longest active streak in the FBS. It’s the sixth BCS Bowl appearance for the Hokies, who also have just one win in the five previous matchups.

Virginia Tech Offense vs Michigan Defense
The Hokies offense is fueled by the ACC player of the year, running back David Wilson, who averages a conference-best 125 rush yards per game. Wilson has rushed for 1,627 yards this season and needs just 29 yards to set a new school record for single-season rushing yards.

Wilson gets his yards in bunches. His 34 rushes of at least 15 yards led the FBS entering the bowl season, and Wilson has had at least one such run in every game this season except the ACC Championship game.

Hokies QB Logan Thomas came on strong after Virginia Tech’s first loss to Clemson. Thomas struggled early in the season throwing downfield, but during the last eight games, Thomas is completing half of his attempts of 15-plus yards in the air and has thrown eight touchdowns on such throws.

Michigan’s seventh-ranked defense, which is allowing just 17 points per game, has made a dramatic turnaround from last season when they ranked 108th in points allowed and gave up more than 450 yards per game.

Despite a rushing defense that gives up the third-fewest yards per game among Big Ten teams, the Wolverines have had trouble stopping the long run. Michigan has allowed 25 rushes of 15 yards or longer this season, fifth-most in the conference.

Michigan Offense vs Virginia Tech Defense
Denard Robinson is the unquestioned leader of the Wolverines’ attack, accounting for over 60 percent of Michigan’s total offense with his arm and his feet. His 18 passing touchdowns are fourth-most in the Big Ten this season and his 14 rushing scores are second only to Montee Ball.

Robinson has attempted nearly 80 percent of his passes out of the shotgun this season but he’s actually had more success on snaps from under center. In conference games this fall, five of his 12 touchdown passes came in non-shotgun sets despite 97 fewer attempts.

Virginia Tech should have no problem stopping Robinson in the air. The Hokies have the ACC’s best pass defense, allowing a pass efficiency rating of 111.8. The Hokies also have a favorable matchup on the ground, giving up just 3.3 yards per carry, second-best in the ACC.

However, Virginia Tech’s rush defense has been vulnerable. The team has allowed over 200 yards on the ground in three separate games, including 217 rush yards in its loss to Clemson in the ACC Championship game.

The Oregon Ducks’ high-powered offense lived up to the hype as the Ducks rallied from a late third-quarter deficit with 10 unanswered points in the fourth quarter to beat the Wisconsin Badgers 45-38 for their first Rose Bowl win since the 1916 season.

The Ducks and Badgers re-wrote the Rose Bowl record book with their offensive explosion in Pasadena. The 83 combined points are the most ever scored in the “Grandaddy of Them All”; the game also featured the highest-scoring first quarter (28) and first half (56) in Rose Bowl history.

The teams combined for 1,129 yards, one yard short of the record set in the 2006 game between USC and Texas, and the 557 combined rushing yards were the fourth-most ever in a Rose Bowl game. Oregon’s average of 9.7 yards per play is the highest of any team in Rose Bowl history and its 621 total yards of offense is the second-most by a team in this game.

Oregon dominated the line of scrimmage as the Ducks rushed for 345 yards, the most by any Wisconsin opponent this season. The Ducks' running backs entered the Rose Bowl averaging 2.8 more yards outside of the tackles than inside, but on Monday the Ducks were able to find room in regardless of direction, averaging over 10 yards per rush on carries both inside and outside the tackles.

De’Anthony Thomas had just two carries but made them count, accounting for 155 of the Ducks’ 345 yards on the ground. His first run was a Rose Bowl-record 91-yard scamper in the first quarter to tie the game at 14-14; his second was a 64-yard burst less than a minute into the third quarter which gave the Ducks their first lead of the game at 35-28.

Thomas is the first player in Rose Bowl history with two rushing touchdowns of at least 60 yards in the same game.

It’s no surprise that Thomas’ two long runs were so crucial to the Ducks’ victory. Oregon now has an FBS-best 22 rushes of at least 30 yards and finished the season a perfect 21-0 when they have at least one run of 30-plus yards in a game.

LaMichael James rushed for 159 yards and a touchdown, redeeming himself after totaling just 119 yards and no touchdowns in the Ducks’ last two BCS Bowl appearances. James now has 5,082 rushing yards, moving into second place on the Pac-12 career rushing list.

With the victory, Oregon has back-to-back 12-win seasons for the first time in school history. In fact, prior to last year, the Ducks had never won 12 games in any season.

Although Wisconsin ended up on the losing side, the Badgers were not without their own notable performances. Wisconsin's 38 points matched the Rose Bowl record for most points by a losing team, set by USC in its 41-38 loss to Texas in 2006.

Montee Ball scored his 39th touchdown of the season, tying Barry Sanders for the most touchdowns scored in a season. Russell Wilson threw for 296 yards including two touchdowns and finishes the season with a 191.8 passer efficiency rating, breaking the NCAA record set earlier this season by Robert Griffin III.

The Badgers' loss ensures that the Big Ten’s recent futility in the Rose Bowls continues. Since the 2000 season, Big Ten teams are just 1-8 in the game and have been outscored by an average of nearly 10 points per game.

Case Keenum and Houston ended Penn State's difficult season by making it look easy in the TicketCity Bowl.

The Cougars jumped out to a 17-0 lead in the first quarter, as Case Keenum set a bowl record for any quarter with 277 pass yards, besting the 223 yards by Louisville's Browning Nagle against Alabama in the 1991 Fiesta Bowl.

Keenum proceeded to throw for 532 yards on the day, the most pass yards ever surrendered by a Penn State team, topping the 520 by Boston College's Doug Flutie in 1982.

The record does come with an asterisk, as Ty Detmer threw for 576 against Penn State in the 1989 Holiday Bowl, but bowl stats were not official then.

He threw two touchdowns of more than 25 yards, the first such touchdowns surrendered by the Nittany Lions this season. Entering the game, Penn State was the only FBS team yet to allow a pass touchdown of more than 25 yards this season.

Keenum finishes his career owning most every career FBS passing record, including yards (19,217), touchdowns (155) and 300-yard games (39).

Houston's 600 net yards in the game were actually only a yard above the team's season average, but they pushed the Cougars season total to 8,387 yards and made them the first team to rack up 8,000 yards of total offense in a season.

Houston concludes the season with a school-record 13 wins, while Penn State loses back-to-back bowl games for the first time since the 1975 and 1976 seasons.

The Nittany Lions have now played three bowl games without Joe Paterno at the helm, and they have failed to win all three games, tying SMU in the 1948 Cotton Bowl and losing to USC in the 1923 Rose Bowl.

There are only three FBS teams that have a quarterback ranked in the top 15 of passing efficiency and a running back ranked in the top 15 of rushing yards per game. Two are in the Rose Bowl-- the Oregon Ducks and Wisconsin Badgers on ESPN at 5 PM Monday (the other is Baylor).

Although both offenses are high scoring and balanced, they employ drastically different styles of play highlighted by speed, power and efficiency.

Oregon Offense
Oregon spreads the field and beats opponents with speed and big plays. The Ducks average just over two minutes per touchdown drive and over the past two seasons have scored 86 touchdowns on drives of less than two minutes, most in FBS.

The Ducks average 296 rushing yards per game, but it is their ability to break long rushes that makes them so dangerous.

Entering the bowl season, Oregon led the country with 20 rushes of 30-or-more yards and is a perfect 20-0 over the past two seasons when breaking at least one run of 30-plus yards.

LaMichael James leads the nation in rushing yards per game, but Kenjon Barner and De’Anthony Thomas have also been reliable ground options for Oregon. The trio of running backs has combined for 2,995 rushing yards and 33 rushing touchdowns. They are most effective rushing outside the tackles, where the trio averages 9 yards per rush.

Quarterback Darron Thomas adds another element to Oregon’s explosive attack. He has excelled throwing downfield this season, completing about 50 percent of his passes thrown 15-or-more yards in the air, with 12 of those passes going for touchdowns. Wisconsin has allowed only 24 completions of at least 20 yards this season (tied for fourth in FBS), but two of those completions were last-second passes that ruined the Badgers’ national title hopes.

Wisconsin Offense
Montee Ball enters the Rose Bowl as FBS’s top individual scorer with 38 total touchdowns this season. He has accounted for at least two touchdowns in every game and is one touchdown shy of tying Barry Sanders’ record for touchdowns in a season.

He'll be a key to Wisconsin’s offense, which mixes speed and power behind a bruising offensive line. The Badgers move the ball down the field at a slower pace than Oregon, averaging 2:53 per touchdown drive, but find the end zone at a similar rate to the Ducks.

The Badgers have one of the most efficient quarterbacks in the nation in Russell Wilson, who has thrown a touchdown in an NCAA-record 37 straight games. Wilson and Baylor's Robert Griffin III are both on pace to break the single-season passing efficiency record held by Hawaii's Colt Brennan.

Wilson has been effective with both his arm and his legs. He keeps plays alive for the Badgers, averaging 9.5 yards per scramble. Like Thomas, Wilson is completing close to 50 percent of his passes 15 or more yards downfield.

Wilson is a huge factor in Wisconsin’s success, but the heart of Wisconsin’s offense lies in its run game. Look for Wisconsin’s offense to make use of two tight-end formations to get Ball in the end zone. All 32 of his rushing touchdowns came in multiple tight-end sets.

Stats of the Game
In 2009 and 2010, Oregon has averaged 143 fewer rushing yards, 127 fewer total yards and 26 fewer points in their bowl games than their regular-season games.

The Big Ten is 1-7 in its last eight Rose Bowl games with it only win coming when Ohio State beat Oregon two years ago.

The Florida Gators and Ohio State Buckeyes wrap up disappointing seasons when they meet in the TaxSlayer.com Gator Bowl on Monday (ESPN2, 1 ET).

Don’t Take Offense
The big reason for each team’s rough season has been bad offense. Florida is 102nd in FBS in total offense and was held to zero or one offensive touchdowns in six of its 12 games this season.

Ohio State is 107th in the country in total offense, and the Buckeyes’ 3,837 yards gained this season were the second-fewest by any bowl-eligible team.

Stay Off-Center
There’s something to watch when each team has the ball that involves the center.

Florida running back Jeff Demps has gained nearly 83 percent of his rushing yards outside the tackles. He has 15 runs of 10 yards or more and only two of them have come up the middle.

For the Buckeyes, quarterback Braxton Miller has completed just 40 percent of his passes this season when he takes a snap from under center.

The good news for Ohio State is that when Miller does complete a pass from this formation, it tends to gain big yardage. Seven of his 17 completions after taking a snap under center have gone for at least 20 yards, with three resulting in touchdowns.

Miller has also had much better success as a passer when he gets away from the middle of the field. He hasn’t thrown an interception in 25 attempts from outside the pocket, and nearly doubles his yards-per-attempt average in those limited opportunities.

Numbers to Know
Florida has a turnover margin of minus-11, which is eight-worst in the FBS. The Gators have recovered just four fumbles this season -- only two teams have fewer fumble recoveries.

In terms of wins and losses, these are the worst Ohio State and Florida teams in a while. The Buckeyes have six losses for the first time since 1999, while it’s the first time for the Gators since 1987.

Florida has finished with a winning record every season since 1988. Officially, that’s the longest active streak in the nation due to Florida State’s vacated wins in the 2006 and 2007 seasons.

The loser of this game will finish with seven losses. Florida hasn’t lost that many games since finishing 0-10-1 in 1979. Ohio State’s last seven-loss season was way back in 1897, easily the longest active streak in the nation. Florida State is second on that list -- its last seven-loss season came in 1975.

The South Carolina Gamecocks are on the verge of making history if they can defeat one of the most storied college football programs in the country, the Nebraska Cornhuskers, in the Capital One Bowl on Monday (1 ET on ESPN).

The History
South Carolina is looking for the first 11-win season in school history. This is just the second 10-win season in the program’s history, which dates to 1892 (the other was in 1984).

A win would give Nebraska its third straight 10-win season. It would be the first time the Cornhuskers put together three straight 10-win seasons since 1999-2001.

This will be the second time Steve Spurrier has coached against Nebraska. The first time came in the 1996 Fiesta Bowl when the top-ranked Cornhuskers demolished Spurrier’s second-ranked Florida Gators, 62-24, to win the 1995 national championship.

Nebraska is 3-0 all-time against South Carolina with the two most recent meetings coming in 1986 and ’87.

Nebraska Offense vs South Carolina Defense
A deciding factor in the game will be how well the Nebraska offense can hold up against the South Carolina defense, particularly when running the football.

Cornhuskers running back Rex Burkhead has rushed for 1,268 yards this season, third-most in the Big Ten. Nebraska has won all 11 games over the past three seasons when Burkhead has rushed for at least 100 yards, including seven this year.

One of the other things that Nebraska can feel comfortable about is scoring if it gets into field goal range. ‘Huskers kicker Brett Maher is 16-for-16 from inside 50 yards this season, the most makes without a miss in college football this season.

South Carolina Offense vs Nebraska Defense
The Gamecocks lost All-SEC running back Marcus Lattimore to an injury in the middle of October, but hardly missed a beat. They went 6-1 and rushed for 198 yards per game with Lattimore, the SEC’s second-leading rusher at the time of his injury. South Carolina has won four of its five games since then, while still averaging 198 rushing yards per game.

The Gamecocks also lost starting quarterback Stephen Garcia during the season, who was replaced by Connor Shaw. The sophomore performed well at times, but needs to improve his performance away from the comforts of home if South Carolina is to end the season with a victory. Shaw averaged 107 more passing yards per game at home than in his other games this season.

A big reason for his lack of success away from Columbia is the accuracy of his deep ball. Both of his interceptions thrown on passes at least 15 yards down field this season came on the road or at neutral sites, and eighty percent of such throws fell incomplete.

Nebraska's defense this season ranks just seventh in the Big Ten, allowing 22.8 points per game, but the Blackshirts have traditionally dominated this time of year.

The Cornhuskers have won all four bowl games under Bo Pelini -- either as the interim or the full-time head coach -- allowing just 11 points and 88 rush yards per game.

Both the Michigan State Spartans and Georgia Bulldogs had their eyes on the prize – a BCS Bowl berth – entering their conference championship games in early December. But both teams blew halftime leads in those games and now look to bounce back with a win in the Outback Bowl on January 2 (1 ET on ABC).

Michigan State is in a bowl game for a school-record fifth straight season, but the Spartans have lost five straight bowl games. Their last bowl win came in the 2001 Silicon Valley Classic against Fresno State. Georgia has won four of its last five bowl games, including a 24-12 win over Michigan State in the 2009 Capital One Bowl.

Defense Rules
This is a matchup of two of the best defensive teams in the nation, with both teams allowing fewer than 20 points per game and ranking in the top 10 nationally in total yards per game allowed.

Both the Spartans and Bulldogs thrive on defense by limiting big gains and positive yardage. The two teams have each forced 106 negative plays, tied for sixth-most in FBS. Michigan State has allowed 21 plays of at least 25 yards and Georgia has given up 22 such plays, both ranking among the top 15 in FBS.

Only three times has a player rushed for at least 25 yards against the Spartans defense, tied for the second-fewest such plays in the nation. The Bulldogs have allowed four touchdown passes of 25-plus yards, but haven’t given up one since October 29 at Florida.

Special Teams W2W4
With both teams playing lock-down defense this season, the game could come down to who has the advantage on special teams.

Georgia kicker Blair Walsh is the FBS active scoring leader with 404 points. However, after converting more than 80 percent of his field goals during his first three seasons, he has converted just 61 percent of his kicks this year, ranking 110th out of 159 qualifying FBS kickers.

Bulldogs cornerback Brandon Boykin, who leads the SEC with 780 kickoff return yards this season, is 126 yards shy of becoming the SEC’s all-time leader in that category. He is also one of just four active players to have at least four career kickoff return touchdowns.

Michigan State has not defended kickoffs well this season, ranking 99th out of 120 teams with 23.7 yards per kickoff return allowed. However, the team has blocked four kicks/punts, the most in the Big Ten, including two in its 37-31 win over Wisconsin in October.

Georgia punter Drew Butler ranks ninth in FBS in punting at 44.3 yards per punt, but the Bulldogs have allowed a pair of punt return touchdowns this season, and yielded 16.1 yards per punt return, second-worst in FBS.

This plays into a strength of Michigan State’s. The Spartans average 11.2 yards per punt return, 25th-best in FBS this season, with a pair of punt returns for scores.

Stat of the Game
Michigan State has allowed 29 points in the second quarter, the second-fewest in FBS behind Alabama Crimson Tide (20). Georgia has scored 154 points in the second quarter, the most in the SEC and ranked 14th in the country.

Something has to give in the TicketCity Bowl on January 2 (Noon ET on ESPNU) when the Houston Cougars and Penn State Nittany Lions take the field at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas.

Houston boasts the top-ranked offense in the country, ranking first in total yards, pass yards and points. If the Cougars have a big game against the Nittany Lions on Monday, they could set FBS single-season records in those same categories (see chart on right).

Penn State counters Houston’s high-powered attack with one of the nation’s stingiest defenses. The Nittany Lions rank fifth in both scoring defense and pass defense, and have held opponents to just 300 yards of total offense per game (10th in FBS).

The last time the Cougars were held to 300 yards or fewer was September 30, 2006 at Miami (FL) when they gained 276 yards in a 14-13 loss to the Hurricanes. Houston has reached the 400-yard mark in every game this season, punctuated by 753-yard effort vs Tulane on November 10.

Houston Offense vs Penn State Defense
The Cougars prolific offense is powered by the big arm of Case Keenum, who is playing in the final game of his collegiate career. Keenum owns nearly every NCAA passing record, including yards, completions and touchdowns.

The Nittany Lions have allowed just nine passing touchdowns in 12 games the entire season. Keenum, who has thrown an FBS-best 45 touchdown passes this season, threw nine in a game against Rice on October 27.

Keenum also leads FBS this season with 49 completions of 25 yards or longer and has thrown 19 touchdown passes of 25 yards or longer this season, second-most of any player in FBS.

Keenum will be tested against a Penn State secondary that has been among the best this season in defending the deep ball. Penn State has allowed nine completions of 25 yards or longer this season, tied for the fewest in FBS.

The Nittany Lions have only allowed one such pass in their last four games and are the only team in FBS who has not allowed a touchdown pass on throws of 25-plus yards.

Penn State Offense vs Houston Defense
The Nittany Lions offense has struggled for much of the season, tied for 109th out of 120 FBS teams with a scoring average of 19.8 points per game. The lone bright spot has been a running game that has piled up 165 yards per contest.

Silas Redd leads Penn State with 99 rush yards per game, but has been held in check the past few weeks. After leading the nation with 703 rushing yards in October, including five straight 100-yard games, Redd averaged just 60.7 yards on the ground in three November games.

Redd will look to get back on track against a Houston defense that is allowing 172 rush yards per game (78th in FBS). In the team’s only loss to Southern Miss, the Cougars gave up 207 yards on the ground, one of five games this season they have allowed 200-plus rushing yards.

Stats of the Game
• Penn State, which lost 37-24 to Florida in the 2011 Outback Bowl, hasn't dropped consecutive bowl games since 1975-76.

• Houston has just one bowl win since 1980, a 34-28 victory over Air Force in the 2008 Armed Forces Bowl.

There were 770 games played in the 2011 college football season. We give you the 10 plays that shaped the BCS Championship race.

1. Tyrann Mathieu returns fumble for TD
LSU 40, Oregon 27
Significance: These top-five teams were locked in a 6-3 game. The Tigers went three-and-out and punted, but Kenjon Barner fumbled the return at the three and LSU's playmaker snapped it up and went into the end zone for a momentum-shifting score.

2. Kirk Cousins completes 44-yard Hail Mary to Keith Nichol
Michigan State 37, Wisconsin 31
Significance: Wisconsin had its eyes on a perfect regular season and a spot in the title game. But after a last-second heave, ricochet, catch and then video review, that dream was dashed.

3. Oklahoma misses 28-yard field goal vs Texas Tech
Texas Tech 41, Oklahoma 38
Significance: The Sooners were preseason No. 1 and still undefeated, but trailed 31-7 at home. They mounted a comeback, but after Michael Hunnicutt's missed FG from 28 yards out there wasn't enough time left to overcome a 10-point deficit.

4. Tajh Boyd gets intercepted in the end zone
Georgia Tech 31, Clemson 17
Significance: Down 14 points, Clemson had just intercepted Georgia Tech, getting the ball at Georgia Tech's nine-yard line. But on the first play, Boyd was picked by Jemea Thomas, ending the Tigers' comeback and dashing their national-title hopes.

5. LSU’s Eric Reid intercepts Alabama at the 1-yard line
LSU 9, Alabama 6 (OT)
Significance: In a 6-6 game in the fourth quarter, LSU's Eric Reid wrestled the ball away from Alabama TE Michael Williams at the one-yard line for an interception, preventing what could have been the winning score. LSU would win it in overtime.

6. Boseko Lokombo picks off Andrew Luck and returns it for TD
Oregon 53, Stanford 30
Significance: This was Stanford’s last major obstacle to a perfect regular season. Down 16 points, Luck had Stanford driving. But the pick ended those hopes, putting the game out of reach and handing the Cardinal its only loss of the season.

7. Boise State misses 39-yard field goal as time expires
TCU 36, Boise State 35
Significance: Playing on the home turf where they had been dominant for so long, the Broncos went down a point after TCU made the gutsy call to go for two. But Boise drove down the field before Dan Goodale sailed his kick wide right as time expired and the Broncos were no longer unbeaten.

8. Brandon Weeden's pass intercepted in first play of second overtime
Iowa State 37, Oklahoma State 31 (2 OT)
Significance: The Cyclones came back from a 24-7 deficit to tie the game at 24 heading into overtime. But on the first play of the second overtime, Brandon Weeden was intercepted. Three plays later Iowa State scored to end Oklahoma State's dream.

9. Oregon misses 37-yard field goal as time expires
USC 38, Oregon 35
Significance: Even after their season-opening loss, the Ducks still had a shot at the BCS Championship. But USC, ineligible for postseason play, gave the Ducks a battle at Autzen Stadium. Down three, Oregon had the chance to send it into overtime. But Alejandro Maldonado missed a 37-yarder.

10. Robert Griffin III completes 34-yard TD pass with :08 left
Baylor 45, Oklahoma 38
Significance: Just like Oregon, Oklahoma still had a chance to sneak back into the title picture despite a loss. But Baylor's Heisman candidate Griffin shocked the Sooners with a game-winning touchdown pass with eight seconds left.

To see images of these plays, click here.

On Monday the five finalists invited to New York for the Heisman Trophy ceremony were revealed. This year has featured one of the most interesting races for the Heisman as no one player has stood from the rest.

Here's a look at what a Heisman Trophy win -- or loss -- would mean to these players and their respective schools.

Trent Richardson, Alabama
Two seasons ago Trent Richardson was a part of a National Championship team with a Heisman Trophy winner, when running back Mark Ingram became Alabama's first winner. Richardson has nearly identical numbers to Ingram this season, and has already totaled 23 touchdowns compared to Ingram's 20 TD's.

If Richardson were to win the award it would put him and Ingram in some rare company. In the history of the Heisman Trophy only three times have two different players playing the same position at the same school won the award in a span of three seasons. It last happened when USC QB Matt Leinart won it in 2004 after Carson Palmer had taken home the award in 2002.

Andrew Luck, Stanford
Luck is listed second here as he finished second for the Heisman last season and Stanford has actually had the Heisman runner-up in each of the past two seasons (Toby Gerhart, 2009).

If Luck wins he would be the second player in Stanford history to win the award (Jim Plunkett, 1970) and join 1981 Herschel Walker as the only Heisman runner-ups to win the award the next season.

If Luck finishes second, Stanford would set a record. No school has ever had a Heisman runner-up in three consecutive seasons.

Montee Ball, Wisconsin
Montee Ball earned his invite thanks to his impressive numbers. Ball needs one touchdown in the Rose Bowl to tie Barry Sanders' FBS record for touchdowns in a season (39). Sanders won the Heimsan trophy during that 1988 season.

The last time a Big Ten player had 25 touchdowns was Eddie George during the 1995 season. George went on to win the Heisman trophy that year.

Robert Griffin III, Baylor
RGIII finished off a great regular season in which he threw 36 touchdowns compared to only six interceptions, while also leading Baylor to nine wins, its most since the 1986 season.

Griffin's invite is an accomplishment in its own considering he plays for Baylor. The Bears have only had one player finish in the top five of the Heisman vote in school history. In 1963 Don Trull finished fourth.

If Baylor's Robert Griffin III wins the Heisman Trophy this year, he will be just the third player since the BCS was established in 1998 to win the Heisman without his team playing in a BCS bowl game.

Tyrann Mathieu, LSU
The Honey Badger will take the trip to New York looking to join Charles Woodson as the only defensive backs to win the Heisman trophy.

Despite being a defensive player, recent history is on Mathieu's side to take home the award. Since 2003, seven of the past eight Heisman Trophy winners have come from the team at number one in the BCS standings entering the National Championship Game.

Entering the bowl season the SEC maintains a healthy, but not unreachable lead in ESPN’s Stats & Information’s conference power rankings. For more on how we objectively rank conferences check here.

There are many parallels between the final BCS standings and the conference rankings. Most notably the SEC is ahead of the Big 12 primarily because of its human rankings. The Big 12 is actually a stronger conference in most computer ranking systems, but the AP poll more than makes up for the gap with four SEC teams in the top 10 (the Big 12 has one).

In the BCS Alabama is playing in the national championship primarily because of human voters. Four of the 6 computer rankings that make up the BCS have OSU ahead of Alabama, but the Tide had stronger human numbers.

Conference USA was the biggest loser during championship week as undefeated Houston took a huge slide down the AP rankings after its loss to Southern Miss. The loss is almost entirely the reason Conference USA fell behind the Big East in the conference rankings for the first time in weeks.

Interestingly Houston and Southern Miss are both ahead of the Big East BCS participant West Virginia in the AP poll and in each team’s average computer ranking.

With the exception of the national championship game every bowl game will feature inter-conference matchups, making the final conference rankings standings far from set in stone. Stay tuned.

The final BCS standings were released Sunday along with matchups for the five BCS bowls. With four weeks left until the Rose Bowl on January 2, here are some notes on each of the games to whet your appetite.

Rose Bowl Game Presented by Vizio
10 Wisconsin Badgers vs. 5 Oregon Ducks
January 2, 5 ET on ESPN

• Wisconsin: consecutive Rose Bowl appearances for first time since 1998-99 seasons

• Oregon: lost last four Rose Bowl appearances, last win came in 1917 Rose Bowl


Tostitos Fiesta Bowl
4 Stanford Cardinal vs. 3 Oklahoma State Cowboys
January 2, 8:30 ET on ESPN

• Stanford: consecutive BCS Bowl appearances (def. Virginia Tech in Orange Bowl last season)

• Oklahoma State: first major bowl appearance since 1974 Fiesta Bowl

• First meeting between teams


Allstate Sugar Bowl
13 Michigan Wolverines vs. 11 Virginia Tech Hokies
January 3, 8:30 ET on ESPN

• Michigan: 0-3 in last three BCS bowl appearances; last BCS bowl win was Orange Bowl in 1999 season

• Virginia Tech: first game against a Big Ten school since playing Indiana in 1993

• Virginia Tech: no wins this season against teams that are currently ranked


Discover Orange Bowl
23 West Virginia Mountaineers vs. 15 Clemson Tigers
January 4, 8:30 ET on ESPN

• Clemson: won first conference title since 1991

• Clemson: first BCS game appearance; first appearance in Orange Bowl since 1981 season (won national title)

• West Virginia: first Orange Bowl appearance; third BCS bowl appearance



Allstate BCS National Championship
1 LSU Tigers vs. 2 Alabama Crimson Tide
January 9, 8:30 ET on ESPN

• LSU: 4-0 all-time in BCS Bowl games (all in New Orleans)

• Alabama: Nick Saban looking to become first coach to win three BCS National Championships

• The SEC will win its eighth BCS national championship and sixth straight

• An SEC team will lose the national championship game for the first time