College Top 25 Football Capsules: Nebraska can mess with Texas, BCS

Nebraska can make a mess of the BCS.

The 21st-ranked Cornhuskers play No. 3 Texas in the Big 12 championship game Saturday at Dallas Cowboys Stadium. If the Longhorns win — they’re 14-point favorites — then the Bowl Championship Series lineup gently falls into place.

Texas will play the winner of the Southeastern Conference championship game showdown between No. 1 Florida and No. 2 Alabama in the national title game on Jan. 7 in Pasadena, Calf.

A Longhorns’ victory also likely clears the way for Boise State to receive an at-large bid, as long as the Broncos handle lowly New Mexico State at home on Saturday.

It won’t quite be a gripe-free selection Sunday for the BCS — not with as many as three other teams sporting undefeated records and no chance of winning a national title — but relatively speaking, angst will be low.

Now if the Huskers pull the upset, things get murky.

Does No. 4 TCU, idle after completing its perfect season last week, slide into the spot Texas has reserved in the national title game?

Could No. 5 and unbeaten Cincinnati, which plays at Pittsburgh for the Big East championship, leapfrog the Horned Frogs into second-place in the BCS standings and earn an invite to Pasadena to face the SEC champion?

Or does a Texas loss set the stage for the first rematch in BCS history? Would the loser of the SEC title game, especially if it’s defending champion Florida, get the benefit of the doubt from the poll voters and earn another crack at its conference rival at the Rose Bowl?

So what happens if Nebraska beats Texas?

"It’s impossible to say for sure," BCS analyst Jerry Palm "I think the computers will like Cincinnati and not TCU. I think the SEC runner-up is part of the equation, and it depends on how that game goes, how close they are."

The BCS standings have three components. The Harris poll, the coaches’ poll and a compilation of six computer rankings. Each component counts for a third of a teams BCS average, and its points received in the polls, not placement, that is factored in.

"If voters feel strongly about a particular team, that team will win it," Palm said. "If it’s a close vote, the more say the computers have. The more easily the computers can overturn the rankings."

While TCU enjoys its week off, kicking back to pull for the Huskers, the Horned Frogs should also take some time to root for Pitt against the Bearcats.

"TCU is sitting there on the couch watching everybody else play and eating pizza," Palm said. "That’s a bad place to be while Cincinnati is on the road playing a top-15 team, able to impress the voters."

Palm said it is so difficult to predict what will happen if Nebraska wins because the teams involved are unlike any that have played in a BCS title game since the formula was changed to give poll voters the majority of the power in setting the championship matchup.

If Texas losses, Cincinnati wins and the SEC game is a down-to-the-wire classic, the choices will be:

— A team from a non-automatic qualifying conference (TCU).

— A team that did not win its conference (SEC runner-up).

— A Big East team with no past history of playing at a high level.

"You can’t assume traditional voting patterns would hold," Palm said.

And what about Boise State? Well, if Nebraska wins the Big 12’s automatic BCS bid, Texas is a lock to be an at-large pick and the Broncos are looking at another perfect regular-season that lands them in a second-tier bowl game.

That should go over well among those who believe the BCS hates underdogs.

So if you like mystery, outrage and muddle, Nebraska is the team for you. The picks:

Thursday

No. 13 Oregon State (plus 9½) at No. 7 Oregon

Civil War for the Roses ... OREGON 35-24.

Friday

MAC championship

Central Michigan (minus 13) vs. Ohio

Dan LeFevour and CMU looking for third MAC title in four seasons ... CENTRAL MICHIGAN 41-24.

Saturday

SEC championship

No. 1 Florida (minus 5½) vs. No. 2 Alabama

Just can’t pick against Tim Tebow ... FLORIDA 27-24.

Big 12 championship

No. 3 Texas (minus 14) vs. No. 21 Nebraska

Colt McCoy, maintaining order in the BCS universe ... TEXAS 28-10.

No. 5 Cincinnati (minus 1½) at No. 14 Pittsburgh

So, coach Brian Kelly, about that Notre Dame job ... PITTSBURGH 35-31.

New Mexico State (plus 47½) at No. 6 Boise State

Broncos QB Kellen Moore makes last Heisman push ... BOISE STATE 55-14.

ACC championship

No. 12 Georgia Tech (pick) vs. No. 25 Clemson

Few will be watching, but it should be entertaining ... GEORGIA TECH 38-31.

C-USA championship

No. 18 Houston (minus 2½) at East Carolina

Cougars QB Case Keenum makes his last Heisman push ... HOUSTON 38-30.

No. 19 California (minus 7) at Washington

Huskies QB Jake Locker tunes up for NFL combines ... WASHINGTON 28-21.

Arizona (plus 7) at No. 20 Southern California

Trojans have won seven straight against Wildcats ... USC 24-20.

No. 24 West Virginia (plus 1½) at Rutgers

Mountaineers have won 14 straight since 1994 against RU ... WEST VIRGINIA 28-21.

Last week: 11-7 (straight); 9-9 (vs. points). Season: 209-56 (straight); 127-118-4 (vs. points).

Features

SEC championship supplies grand stage for Heisman

Who needs Heisman Trophy campaigns? Florida’s Tim Tebow and Alabama’s Mark Ingram have a potentially much more effective outlet to demonstrate their Heisman worthiness than highlight-packed DVDs, life-sized posters or glossy bios.

A No. 1 versus No. 2 showcase that is practically must-see TV for on-the-fence Heisman voters and college football fanatics. If one of these players has a huge Southeastern Conference championship game Saturday and sends his team on to play for the national title, it could be like a three-hour — OK, maybe four — commercial any political candidate would envy.

"This is a very big stage," said Ivan Maisel, a Heisman voter who covers college football for ESPN and is considering Ingram and Tebow for his ballot. "And I think for both of these guys, and moreso for Ingram, it could be to their advantage."

This big stage could be the biggest edge Tebow, the top-ranked Gators’ larger-than-life quarterback, and No. 2 Crimson Tide tailback Ingram have over other contenders.

Colt McCoy and No. 3 Texas face 21st-ranked Nebraska for the Big 12 championship. C.J. Spiller leads No. 25 Clemson against No. 12 Georgia Tech in the Atlantic Coast Conference title game, while Stanford’s Toby Gerhart will have to settle for a huge game against limping Notre Dame as his end-of-season Heisman showcase.

Then there’s the SEC’s two candidates, both of whom have downplayed the personal significance of their game this week. It’s hard to ignore for everyone, though.

Tebow said the Heisman, which he won in 2007, is "kind of totally out of my mind frame."

"It’s something that I’m not thinking about or worried about because our goal is to win the SEC championship and that’s our focus," he said. "Winning a Heisman Trophy would be special and was special, and it does mean a lot. But not compared to winning an SEC title. They’re two different things in my eyes, and the SEC is really my focus."

Ingram seconds that.

"It’s a team sport," he said. "I’ve never seen a football game where one person has just done everything to win the game. I’m sure if he wants to win, his team is going to have to help him out and they’re going to have a major contribution to what they do. And if we’re going to win, my teammates are going to have a major contribution as well."

That’s what happened last week in a 26-21 victory over Auburn, when Ingram was swarmed by defenders just about every time he touched the ball. He managed just 16 carries, 30 yards and one hip pointer. Auburn came in with the nation’s 88th-best run defense; Florida is eighth.

It was a rare performance for a back averaging nearly 129 yards a game against SEC defenses.

"He was the clear leader, and it’s fascinating to me how the last few years the Heisman race can turn in the space of one weekend, much moreso than it ever used to," said Maisel, who added that Ingram and Gerhart had played more consistently than McCoy or Tebow.

"The performance last week, I’m sure people are talking that it hurt me," Ingram said. "But to me, all I care about is helping this team win. That’s all that matters ultimately."

He did have an impact on the game. With Auburn focusing so much on stopping the run, quarterback Greg McElroy passed for 218 yards and two touchdowns.

Tebow, meanwhile, comes into the game on a high note. He passed for 221 yards and ran for 90 more against Florida State while accounting for five touchdowns. He has also broken the SEC career records for most total offensive yards and rushing touchdowns.

Tebow has led the Gators to 22 straight wins, while Ingram’s Tide have won 24 consecutive regular-season games.

Tebow might just need a repeat of last season’s SEC championship performance to boost his Heisman hopes. He led the Gators to two fourth-quarter touchdowns in the 31-20 victory.

"Having a quarterback that’s been there and guided that team down for two fourth-quarter scores, that’s a plus," Florida coach Urban Meyer said. "But when the foot hits the ball on Saturday, that’s all kind of out the window. You’ve got to play."

Still, Tebow’s ability to fire up the Gators has left an impression on Alabama players.

"I saw him a couple of times when the defense was going on the field, going and saying something to them, and then they go and get a three-and-out or a big sack," Tide linebacker Rolando McClain said. "He’s just a great leader."

Meyer said Tebow has been throwing the ball much better late in the season. He has had a pass efficiency rating of at least 166 in five of the last six games. For context, his season rating of 160.7 is good enough for fifth nationally.

"I think protection’s better, too," Meyer said. "It’s all tied together. Whenever you throw a ball, you’ve got several different components. It all starts with protection, then you’ve got timing between the quarterback and receivers. It’s just better and everybody’s healthy."

Like Ingram, Tebow faces a huge challenge against a Tide team that leads the nation in pass defense efficiency. Alabama has racked up 19 interceptions and allowed only eight touchdown passes.

It should be hard for either to put up huge numbers.

Tebow has already lined up one vote, if only of confidence.

"That’s our leader, that’s our quarterback," Gators defensive tackle Omar Hunter said. "He should win the Heisman. He’s the best player in college football."

-- John Zenor

McClain, Spikes lead tough Ds into SEC title game

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Alabama’s Rolando McClain and Florida’s Brandon Spikes have more in common than they know.

They played as freshmen, started every game as sophomores and had to be nudged into leadership roles as juniors. They are finalists for the Butkus Award, given annually to college football’s top linebacker, for the second straight year and could be first-round NFL draft picks in April.

They are the indisputable stars of two of the best defenses in the nation.

They also could play key roles when the top-ranked Gators and No. 2 Crimson Tide meet in the Southeastern Conference championship game with a spot in the national title game at stake.

Sure, most of the focus will be on Florida quarterback Tim Tebow and Alabama running back Mark Ingram, two Heisman Trophy hopefuls who have carried their teams all season. But McClain and Spikes are the ones tasked with stopping them, or at least slowing them down.

"He’s our leader. As he goes, we go," Gators defensive tackle Omar Hunter said. "The leadership he brings every game, he keeps everyone pumped up and you want to play with Spikes."

Spikes’ importance could be magnified. Carlos Dunlap was arrested early Tuesday and charged with driving under the influence, and coach Urban Meyer said the star pass rusher won’t play Saturday.

While the Gators praise Spikes, the Crimson Tide say the same about McClain. A 6-foot-4, 258-pound junior from Decatur, Ala., McClain has 96 tackles, 11 quarterback hurries, four sacks and two interceptions this season.

That’s just the stuff he does after the snap. He’s even busier as opposing offenses break the huddle, line up in formation, change plays and start moving people around.

"Their linebacker, No. 25, is a very intelligent player who makes a lot of calls for their defense," Tebow said. "You can see that just from watching film. He gets them in and out of checks. They have a lot of different checks that they go based on what the offense is doing. They always try to put themselves in a good defensive play, kind of like our offense does. There could be some checks going on in the game."

During a crucial, third-down play in a tight game against Auburn last week, McClain broke the defensive huddle, lined up in his spot, walked to the line of scrimmage to talk to a teammate, then crept back into position and started waving his right hand. He went back to the line, put a hand on Lorenzo Washington’s backside as he told him something and then turned around and moved cornerback Ali Sharief farther right.

The Tide stopped the Tigers for a 2-yard loss.

"No. 25 is a guy that runs the show," Meyer said, summing up McClain’s role as well as anyone. "They have checks for everything. They show pressure from here, you change the formation and they come from the other side."

Although McClain has always had a knack for getting his teammates aligned properly, helping keep them focused and motivated was another story. Until this year.

"I’ve been making calls and checks on the defense as soon as I got here," McClain said. "But leadership-wise, I’ve been a leader. I’ve just been accustomed to leading by example more than being vocal. For the most part this year, I’ve been a real vocal leader.

"It’s something that coach Saban needed. He needed me to step up, so I did it for the betterment of my team."

Alabama and Florida rank near the top of every major defensive category in the nation. Scoring defense, rushing defense, passing defense and total defense, the Tide and Gators dominate them all. And McClain and Spikes are big reasons why.

Spikes, a 6-foot-4, 255-pound senior from Shelby N.C., has 53 tackles, three sacks and two interceptions this season. He missed time early because of an Achilles’ tendon injury and sat out most of two games because of a strained groin. His importance was obvious when he played only a series against Arkansas on Oct. 17.

With Spikes in the game, the Razorbacks lost 8 yards. Without him, they ran for 141 yards, threw for 224 more and nearly shocked the Gators in Gainesville.

"He’s big, he’s fast, he’s very athletic and he’s very instinctive," Alabama coach Nick Saban said. "He understands very well how they do what they do. He’s an outstanding playmaker, but he’s a physical tough guy. I think he does a good job of directing their defensive team, being the leader of their team as well as being the guy that has outstanding ability to make big plays. He makes a lot of them."

Spikes also had to be coaxed into a more vocal leadership role at Florida. Nowadays, though, there’s no shutting him up. He talks trash as well as anyone on the field. He backs it up, too. And it’s not always derogatory or inflaming.

"Spikes is probably the funniest player I’ve ever played with," safety Ahmad Black said. "Last year, with (Mississippi offensive tackle) Michael Oher, we get the biography about each player. He called him by his middle name, called him Jerome, like on the TV show ‘Martin.’ He used to say, ‘Jerome in the house,’ so Spikes was messing with him the whole time."

McClain and Spikes also are fiery players, maybe even to a fault.

McClain drew a personal foul penalty in the opener against Virginia Tech for taking an unnecessary shot on an opponent near the goal line. An unsportsmanlike conduct penalty was tacked on when he bumped one of the officials stepping in.

Spikes was suspended one game for his highly publicized eye-gouging incident against Georgia.

Both players apologized for their mistakes. Neither one is considered dirty. But they can be nasty, and might need to be Saturday.

"You see tons of similarities between Rolando McClain and (Spikes)," Alabama tight end Colin Peek said. "Both very big middle linebackers who are so versatile, who do a variety of things to help their defenses win one-on-one battles or just sort of will them to get a team three-and-out."

-- Mark Long

Pitt tries to slow Bearcats’ video game offense

PITTSBURGH — Cincinnati’s undefeated Bearcats generate offense like they’re playing a video game, scoring 41 or more points three times in their last five games. Their starting quarterback goes down, and the backup plays even better than the regular did.

No. 14 Pittsburgh couldn’t help but being impressed while watching No. 5 Cincinnati pile up 711 yards behind backup quarterback Zach Collaros during a 47-45 victory over Connecticut, a team the Panthers trailed by 15 points before rallying to beat.

"They’re throwing the ball all over the place," Pitt defensive lineman Gus Mustakas said.

Throw it all over Heinz Field on Saturday, and the No. 5 Bearcats (11-0, 6-0 in Big East) will be trying to unleash their dare-you-to-stop-us offense in a BCS bowl.

Regardless, Pitt (9-2, 5-1) hasn’t spent the week trying to rig up some gimmick defense to slow quarterback Tony Pike or wide receiver Mardy Gilyard, the players most responsible for Cincinnati’s 28-21 win over the Panthers last season. Pike has thrown eight TD passes in his last two games, six against Illinois on Friday, but Pitt knows there is only one way to effectively control him.

Don’t let him get the ball very often.

While the Bearcats don’t give up yards and points as quickly as they produce them, they yield a lot — 1,338 yards and 102 points in their last three games. If the Panthers avoid turnovers, get a big day from freshman running back Dion Lewis (1,446 yards) and Bill Stull (19 TD passes, 6 interceptions) spreads the ball among his receivers, their best defense against Cincinnati might be a good offense.

"Every time we go on the field, we think we can score on every possession," coach Dave Wannstedt said. "That’s the way it’s drawn up. That’s how we practice. That’s what our kids believe."

The Panthers played their poorest game of the season offensively while losing to rival West Virginia 19-16 on Friday, dropping them from No. 8 to No. 14 in the AP poll and making Saturday’s de facto Big East championship game less attractive nationally. Two Top 10 teams in a season-ending game would have been a showcase for the conference.

To avoid a second successive loss that would likely send a team that was in the Top 10 two weeks ago to a lower-tier bowl — a major disappointment given their 9-1 start — the Panthers know they must get their offense back in a hurry. They trail only Cincinnati in total offense in the conference.

"If it comes to a shootout, we think we can hang with anybody," tight end Nate Byham said.

Cincinnati, which is trying to complete the first 12-0 regular season in school history, leads the Big East in scoring (39.4), total offense (472.7 yards per game) and passing offense (322 yards). The Bearcats have allowed only nine sacks while scoring fewer than 28 points only once — a 24-21 victory over West Virginia.

"We definitely can match them because we’re not going to let them come in here and do what they want to do," Pitt tight end Dorin Dickerson said. "We’re going to run our offense and run our defense and play our game. We’re going to be the better team at the end of the day. That’s what we’re striving for, and that’s what we have to do this week."

Wannstedt wasn’t happy with his team’s preparation for West Virginia, although he didn’t blame it on any premature thoughts about playing Cincinnati.

If Pitt needs any further incentive beyond the obvious, here’s something to ponder: Nine wins for Pitt, rather than their first 10-win regular season since 1981, could mean the Papajohns.com Bowl in Birmingham, Ala., or the International Bowl in Toronto rather than, possibly, the Sugar Bowl.

"Coach Wannstedt hit on it," linebacker Adam Gunn said. "Last year we were happy with nine wins, and we were excited to play in the Sun Bowl (a 3-0 loss to Oregon State). This year, we have nine wins, but we’re not happy at all."

-- Alan Robinson

Beavers and Ducks: A study in opposites

EUGENE, Ore. — The Oregon Ducks and the Oregon State Beavers couldn’t be more different.

The Ducks are slick and polished, with countless uniform combinations and a state-of-the-art locker room courtesy of megabooster and Nike co-founder Phil Knight.

The Beavers are seen as a blue collar team from what one writer has dubbed "Lunchpail U," who toiled well under the national radar until this week.

The two foes will meet Thursday night in the Civil War. The victor will go to the Rose Bowl on New Year’s Day against Ohio State.

While the annual rivalry is always a big deal in the state of Oregon, never before has it been a winner-takes-all path to Pasadena.

Seventh-ranked Oregon (9-2, 7-1) has not been to the Rose Bowl since 1995, while No. 13 Oregon State (8-3, 6-2) hasn’t been since 1965.

"It is really hard to focus in classes and sleep at night. My grandma is even asking me if I am ready to play in the game," Oregon State cornerback James Dockery said. "We just want to come out on top. It is on my mind 24 hours of the day, which makes it a very exciting time to be a Beaver and we are just anxious to get out there."

The national scrutiny on the game has further brought out the differences in the two teams.

Oregon, with its innovative spread-option offense, was expected to achieve under new coach Chip Kelly, the team’s offensive coordinator for the past two seasons.

Oregon was ranked No. 16 going into the season. But in the nationally televised opener, the Ducks’ high-flying offense crashed in a 19-8 loss to Boise State. The loss got additional unwanted attention when LeGarrette Blount punched a Broncos player afterward.

Blount was suspended and Oregon moved on without him, putting the loss and controversy decidedly behind them with a seven-game winning streak. The Ducks’ only other loss this season was on the road against Stanford.

As predicted, Oregon’s strength this season has been its offense — guided by quarterback Jeremiah Masoli. The junior, who was booed early in the season by fans who didn’t think he was a competent passer, has started to get Heisman notice.

Masoli has thrown for 14 touchdowns with just four interceptions, and he’s run for 619 yards and 12 scores. Coupled with redshirt freshman running back LaMichael James, who has rushed for 1,310 yards and 11 touchdowns, the Ducks boast the eighth-best rushing offense in the nation — averaging 231.4 yards a game.

"Everything is on the line," Oregon senior receiver Ed Dickson said. "The national coverage, the Rose Bowl, the Pac-10 championship. It’s great to have it come through the state of Oregon. Both teams have played well this year, we’ll see who can put it together for one last game."

Oregon State’s path to the deciding game has been a bit more circuitous. Lyle Moevao, expected to be the Beavers’ quarterback, never quite regained his arm after offseason rotator cuff surgery. Sean Canfield stepped in and became a steadying force, leading the Pac-10 with an average of 254.3 passing yards and 19 touchdown passes.

Oregon State’s losses this season came to Cincinnati, Arizona and USC. The Beavers kind of sneaked up the Pac-10 standings down the stretch with a four-game winning streak going into the Civil War.

"A lot of people did not notice us until all of a sudden, poof, you look up at the end of the last game and we are playing for the conference championship," Oregon State coach Mike Riley said.

The Beavers are all about sophomore running back Jacquizz Rodgers and his older brother James, a flanker.

Quizz, as Jacquizz is known, has run for 1,313 yards and 19 touchdowns this season. He’s also caught 67 passes for 436 yards and another score. Quizz has even thrown a touchdown pass.

The elder Rodgers has caught eight touchdown passes this season, and leads the league with 173.6 all-purpose yards a game.

While Oregon has made an art of the spread option, Oregon State has thrived with some of those unexpected plays, like the fly sweep. This season they’ve toyed with the wildcat formation.

Because the Beavers have defeated the common opponent, Stanford, they would have the tiebreaker for the Rose Bowl.

Last season Oregon State was headed to the Rose Bowl with a victory in the Civil War. But the Ducks came to Reser Stadium and romped to a 65-38 victory. The year before, the Beavers visited Autzen and won 38-31 in the second overtime, on James Rodgers’ fly sweep.

"It’s definitely exciting to be a part of this, and having the Civil War deciding the Pac-10 champion and who gets to go to the Rose Bowl," Oregon linebacker Casey Matthews said. "It’s exciting for our communities and the state of Oregon."

-- Anne M. Peterson

Iowa coach Ferentz says No. 9 Iowa deserve BCS bid

IOWA CITY, Iowa — Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz said all season he’d wait for the right time to make his team’s case for a BCS bowl berth.

Well, that time has come — and Ferentz on Wednesday did his best to campaign.

"When we ended the season, somebody asked after the game if we were BCS worthy. My answer at that time was I wasn’t really sure," Ferentz said. "And I wasn’t, because I really hadn’t been thinking much about that. I’ve had a little time to think now, and I think I’d answer that question with a yes."

Ninth-ranked Iowa (10-2, 6-2 Big Ten), which is also No. 9 in this week’s BCS standings, is among a handful of teams in position for an at-large bid — likely the Fiesta or Orange Bowl.

The Hawkeyes are competing with the likes of Boise State, fellow Big Ten member Penn State and whatever teams might enter the mix following this weekend’s conference title games. That includes No. 5 Cincinnati’s defacto Big East title game at No. 14 Pittsburgh.

Iowa will learn Sunday whether it’s picked to go to its second BCS bowl game. The Hawkeyes went to the Orange Bowl following the 2002 season, losing to USC 38-17.

So what has changed for Ferentz?

When he got the chance to kick back during the Thanksgiving holiday and watch games from around the country, Ferentz said it gave him an appreciation of what the Hawkeyes accomplished this season.

He pointed to a number of upsets, like Georgia’s win over Georgia Tech and West Virginia’s win over Pittsburgh, the number of close games in conference play, and the way injuries affect a team’s performance.

Iowa went through all of those things this season.

The Hawkeyes saw their 9-0 start — which included a school-record four wins by three points or fewer — end with a 17-10 loss to Northwestern. Starting quarterback Ricky Stanzi was knocked out of that game early in the second quarter and missed the rest of the regular season.

Projected starting running back Jewel Hampton and cornerback Jordan Bernstine missed the year with injuries. Offensive lineman Bryan Bulaga, tight end Tony Moeaki and running back Adam Robinson were among the other starters who missed significant time.

Despite all that, the Hawkeyes won 10 regular-season games for the first time since 2002 and for just the fourth time in school history.

They beat bowl-eligible teams Penn State, Wisconsin, Michigan State and Iowa State on the road, took Big Ten champion Ohio State to overtime in Columbus behind freshman quarterback James Vandenberg, and handled Arizona at home in one of the Big Ten’s marquee nonconference wins.

"I’m not here to pit us against anyone else, but I think a couple things really stand out," Ferentz said. "If you look at our team, the way they’ve competed on the field, the head-to-head results that we’ve had, we did beat six bowl-eligible teams. I thought our guys did a great job taking a very challenging road schedule, and they embraced that with four victories and an overtime defeat at a very, very tough opponent’s home field."

Ferentz also said that Iowa should be healthy for a bowl game.

Stanzi and Robinson battled ankle sprains late in the season, but Ferentz said he expects Stanzi to be at full speed by next week. Robinson was taken out of the season-ending win over Minnesota after re-aggravating his ankle injury, but he should also be fine for the bowl game.

Ferentz also touched on another issue that’s become as much of an annual tradition in Iowa as the fall harvest — speculation about his future.

This week, the topic du jour is the open Notre Dame job. Ferentz has dismissed speculation he might be a candidate, saying he’s content coaching the Hawkeyes.

Ferentz has been routinely mentioned for a number of high-profile jobs during his 11 seasons at Iowa. And once again he pointed to his longevity with the Hawkeyes in response to questions about whether he’d consider the move to South Bend.

Ferentz was the Big Ten’s coach of the year for the third time this season.

"I can just tell you what I’ve been telling people for a long time: I like it at Iowa," Ferentz said. "I’m not a vagabond coach, and I like it where I’m at. I’ve enjoyed every day — not every day, but most days — and you know, I don’t see things changing here."

Perhaps Iowa’s biggest opponent for a BCS spot is the Nittany Lions, whom they beat 21-10 on the road back in September and are ranked ahead of in the BCS standings.

That might not matter much to bowl officials, who also consider TV ratings, ticket sales and national prestige — even though Ferentz thinks it should.

"It says an awful lot if you just look at how teams played against each other," he said. "I think that’s what you get judged on."

-- Luke Meredith

Spiller, Dwyer share ACC backfield spotlight

CLEMSON, S.C. — Clemson tailback C.J. Spiller sees a lot of himself in Georgia Tech runner Jonathan Dwyer.

Spiller had long admired Dwyer’s powerful, breakaway runs and discipline in helping the 12th-ranked Yellow Jackets perfect an option offense that largely disappeared from major college playbooks two decades ago.

But this summer, Spiller mixed with Dwyer at the ACC’s summer gathering and found a kindred soul: a humble, team-first guy with his eyes locked on bringing his program the ultimate prize — an Atlantic Coast Conference championship.

"He’s just a version of me," Spiller says.

The two face each other Saturday when Georgia Tech (10-2) and No. 25 Clemson (8-4) play for the league championship in Tampa, Fla.

On Wednesday, Spiller won the ACC’s player of the year by a wide margin over Dwyer’s Georgia Tech teammate, quarterback Josh Nesbitt. Spiller also earned the league’s offensive player of the year, again with Nesbitt in second.

Both Dwyer and Spiller were voted to the all-ACC first team. Dwyer as a running back, Spiller a specialist.

That sounds about right. No one in the ACC this season has been as special as Spiller, the Tigers’ do-it-all back who’s used his track speed, video-game moves and incredible will — he’s played all year with a painful turf toe injury — to lift the Tigers to the doorstep of their first conference crown in 18 years.

"When he has the ball in his hands, you better keep your eyes open because he might be down the field if you make one blink," Dwyer said in September before Georgia Tech’s 30-27 win over the Tigers. "Any time he touches the ball, it’s going to be a show."

From the season’s first play, a 96-yard kickoff return touchdown against Middle Tennessee, Spiller showed why he passed up a likely first-round NFL slot last winter for one last chance at a championship.

He’s glad the Tigers validated his choice.

"Usually, this week we’re not playing, so it’s a little bit different," Spiller said with a smile.

Not that it’s been an easy path. Despite scoring five of Clemson’s first 11 touchdowns, the Tigers were 2-3 and, most thought, out of the Atlantic Division chase.

Spiller and the other seniors gathered the Tigers for a midseason checkup. They talked through their disappointment, Spiller said, and repledged themselves to each other.

The result? A a six-game win streak that took Clemson to a division crown and pushed Spiller into Heisman Trophy consideration.

Spiller seemingly set a school record with each touch. He put up a Clemson best 310 all-purpose yards in a 40-37 overtime win at Miami, then eclipsed it two games later with 312 in a 40-24 win over Florida State.

A week ago at South Carolina, he became the NCAA’s all-time leader with his seventh career kickoff return TD and became the fifth Bowl Subdivision player to surpass 7,000 career all-purpose yards.

A normally quiet person, Spiller expanded his reach off the field, too. He challenged teammates when things didn’t work, Clemson coach Dabo Swinney said, and has shown emotion to pump up the Tigers.

Win or lose, Spiller will reach another goal he came back for later this month — his bachelor’s degree in sociology.

"He’s developed into quite a man," Swinney says with pride.

Spiller and Dwyer send texts regularly and spoke this week, not so much about the game but to wish each other the best.

Dwyer’s sure to give his all as he has throughout his career. He emerged last season in coach Paul Johnson’s option attack to lead the ACC in rushing with 1,395 yards and earned the league’s 2008 player of the year award.

With defense’s keying in on him this fall, Dwyer was almost as productive, entering this week with 1,236 yards and 12 TDs.

Dwyer had six games of 100 yards rushing or more, all coming during Tech’s eight-game winning streak that clinched the Coastal Division.

Georgia Tech, which shared the ACC title with Florida State in 1998, hasn’t won the crown outright since 1990. Dwyer is ready for that to change.

"To us, we haven’t finished our season," he said. "We haven’t finished our goal or anything. No. 1 on our goal list is to win the ACC championship and be the champions."

Dwyer, at 6-foot, 235 pounds, combines power with the speed to outrace defenders. That makes him a nightmare to scheme against, Clemson coach Swinney says.

"You watch him in his stance, he’s almost falling forward," Swinney said. "He’s running downhill in a hurry."

Although Spiller and Dwyer will share the backfield spotlight Saturday, neither sees the game as a one-on-one showdown.

"To me, it’s Clemson versus Georgia Tech," Spiller said. "He’s going to do everything he can to help his team win. I’m going to do the same thing."