Penn St. awaits bowl invitation

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (AP) — If 10 wins and star power were the criteria to land a BCS bid, No. 12 Penn State would be a shoo-in for a lucrative at-large berth.

But nothing’s a given in the big bucks world of the Bowl Championship Series.

The Nittany Lions’ biggest threat for a second straight BCS berth is Iowa. The teams tied for second in the Big Ten with 6-2 conference marks and were 10-2 overall. The Hawkeyes beat Penn State, 21-10, at Beaver Stadium in Week 4.

The Nittany Lions’ other loss came three weeks ago to Ohio State. But Penn State finished with two straight wins — most notably a 42-14 rout last week of Michigan State at East Lansing — while Iowa was 1-1 the last two weeks, including a lackluster 12-0 defeat of Minnesota in the regular-season finale.

A January game at a warm locale is a lock for Penn State, though the questions of where and when most likely won’t be known until Dec. 6, when Bowl Championship Series picks get announced.

Penn State is No. 13 in the BCS standings, two below Iowa.

Teams must stay in the top 14 to remain eligible for a BCS at-large berth.

Also, no more than two teams from the same conference can play in BCS bowls. With Ohio State headed to the Rose Bowl as the Big Ten’s automatic qualifier, either Iowa or Penn State will be left out.

A slim possibility exists that both may not make it.

“It was really important to end the season the way we did,” linebacker Josh Hull said after the win over the Spartans. “And we’re going to have [a] week off and take some time to enjoy and then come back and then it’s time to get back to hard work.”

Bowl selection committees take economic factors into account when setting up matchups. The potential for revenue for local hotels and restaurants, as well as drawing TV ratings, are weighed along with team records, head-to-head matchups and how teams finish.

Iowa’s success has been a storyline all year in college football. Hawkeyes fans have a reputation of traveling well — as do Penn State followers.

The Nittany Lions, though, might be the bigger TV draw with iconic Hall of Fame coach Joe Paterno still pacing the sidelines. Major college football’s all-time leader in wins (393) turns 83 on Dec. 20.

A look at Penn State’s potential bowl destinations:

Fiesta (BCS)

Date: Jan. 4

Location: Glendale, Ariz.

Last trip: 1997, 38-15 over Texas.

Orange (BCS)

Date: Jan. 5

Location: Miami

Last trip: 2006, 26-23, 3 OT over Florida State.

Capital One

Date: Jan. 1

Location: Orlando, Fla.

Last trip: 2003, 13-9 loss to Auburn.