The Walkthrough

-- Time to review the Big Ten tiebreaking procedures for the BCS bowl bid.

The first tiebreaker is head-to-head. The Hawkeyes would hold that over Penn State, Wisconsin and whatever happened Saturday night in East Lansing. A head-to-head victory over Iowa might be Michigan State's only way to the BCS. The Spartans don't face Ohio State or Michigan but do host Penn State for the season finale.

Tiebreaker No. 2 is overall record. MSU was 4-3 headed into Saturday night's game. Its two non-conference losses (Central Michigan and Notre Dame) might doom it down the road.

The third tiebreaker is highest ranking in the BCS standings. Iowa was No. 6 going into Saturday night.

Ohio State defeated Minnesota, 38-7, on Saturday, so the Buckeyes (6-2, 4-1) kept up their end of a possible Big Ten title showdown Nov. 14 in Columbus.

If Iowa and Ohio State are the only 7-1 teams, the winner of their Nov. 14 meeting would go to the Rose Bowl. Ohio State would need that win to finish 7-1.

The Capital One and Outback Bowls showed up in the Spartan Stadium.

-- QBs are out on the field now. Looks as though it's still raining. It's rainy and chilly up here.

No stocking cap for Stanzi, by the way.

-- The Hawkeyes haven't won here, a land lit by a 40-watt bulb, since 1995 when Sedrick Shaw, the school's all-time leading rusher, went for 250 yards in a 21-7 victory.

Kirk Ferentz is 0-for-4 here, but those losses have gotten closer and closer every season. The worst loss was 49-3 in 1999. Michigan State hung on in 2001, 31-28. Then, in 2003, the Hawkeyes fell, 20-10. Last season, the Hawkeyes fell, 16-13, when a fullback ran the wrong way and Shonn Greene was whacked on a fourth-and-short inside MSU's 20.

-- Iowa's specialists are on the field. Daniel Murray just drilled, I mean drilled, a 50-yarder with tons of room to spare, going from your left to right. Lots of blowing into their hands down there. It's chilly and rainy. I think I've said that a few times.

-- WR Marvin McNutt is on the field. His right thumb is heavily wrapped. He's going to give it a try. We'll let you know. RB Brandon Wegher is on the field. His left hand doesn't look wrapped or anything special.

-- Freshman running back Brad Rogers is in uniform. Hmmmm.

-- Per Ferentz radio, five guys missed practice Tuesday because of a business exam. Team is as healthy as it's been all year. There was a near-miss, he said, and I'm guessing that's Dace Richardson and mono.

-- 36 minutes to kick.

-- Getting ready for team . . .

-- McNutt is catching passes fine this week.

-- O-line this week is Calloway, Dace, Raf, Reiff and Bulaga. D-line is same.

-- Lots of Michigan State coaches watching Iowa's warmups.

-- DJK gets the start again this week.

-- Talked to Gary Barta before his radio segment. Too early to even think bowls, pretty much the party line, and I totally agree except that I was assigned a pregame bowls story. So, there you go with that.

-- 26:24 before kickoff.

-- Let's

chat.