Figuring out the bowl thing

COLUMBUS, Ohio - Everyone Iowa was about a million miles from bowl talk.

Kirk Ferentz was into Joe Namath references while explaining his decision to throttle down with 52 seconds left and a timeout. The Hawkeyes themselves? They ground their teeth about what might've been after Saturday's wrenching 27-24 overtime loss at Ohio State.

“I've done enough stupid things this year, why do another one at that point?” Ferentz said. “Had we got the return, had there been a shanked punt where we had better field position or had we popped that first play, then we probably would've pressed forward. . . . The percentages weren't with us at that point.”

That was Ferentz on the decision to let the final 35 or so seconds run off in regulation after running back Adam Robinson was stopped for no gain on first-and-10 at Iowa's 33. Iowa took a delay of game on the next play and regulation ended 24-24.

The Hawkeyes had a timeout, but they also had freshman quarterback James Vandenberg, who had thrown two interceptions at that point and probably should've had a third on a tipped pass that tight end Tony Moeaki ended up with.

Quarterback inexperience wasn't a factor in the decision to head into overtime, Ferentz said.

“I think no matter who we had in there . . . We could've had Joe Namath in there, I think we would've done the same thing,” Ferentz said. “Of course, he's older now, he probably wouldn't be very effective. We were just hoping to get something, nothing happened and we went into the fifth quarter.”

Nothing was guaranteed on any sort of Daniel Murray field goal attempt. After missing a 22-yarder in the third quarter, he's now missed 3 of his last 5 and is officially shaky.

See, a million miles from bowl talk.

But the No. XX15 Hawkeyes (9-2, 5-2 Big Ten) will likely be ranked in the BCS top 14 -- BCSguru.com had Iowa projected at No. 12 late Saturday night -- which would leave them under consideration for a BCS bowl bid. Yes, there are many twists and turns before Iowa could put itself in that position.

“We've just got to look to next week and realize we still have something to play for,” said wide receiver Marvin McNutt, who caught six passes for 78 yards and two touchdowns.” Our season isn't over. We still have got a bowl game to get invited to.”

First, there's Minnesota (6-5, 3-4). If the Hawkeyes hold serve, a BCS bowl could be in their grasp. USC and Miami (Fla.) lost Saturday. Houston, Utah and Arizona also tumbled. The Big East will cough up one BCS team, either Pitt or Cincinnati.

Plus, Iowa put up a fight at the Horseshoe. The Hawkeyes looked good losing. That's little solace, but that also might land the Hawkeyes in a BCS bowl for the second time since the BCS system was established in 1998. Ferentz directed Iowa to a Big Ten co-championship and an Orange Bowl bid in 2002.

Million miles from bowl talk, but it's time to at least address the possibilities.

“Going into today, it was very clear cut,” Iowa athletics director Gary Barta said. “If we win we go to the Rose Bowl, we get a share of the Big Ten championship. At this point, we have one more game left. That'll play a factor in what bowl we ended up in.

“It's probably a waste of time to speculate. We know it'll be a good bowl. We're bowl eligible, but we have one more game to play.”

Steve Hingten, the Capital One Bowl representative at OSU on Saturday, liked what he saw. The bowl reps always do.

“They're definitely in play,” Hingten said. “You've got Iowa, Penn State and Wisconsin doing well. It'll be a difficult decision.”

Iowa and Penn State could be 10-2 after next week. The Orange Bowl, which is desperate for a boost in TV ratings after a couple down years - Virginia Tech-Cincinnati last year, Kansas-Virginia Tech in ‘08 and Louisville-Wake Forest in ‘07 - might leave Iowa on the table for Penn State.

The Fiesta Bowl might jump at a chance for Iowa, which sold more than 20,000 tickets for a regular-season game at Arizona State in 2004. The Hawkeyes could, with the help of snow birds, bring 40,000 fans into Glendale and University of Phoenix Stadium.

If the BCS falls through for Iowa and Penn State, the Capital One would pick between the two. Penn State hasn't been to the Capital One since 2003. Iowa was there in 2004.

Next stop would be the Outback Bowl. Iowa played there last season, the Hawkeyes' third appearance in Tampa since 2003. With a win over Northwestern and at Hawaii on Dec. 5, Wisconsin would finish 10-2 and might look attractive to the Outback. Iowa would then fall to the Champs Sports Bowl in Orlando, Fla., on Dec. 29.

But that's a worst-case scenario and the Hawkeyes are a million miles from bowl talk.