Orange Bowl executive: Committee 'unanimous' Iowa was best choice

Orange Bowl CEO Eric Poms said his committee picked Iowa over Penn State for the bowl's at-large spot because of the Hawkeyes' decisive 21-10 win at Penn State on Sept. 26.

"You have a great respect for both programs, they had tremendous years," Poms said. "But in the end, the head-to-head victory Iowa had in State College was impressionable. In the end, they were three spots ahead in the BCS poll.

"We just felt in the end, Iowa really deserved it. They won it on the field and they won it in every comparative that led to the BCS rankings. So we were unanimous in our position that Iowa was the best choice."

Poms picked Iowa (10-2) over unbeaten Cincinnati, he said, in part because of Iowa's start to the season as well as Cincinnati's 2009 appearance.

"We looked at every team in the top 14 that was eligible to be picked," Poms said. "In the end we saw a team in Iowa that was 9-0, that had an unfortunate end of the year, but still played tough at the end.

"They have a fan base not only in Iowa but across the country. In the end, we thought it was the best matchup for Georgia Tech.

"We prefer not to have  repeat team."

Iowa plays ACC champion Georgia Tech (11-2) on Jan.5 in Miami.