Big Ten Says Iowa to Play in BCS Game

The latest strange development in the always strange bowl championship series:

One day after USC all but clinched a BCS at-large berth by jumping over Iowa into the No. 4 spot in the BCS standings, the Big Ten Conference office issued a news release Tuesday stating Iowa “will play in a bowl championship series (BCS) game to determined after the results of Saturday’s games are known.”

Hey, wait a minute here, if Iowa and USC have secured spots, then how come the BCS on Tuesday did not release Notre Dame, Texas and Kansas State from at-large consideration?

The Big Ten statement was unusual in that, technically, Iowa has not secured a guaranteed at-large BCS berth. One BCS source said the release appears to indicate Iowa has received assurances it will play in either the Rose or Orange bowls which means, in one scenario, Notre Dame already has been eliminated from at-large consideration.

Another BCS source said the Big Ten release was a “huge assumption.”

Sue Lister, the Big Ten official who e-mailed the release, could not be reached for comment.

If Iowa already is in, though, it means USC may be more vulnerable to losing a major bowl bid even though it is presently ahead of Iowa in the BCS standings. There is a slight chance USC could get bounced from its No. 4 spot should Miami lose to Virginia Tech.

BCS conference commissioners met on a conference call Tuesday to hash out scenarios, but someone familiar with the discussions said there were no absolutes as far as Iowa and a BCS bowl berth.

Apparently, the Big Ten launched out on its own, drawing the reasonable conclusion Iowa was in no matter what.

Deep breath here, again, for the explanations.

If UCLA defeats Washington State on Saturday, Iowa is the clear-cut choice to face Pac-10 champion USC in the Rose Bowl.

If Washington State clinches the Rose Bowl bid, however, and USC has secured a BCS at-large spot, the Orange Bowl would get to choose among USC, Notre Dame, Iowa, Kansas State or Texas as a replacement for Miami, assuming the Hurricanes advance to the Fiesta Bowl to play Ohio State for the national title.

According to the Big Ten release, the school getting the bid in this scenario almost has to be Iowa, which would knock Notre Dame to the Gator Bowl.

If USC and Iowa end up in the Rose Bowl, of course, Notre Dame would remain a viable candidate for the Orange Bowl, as would Kansas State and, to a lesser extent, Texas.

It appears as though the Big Ten, knowing Iowa is all but a lock, was trying to get the jump on getting eligible teams slotted into their respective bowls.

In the same release, the Big Ten announced that five Big Ten schools had accepted bowl invitations: Penn State to the Capitol One, Michigan to the Outback, Purdue to the Sun, Wisconsin to the Alamo and Minnesota to the Music City.

If Iowa was not to make a BCS game, it would have feasibly dropped to the Capitol One, and other Big Ten schools would be pushed down the bowl ladder, with Minnesota perhaps having to move into the Motor City. But now, all those Big Ten bowl slots are occupied.

So, if for some strange reason Iowa was not selected for a BCS game, it would apparently be left without a place to play. Iowa to the Seattle Bowl?

OK, that’s crazy talk, but nothing in the BCS should surprise anyone anymore.

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The Seattle Bowl and the Silicon Valley Classic in San Jose have been given until Friday to submit letters of credit to the NCAA to maintain certification. Bowls that did not distribute at least $1 million to each participant for the last three years must send a $1.5 million letter of credit to the NCAA.... Wisconsin receiver Lee Evans pleaded innocent to a misdemeanor marijuana possession charge in Dodgeville, Wis.

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The Associated Press contributed to this report.