Minnesota going to the Rose Bowl? It could happen, under Big Ten Conference tiebreaking procedures.

Minnesota's only loss so far came at Ohio State. If the Gophers win out and the Buckeyes lose Saturday to Penn State then the Nittany Lions are upset by Iowa or Indiana, Minnesota would be the big winner.

According to the Big Ten tiebreaker, Ohio State would drop out because it had the worst overall record with two losses (it fell early in the season to Southern California). Because Minnesota and Penn State did not meet, and no other tiebreaker applies, the conference's Bowl Championship Series representative would be determined by which team had last won the conference's automatic BCS berth. Penn State represented the conference in 2005.

Minnesota currently is 6-1, Penn State 8-0.

TEXAS — Longhorns quarterback Colt McCoy, the current frontrunner in the Heisman Trophy race, told Sporting News that he plans to return for his senior season instead of entering the NFL draft pool.

"I've been blessed to be able to play here,"he told the magazine. "Not very many people get to (start) here for four years, so what an opportunity. And if the NFL is there for me, then I hope that I'll get to keep playing, because I love to play this game. Hopefully, it will work out."

He has thrown for 1,894 yards and 19 touchdowns this season, with only three interceptions, to help Texas stand at 7-0.

 

BOWL BIDS: The Pacific 10 Conference's struggles this season could end up helping the Western Athletic Conference.

The Pac-10 added a seventh bowl tie-in this season, with a deal to send a team to the Poinsettia Bowl in San Diego.

But just past the midway point of the season it looks as if the league will not have seven teams finish with the required six victories to become bowl-eligible.

Sensing that possibility, Poinsettia Bowl officials announced an agreement this week to give the Pac-10's spot in the bowl to a team from the WAC if it remains open. That would give the WAC a fourth bowl tie-in.

SOUTH CAROLINA — Not even coach Steve Spurrier knows who is the team's No. 1 quarterback these days.

"We might put (reserve) Zac Brindise out there first," he said.

That would be a surprise because walk-on Brindise never has taken a snap for the Gamecocks. But with few other options left to spark an offense that's yet to live up to Spurrier's standards under starters Chris Smelley, Stephen Garcia and Tommy Beecher, the coach just might be serious.

"Stephen and Chris do better coming off the bench. Maybe if somebody else is the starter, they'd play better," he said.

The team next plays on Nov. 1, at Tennessee.

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