UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- Now that Penn State and Iowa have wrapped up 10-2 seasons, the great debate has begun.

Will the Nittany Lions be picked for a Bowl Championship Series game over the Hawkeyes, who beat Penn State, 21-10, earlier this season?

The two teams will have plenty of time to ponder that question the next two weeks while sitting on the sideline and watching several other teams play.

Penn State and Iowa, ranked No. 13 and No. 11, respectively, in the BCS standings released yesterday, will have to wait until Dec. 6 for a final answer on their postseason plans.

The Lions and Hawkeyes must finish among the top 14 teams in the final BCS rankings to qualify for an at-large berth. Only two teams from the same conference are permitted to play in BCS games, and Ohio State secured the Big Ten's automatic bid to the Rose Bowl as the conference champion.

Coach Joe Paterno and his players began lobbying for a BCS berth -- possibly to the Orange Bowl -- just minutes after Penn State pasted Michigan State, 42-14, Saturday.

"I don't even know who makes up the BCS, who's involved in it or whatever," Paterno said. "We're a good football team. Are we better than X, Y and Z? I don't know. Obviously, I think we could play with anybody.

"What do you want me to say? Pick us. Pick us. What else can I say? I appreciate everybody wanting to know, and if I could get on the phone and call some people and say, 'You owe me, or if not, you better watch out. There might be a horse's head in your bed.' "

The Lions, who have not beaten a ranked team, suffered two embarrassing home losses this season to Iowa and Ohio State.

The Hawkeyes dropped back-to-back games to Northwestern (17-10) and to the Buckeyes (27-24 in overtime) this month after losing quarterback Ricky Stanzi to an injury.

Iowa's head-to-head win against Penn State is not nearly as important in the BCS selection process as ticket sales and TV ratings, according to Michael Kosnitzky of the Orange Bowl committee, who attended the game Saturday in East Lansing, Mich. It doesn't hurt Penn State's chances that Paterno is a national icon.

The five BCS games have a payout of $17 million each, with the Orange Bowl set for Jan. 5 in Miami. The non-BCS Capital One Bowl in Orlando, Fla. -- which is where the Lions likely will end up on New Year's Day if the Hawkeyes are picked for a BCS game -- has a payout of $4.25 million.

Penn State is No. 12 in The Associated Press poll released yesterday and No. 11 in the USA Today coaches' poll. Iowa trails the Lions in both polls at No. 13.

"Iowa has a compelling story to tell and so does Penn State," Kosnitzky said. "The Joe Paterno story is a big one, too, and we'd certainly welcome him back to the Orange Bowl."

There are a handful of scenarios being tossed around for possible BCS matchups.

The Fiesta Bowl likely will lose its Big 12 champion tie-in -- Texas -- to the BCS national title game. It could then opt for Oklahoma State, if it beats rival Oklahoma on the road Saturday.

If that happens, the Orange Bowl would have the next pick and likely would choose between the Lions and Hawkeyes.

There was no Fiesta Bowl representative present at Spartan Stadium Saturday to watch Penn State.

"I want to play in a BCS bowl for sure," Lions outside linebacker Sean Lee said. "But you've got to give credit to Iowa. They came in and beat us at home. So that's definitely got to be added into the equation."

Paterno believes Penn State's large national fan base could play a big role in whether the Lions land a BCS bid.

"I don't think anybody ever comes up to a football game at Beaver Stadium and doesn't walk away feeling pretty impressed about the loyalty of our fans," he said. "We played eight home games and I think we sold all of the tickets for them.

"That's pretty tough, and a couple of games were not exactly national attractions. So I think our fans should be a big plus when they start thinking about selecting us."

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