Congratulations to Kirk Ferentz and Iowa. With their 45-21 romp at Minnesota, the Hawkeyes finished with an undefeated Big Ten record and playing as well as any team in the country.

	Fred Russell rushed for 194 yards against Minnesota.

Ending the season early and being in the clubhouse doesn't hurt them much. No matter what happens with the rest of the Big Ten schedule, Iowa's likely headed to the Rose Bowl to represent the Big Ten against a team like Washington State.

The early finish may hurt the Heisman candidacy of Brad Banks, though. He now has to sit back and get ready for a bowl game while guys like Ken Dorsey, Jason Gesser and Carson Palmer still have chances to make moves in the race.

Iowa's dynamic offense can hurt teams in so many ways. Banks can hand off to Fred Russell, one of the best running backs in the nation, throw it to a talented receiving corps or make plays with his legs when things break down in the passing game. And defensive coordinator Norm Parker has his unit leading the conference in rushing defense at 68.2 yards per game and playing as well as any other defense in the conference over the second half of the season.

Bulldogs seeing Greene
Georgia's 24-21 win at Auburn was a tale of two halves.

The way the first half went -- the Auburn defense dominating an injury-depleted Georgia offense and Ronnie Brown going for over 100 yards -- is how I though the game would go for four quarters. But Mark Richt and his assistants made some adjustments at halftime and the players came out in a different emotional frame of mind.

Give a lot of credit to UGA defensive coordinator Brian VanGorder for making some of those adjustments. Brown had 103 yards in the first half but was limited to 21 over the final two quarters. Boss Bailey, David Pollack and the rest of the Bulldog defense stepped up big-time in the second half.

Quarterback David Greene showed moxie, character and toughness in leading UGA to 24 second-half points and the comeback win, and wide receiver Michael Johnson was the surprise of the day with his 13 catches for 141 yards while filling in for the injured Terrence Edwards. Johnson made a great catch on the game-winning touchdown and he is my player of the week in college football. Johnson had a great game considering the pressure of filling in for a star player.

Greene continues to amaze with his leadership abilities. Richt should leave him alone and let him be the No. 1 quarterback in this team. D.J. Shockley is a good player, but this is Greene's team and the Shockley project should be put on the back burner until spring practice rolls around.

This team has persevered against all odds in the face of injuries to Edwards, Damien Gary, Jon Stinchcomb and Musa Smith during the course of the year, and Richt and his players deserve congratulations.

Buckeyes still squeaking by
Ohio State fans can breathe a huge sigh of relief, because they don't have to worry about the Buckeyes playing on the road again until a bowl game. They struggled away from home again in a 23-16 win at Illinois, but deserve credit for making the key plays and finding a way to win with the game on the line.

Illinois made some adjustments during the game, most notably getting the ball to wide receiver Walter Young who was able to go up over OSU cornerback Dustin Fox for most of the second half and had 10 catches in the third quarter alone. But Ohio State quarterback Craig Krenzel and wide receiver Michael Jenkins hooked up again for a big TD and Krenzel's grit and determination led Ohio State and symbolized the never-say-die attitude of the team.

Illinois had a lot to play for as the reigning Big Ten champs, needing to win out to become bowl-eligible and make up for the slow start. The Illini gave a tremendous effort and had a chance to win the game.

Ohio State has been fortunate to win every road game this year, making big plays like the winning TD pass from Krenzel to Jenkins against Purdue. The Buckeyes are 12-0 for the first time in school history and now they get to play their nemesis -- the Michigan Wolverines. But they are playing them at home and you have to believe the emotion of the game and playing in front of the home crowd will be big for them.

The bottom line is no matter how fortunate Ohio State has been this year, the defense has to be credited for keeping the Buckeyes in a position to win games and contend for a national championship.

While Maurice Hall and Lydell Ross have tried to pick up the slack in Maurice Clarett's absence, it will be a huge boost if Clarett can come back healthy for the Michigan game. Hall and Ross have put up some good performances considering the shaky offensive line play this year, but Clarett can make up for some of the shortcomings of the line and still have great games.

But if Clarett comes back at about 70 percent and we see a repeat of the last couple of weeks -- where he gives it a try for a few series and then dings up the shoulder again -- expect to see a lot of Hall and Ross against the Wolverines.

Red Raider shootout
I said last week that Texas Tech would be able to move the ball between the 20s against Texas because of the Red Raiders' style on offense, but what I did not see coming was the ability to put the ball into the end zone. It was a shocker that they were able to score touchdowns rather than settle for field goals against a tough Texas defense and come away with a 42-38 win.

Kliff Kingsbury has had a great year, but people have been waiting to see how he would play in the final two games against Texas and Oklahoma. Folks in Lubbock want to see him in the Heisman race, but they need to realize that team success also counts in the minds of voters.

Kingsbury's 495 yards and six TD passes not only kept his team in the race for the Big 12 championship game game, they also made him the hot commodity in the Heisman race. If he leads Tech past OU this week, he goes from a guy getting noticed to a definite top five guy. But it will take another huge effort from he and his receivers to beat the best defense in the Big 12. But if Kliff throws for 400 yards against OU and the Red Raiders lose, he won't get the same consideration.

The season isn't shot for Texas, but this loss is a big disappointment. The Longhorns have to pick up the pieces and get ready for the rivalry game with Texas A&M. With a win in that game, they could be heading back to the Holiday Bowl for the third straight year. That's not exactly what Mack Brown and his senior class had in mind at the start of the year. Losing to Texas Tech in Lubbock is nothing to be ashamed of, but it is disheartening because Texas felt it was on track to get in a BCS game even after the loss to Oklahoma. The 'Horns are out of that mix now and the Big 12 as a whole may now get only one team into the BCS.

Players of the Week
Michael Johnson, Georgia - Filled in admirably in the absence of Terrence Edwards and Damien Gary. His 13 catches for 141 yards included the game-winner with under 2:00 to play.

Brad Banks, Iowa - Capped and outstanding senior year by throwing to touchdown passes and running for a pair of scores as the Hawkeyes beat Minnesota to finish a perfect 8-0 in the Big Ten.

Larry Johnson, Penn State - A freak of nature with his combination of power and speed, he broke the PSU single-game rushing record for the third time this year with 327 yards against Indiana.

Reggie Williams, Washington - Had 14 catches for 198 yards and three TDs against Oregon. The win should give the Huskies some much-needed confidence heading into the Apple Cup against Washington State.

Kliff Kingsbury/Wes Welker, Texas Tech - Hooked up for 14 completions covering 169 yards and a pair of touchdown passes in the upset of Texas.

The Alabama defense - The Tide dominated LSU's offense to the tune of 196 total yards (just 36 passing) and zero points.

Coach of the Week
John Mackovic, Arizona - Did a great job coaxing a win out of the Wildcats after all the turmoil that surrounded the team last week.

Kirk Herbstreit is an analyst for ESPN College GameDay.