MADISON, Wis. -- Like any good melodrama, Ron Dayne's quest for the major-college career rushing record has been fraught with emotion, uncertainty and dramatic mood swings.

	Ron Dayne dominated the collegiate game; now he comes to New York.

It also appears to have a happy ending. Barring an injury or a phenomenal effort by one of the nation's worst defenses, Dayne should easily gain the 99 yards he needs to pass Ricky Williams when No. 9 Wisconsin (8-2) plays host to Iowa (1-8).

And how could Saturday be any less than perfect? Madison's mayor has already declared it "Ron Dayne Day."

Dayne's coaches and teammates think the record will be the greatest individual achievement in a remarkably consistent four-year career, including a senior season spent dealing with sky-high expectations.

"There's been so much talk about the record and how you go about getting it," Badgers coach Barry Alvarez said. "It certainly is within reach now for Ron. He can see the light at the end of the tunnel."

Although Dayne's chase has been exciting, it has little of the dramatic flair that characterized Williams' run to the record last year. Like Dayne himself, the Wisconsin tailback's assault on Williams' mark has mostly been steady and sure.

"Ron's not going to be out there wearing dreadlocks and getting tattoos and holding press conferences," offensive coordinator Brian White said. "He's not going to change who he is."

After a three-week lull to begin the Big Ten Conference season during which he was twice held under 90 yards, the Dayne Train has been accelerating during the Badgers' six-game winning streak. A 222-yard performance against Purdue last week gave him 765 rushing yards and seven touchdowns in the last four games.

Dayne also has emerged from the back of the pack to become the front-runner for the Heisman Trophy. Many wrote Dayne off after his 88-yard performance against Michigan on Sept. 25, during which he was held to zero yards in the second half.

That was about when Sports Illustrated published a list of its top 10 disappointments in college football -- and Dayne found his own name at No. 6.

"That really motivated me to go out and play harder," Dayne said. "I still have got it up in my locker."

In truth, Dayne is having his best statistical season since 1996, when defenses weren't yet keyed on stopping a bowling ball-shaped freshman running back from New Jersey. Dayne ran for 1,863 yards during that regular season -- even though Alvarez didn't start him until the sixth game -- and 246 more in the Copper Bowl against Utah.

He leads the nation with 1,618 yards this year, during which he has spent more time in the film room and less time in the training room than ever before. He has already become the Big Ten's leading career rusher and scorer and, barring disaster, he'll become the first running back to lead the conference in rushing three times.

If Dayne breaks Williams' record, the scene at Camp Randall Stadium won't be much like the hullabaloo in Austin last year, when Tony Dorsett, Earl Campbell and Archie Griffin were on hand to watch history being made. Williams, for one, will be in New Orleans preparing for the Saints' game against the San Francisco 49ers.

Dayne hasn't even received much respect from Williams, who said he thought Texas quarterback Major Applewhite deserved the Heisman this year. That's just fine with the Badgers, who think Dayne's remarkable career needs no hype.

"I don't have anything to do with Ricky Williams," Alvarez said. "He's a pro football player, he had a great collegiate career and Ron's trying to break his record. I don't know much about him, don't care much about him."

Dayne's boosters for the Heisman point to his consistency and longevity. He's one of just four players to have four 1,000-yard rushing seasons, and he's averaging 5.3 yards per carry over his career.

"I think people will look back at his numbers and his consistency and what he's meant to this program and where he has taken Wisconsin, and they'll say he was the best running back ever," White said. "He's accomplished things that nobody thought could be done."

Dayne takes his greatest pride in team achievements. The Badgers have a 35-13 record during his time at the school, as well as a Big Ten championship and a Rose Bowl victory last season.

Wisconsin can clinch a share of a second conference title on Saturday by beating Iowa. Should Penn State then lose one of its last two games against Michigan and Michigan State, Wisconsin would advance to Pasadena and have the chance to be the first team in Big Ten history to win back-to-back Rose Bowls.

Saturday's game has become the toughest ticket in Madison in years, as fans jockey for a chance to see Dayne's final game at Camp Randall Stadium. Scalpers and brokers were getting $200 for the best seats early this week, with prices expected to rise to $300 by game day.

None of that makes much difference to Dayne, who has dealt with little of the hype that surrounded Williams last season when he broke Dorsett's 22-year-old record. As a quiet family man with no piercings, tattoos or dreadlocks, Dayne isn't the attraction Williams was -- something for which he's terribly grateful.

Dayne is trying to become Wisconsin's second Heisman winner and the first since Alan Ameche in 1954. Should he win the trophy, the taciturn Dayne even has a speech prepared.

"I probably won't have much to say but thank you," he said.