RUTGERS IS TOSTITOS FIESTABOWL NATIONAL TEAM OF THE WEEK

DALLAS (FWAA) With their 28-25 win over Louisville, the Rutgers Scarlet Knights (9-0) are the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl National Team of the Week, as selected by the pollsters of the FWAA's Grantland Rice Super 16 Poll for games of the weekend of Nov. 11.


Jeremy Ito hit a 28-yard field goal with 13 seconds left to cap an 18-point comeback as the Scarlet Knights took over sole possession of first place in the Big East and put themselves in contention for a BCS bowl berth.


Louisville, last week's national team of the week, raced out to a 25-7 lead in the second quarter, but a pair of Ray Rice touchdown runs brought Rutgers back into the game. Rice had 132 yards rushing on the night, including 76 in the fourth quarter.


"It was a little scary at the end with the mob scene," Rutgers coach Greg Schiano said after the game. "But it was fun. This is the way college football is supposed to be."


Other Tostitos Fiesta Bowl National Team of the Week nominees for the weekend of Nov. 11 included:


Kansas State (7-4): The Wildcats scored three   touchdowns in a 3:06 span of the third quarter and held on   to upset Texas, 45-42, and guarantee their first winning   season since 2003.


Rice (5-5): Jarrett Dillard caught s 25-yard   pass in overtime as the Owls upset Tulsa, 41-38, to win for   the fourth time in five games.


Wake Forest (9-1): The Demon Deacons set a   school record with their ninth win, a 30-0 victory at   Florida State. It was the first time the Seminoles had ever   been shut out in 31 seasons under Bobby Bowden.


The FWAA has named a national team of the week since the 2002 season. This is the second season that the award has been sponsored by the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl.


The 16 pollsters of the Grantland Rice Super 16 Poll decide the weekly honor. Each Monday during the 2006 college football season, the FWAA will name the Tostitos Bowl National Team of the Week through Nov. 27.


The Grantland Rice Super 16 Poll, released each Tuesday, has resumed this season. The top-ranked team in the final poll will be awarded the Grantland Rice Trophy as the FWAA's national champion. The FWAA has awarded the trophy each season since 1954. Texas is the defending FWAA national champion and Ohio State is ranked No. 1 in the most current 2006 poll.


Since 1971, the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl has hosted five games that have decided the college football national championship, including two Bowl Championship Series title games. The 2007 game will be played on Jan. 1. The Tostitos Fiesta Bowl, along with the new Tostitos BCS Championship Game, moves to the new Cardinals Stadium in Glendale, Ariz., and will be played on Jan. 8.


For more information on the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl National Team of the Week, go to www.footballwriters.com or www.fiestabowl.org.