DALLAS (FWAA) With their 37-6 win over No. 5 Michigan State, the Iowa Hawkeyes (6-2) are the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl National Team of the Week for games of the weekend of Oct. 30.
Ricky Stanzi threw three touchdown passes and Iowa intercepted three passes one for a touchdown by Micah Hyde · as the Hawkeyes cruised after building a 30-0 halftime lead. On the day, Iowa held Michigan State to just 31 yards rushing and 13 first downs.
Iowa's win knocked Michigan State from the ranks of the unbeatens and followed a one-point loss to Wisconsin a week ago.
"The guys did a good job turning the page," Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz said. "We came ready to play and we put a complete game together. We made a lot of improvement from a week ago. We've had it both ways and it's a lot more fun this way."
Other Tostitos Fiesta Bowl National Team of the Week nominees for the weekend of Oct. 30 included:
Baylor (7-2): Robert Griffin III passed for two touchdowns and ran for another to lead the Bears to a 30-22 win over Texas in Austin. It was Baylor's first win in Austin since 1991, the last season it won as many as seven games.
Syracuse (6-2): The Orange improved to 6-2 for the first time since 2001 with a 31-7 win at Cincinnati. The win was Syracuse's third straight road win in Big East play this season.
The Football Writers Association of America has named a national team of the week since the 2002 season. This is the seventh season that the award has been sponsored by the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl.
Members of the FWAA All-America Committee decide the weekly honor. Each remaining Monday during the 2010 college football regular season, the FWAA will name the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl National Team of the Week.
Founded in 1971, the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl has hosted six games that have decided the college football national championship, including three Bowl Championship Series title games. This season, the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl will host the Tostitos BCS National Championship Game on Jan. 10, 2011 at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Ariz. The Tostitos Fiesta Bowl will be played on Jan. 1, 2011 in Glendale and the Insight Bowl will be played on Dec. 28, 2010 at Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, Ariz.
For more information on the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl National Team of the Week, go to footballwriters.com or fiestabowl.org.