EAST LANSING, Mich. -- Fiesta or Orange? Or Capital One? It all comes down to one simple question:

Will Penn State be picked over Iowa for a BCS bowl bid?

"That's not up to us," linebacker Sean Lee said.

And so the waiting game begins.

The Nittany Lions will have to wait until Dec. 6 to find out if they will get the nod over Iowa for the Big Ten's second BCS bowl berth. If the Hawkeyes are selected, Penn State would play in the Capital One Bowl in Orlando on Jan. 1.

The Hawkeyes, by any measure on the field, would seem to deserve the BCS bid over PSU. Both teams are 10-2 overall and 6-2 in the league, but Iowa beat the Lions on the road, gave Big Ten champ Ohio State a much better game in a loss and suffered its losses only after losing its starting quarterback.

The head-to-head component does matter, but it's far from the lone criteria, said Orange Bowl committee member Mike Kosnitzky, who was on hand for Saturday's game.

"It certainly would weigh in favor of Iowa in that decision process," Kosnitzky said. "But there are other factors. ... It's a very democratic process that takes place in the committee."

The biggest factors in Penn State's favor are the school's huge alumni base spread across the nation, the massive traveling fan base and legendary coach Joe Paterno. Even if Iowa has the better resume on the field, it cannot match Penn State in those other areas.

"I think our fans certainly could be a big plus when it comes to our [possible] selection," Paterno said.

The coach joked he has no idea how to lobby for a BCS bid.

"What do you want me to say? Pick us. Pick us. Pick us," he said.

If Texas advances to the BCS national title game, the Fiesta Bowl will have a choice to make among the at-large teams. Only teams ranked in the top 14 of the BCS standings can be considered for at-large berths, and PSU was 14th last week.

The Fiesta may decide to stick with its Big 12 Conference tie-in and take Oklahoma State, if the Cowboys beat Oklahoma next week. However, the Fiesta does not have to go that route and instead may be left to decide between Penn State and Iowa.

If the Fiesta does take Oklahoma State, the Orange Bowl has the next pick and would choose between the Hawkeyes and Lions.

It should be noted the Orange Bowl had a representative at Saturday's game, while the Fiesta did not.

"I want to play in a BCS bowl for sure," 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."

Having played in the Orange Bowl as recently as 2006 would not hurt Penn State's chances of going back so soon, Kosnitzky said. The bottom line for the bowl committees is to choose teams that provide the best matchup, not to be politically correct because Iowa may deserve it more.

"The whole purpose of Orange Bowl, the formation of Orange Bowl, was based upon helping the local economy, tourism," Kosnitzky said. "So certainly being able to bring a large number of people, as [Penn State] did the last time they were in our game, and enthusiastic fans is also very, very positive and certainly considered by our committee."