Speed is a critical factor in recent BCS bowl victories!

As has been mentioned on the broadcast, speed is critical for the success of teams like USC, LSU, and Florida. This is the problem Ohio State has dealt with in it's last two Championship losses.

As a whole, the Big Ten doesn't seem to incorporate speed too much into their teams' roster construction. This is likely why Michigan, Illinois, and now Penn State have not fared well against USC - speed can be very beneficial for a team in a bowl game. The Pac-10 and the SEC seem to have more teams with better speed.

That speed has been a critical factor in USC's dominance over Penn State, just like it has been in Ohio State's last two Championship losses.

Penn State does tack on 3 more to make it 38-17, but will likely suffer a big loss.