The matchup between Iowa and USC is the most intriguing of the bowl season because of the firepower on both sides of the field and the way both teams ended their seasons.

The Hawkeyes finished the Big Ten schedule winning their last four games by a combined 108 points, while the Trojans won their last seven after stubbing their toe against Washington State, the final two in that streak by a combined score of 96-34.

	Brad Banks will run into the toughest defense he has seen all year in the Orange Bowl.

These teams had such great years offensively, both finishing the top 15 nationally in total yards per game, because they have balanced attacks. With the speed and technical soundness of today's defenses, the only way to have a great offense is balance with the run and pass, giving teams an answer for aggressive defenses and a way to make them pay for mistakes.

By knowing what those defenses are doing teams like USC and Iowa can attack in ways the opponents are not expecting. So many offenses today are very good in one phase and average in the other, but these teams are equally good at both and are tough to defend.

And although Heisman-winning quarterback Carson Palmer of Southern California and runner-up Brad Banks of Iowa get all the attention, both defenses have been equally as good. The Hawkeyes led the Big Ten in rushing defense and ranked second in the nation at 68.2 yards per game, while the Trojans finished sixth nationally in both rushing defense (80.2 ypg) and total defense (281.8 ypg).

Iowa has proven all year that it can stop the run, while USC's offense is most dominating when running backs Justin Fargas and Sultan McCullough are picking up yards on the ground and Carson Palmer is dissecting secondaries. The Hawkeyes have to stop one or the other, and they will likely try take away the running game.

By doing that they at least have a chance to put the Trojans in some predictable play-calling situations. But because offensive coordinator Norm Chow mixes up his calls so well the Southern California offense doesn't have any real tendencies. USC ran the ball 428 times during the regular season and threw it 417, so Iowa will be guessing what kind of play it is going to see.

But what makes Palmer so good is the way he distributes the ball. His top three wideouts -- Mike Williams, Keary Colbert and Kareem Kelly -- all had at least 43 catches and combined for 183 total receptions, while fullback Malaefou MacKenzie caught 38 passes and tight end Alex Holmes 26.

Palmer throws it to everyone and has so much experience that he has seen every defense teams can throw at him. No matter what defenses try to do he has an answer.

Iowa realizes that, and rather than playing a bend-but-don't-break defense it will try to mix up coverages, taking chances at times and sitting back playing zone at times. The Hawkeyes have to try to get Palmer out of rhythm, and the way to do that is to mix things up as much as possible and hope they can get some pressure him.

Palmer is a big, strong guy but is not real mobile, so if Iowa can get pressure it can make him throw the ball away or bring him down. Iowa middle linebacker Fred Barr led the team with 109 tackles while linebacker Fred Roth and defensive linemen Colin Cole and Howard Hodges combined for 26 sacks, and all will have to play well for the Hawkeyes to have a chance.

Iowa not only has balance on offense with Banks, running backs Fred Russell and Jermelle Lewis, tight end Dallas Clark and wide receivers C.J. Jones and Maurice Brown, it also has the added element of Banks' ability to scramble.

If USC tries to take away all the options he has when he drops back, Banks will turn to what may be his best weapon of all: his feet. Just when defenses think everything is covered and he is going to have to throw the ball away, he will tuck it and pick up some yards. That truly what makes him tough to contain.

The Trojans will have the most athletic defense Banks has seen all year, though, and its main focus will be on controlling him. Not just by getting pressure and taking him out of rhythm, but by not allowing him to get outside the pocket and get yards with scrambles.

Southern California also has an excellent defensive line, with guys like Omar Nazel, Melvin Simmons and Kenechi Udeze, and Troy Polamalu is a physical safety who will come up to support against Russell in the running game.

Russell is the guy who gets overlooked in the Iowa attack, because everyone gets so caught up in what Banks can do in both phases of the game. But what makes the Hawkeyes great is that Banks can also hand off to Russell, who will squirt through a hole in a hurry and pick up 15 or 20 yards.

That makes a defense respect the run and in turn makes Banks and the rest of the offense even more devastating.

Iowa will probably bring about 60,000 fans to Pro Player Stadium and make it Kinnick Stadium South, and that crowd coupled with the fact that Banks lost out to Palmer in the Heisman race will inspire the Hawkeyes.

Even after a 48-day layoff those intangibles favor Iowa. Coach Kirk Ferentz and his team will play inspired football and upset Southern California.

Kirk Herbstreit is an analyst on ESPN's College GameDay