DALLAS (FWAA) – Big Ten co-champions Ohio State and Iowa dominated the Football Writers Association All-America team announced on Monday. Those two teams each placed three players on the 25-man squad, which is selected by a nationwide panel of FWAA writers.

Defending national champion Miami, Fla., Penn State and Southern California each placed two players on the team which has been named every year since 1944. The FWAA team is the second oldest continuously published team in college football.

The team will be honored at a banquet on Jan. 24 in Orlando, Fla. Florida Citrus Sports, which also sponsors the Capital One and Tangerine bowls, will be the host to the banquet.

There were two repeat All-Americas from last season's team – both on defense – Southern California defensive back Troy Polamalu and Maryland linebacker E.J. Henderson.

The Big Ten Conference led all conferences with nine players on the team. The Pacific 10 had five, the Southeastern and Big 12 three each and the Big East two. The Atlantic Coast, Mountain West and independent Notre Dame had one each.

In addition, the FWAA announced three finalists for the Outland Trophy, which has been presented annually since 1946 to the best interior lineman in college football. The Outland finalists, also on the 2002 All-America team, are center Brett Romberg of Miami, Fla., defensive tackle Rien Long of Washington State and offensive tackle Jordan Gross of Utah.

The winner of the 2002 Outland Trophy will be announced on Dec. 12 in Orlando, Fla., on the ESPN College Football Awards Show.

Related links:
• FWAA All-America Team
• Florida Citrus Sports to host All-America banquet