CINCINNATI — Defensive end Connor Barwin raised the gold-topped trophy above his head, then walked through hundreds of Cincinnati fans reached as high as they could, hoping to touch the keepsake with their fingertips.

There's never been a day quite like this in Cincinnati.

The 16th-ranked Bearcats beat Syracuse, 30-10, yesterday, then gathered in the end zone amid tightly-packed fans to hoist the trophy that represents their first Big East title during their fourth season in the league.

"We got smacked around our first year in the Big East," said receiver Mardy Gilyard, munching on an orange he plucked from the artificial turf. "I'm at a loss for words. It's just utter bliss."

The Bearcats (10-2, 6-1) are headed to a BCS bowl — likely the Orange or Sugar — for the first time in their history. They clinched the spot when West Virginia lost at Pitt on Friday, taking most of the drama out of the last home game.

The Bearcats tied the school record with their 10th win, the second straight season they've reached the mark. Cincinnati has a game Saturday at Hawai'i before heading to its bowl.

Playing with a plate and six screws in his broken left (non-passing) forearm, quarterback Tony Pike completed 28 of 44 passes for 272 yards and two touchdowns for the Bearcats.

Senior quarterback Dustin Grutza broke his lower right leg in the second game, and Pike broke his arm in the fourth. A redshirt freshman got them through the next two games. With his forearm wrapped in a protective cast, Pike has started the past six games.

"It was a little surprising, just the way things unfolded this year," said Pike, eating a slice of Gilyard's orange. "It's been a total team effort."

The Orange (3-9, 1-6) are headed for an offseason of change, starting at the top.

Syracuse went 10-47 in coach Greg Robinson's four seasons, including 3-25 in the Big East. He was fired on Nov. 16, effective the end of the season, and the Orange responded by rallying in the fourth quarter to beat Notre Dame, 24-23, in South Bend last week.

NEVADA 35, LOUISIANA TECH 31

RUSTON, La. — Vai Taua ran for a 22-yard touchdown with 3:15 left to cap the Wolf Pack's (7-5, 5-3 Western Athletic Conference) comeback victory over the Bulldogs (7-5, 5-3).

Taua's rush capped a 21-0 run that washed away Louisiana Tech's 31-14 lead with 4:48 left in the third quarter. Nevada's three-touchdown turnaround started late in the third with Colin Kaepernick's 18-yard touchdown connection with Marko Mitchell, continued with Kaepernick's 27-yard toss to Mike McCoy to start the fourth and ended with Taua's game-winner.

UTAH STATE 47, NEW MEXICO STATE 2

LOGAN, Utah — Diondre Borel threw for 118 yards and ran for a touchdown to lead the host Aggies (3-9, 3-5 Western Athletic Conference) to a season-ending rout.

Four other players also ran for touchdowns for Utah State, which had 241 rushing yards. New Mexico State (3-9, 1-7) struggled on offense, finishing with minus seven yards on the ground.