The AT&T Cotton Bowl Classic has never lacked for star power. Seven Heisman Trophy winners played in the game the season they won college football's most coveted award. Getting one great player is a coup. Two in a head-to-head clash is a bowl executive's dream.

Cotton Bowl founder J. Curtis Sanford set the standard in the game's first season, landing TCU and legend-in-the-making Sammy Baugh against Marquette and its star, Ray "Buzz" Buivid. The 1978 game between Texas and Notre Dame featured Heisman winner Earl Campbell, Outland winner Brad Shearer, Lombardi and Maxwell winner Ross Browner and Walter Camp winner Ken MacAfee.

The tradition continues this year, with Chase Daniel and Darren McFadden commanding above-the-title billing. Here's a look at the principals:

The standouts
Chase Daniel: Missouri, QB, 6-0/225, Jr. (business)
Darren McFadden: Arkansas RB, 6-2/215, Jr. (kinesiology)

Calling card
Chase Daniel: Tremendous working knowledge of the offense. Combined with sound fundamentals and gritty toughness, that allows him to distribute the football to Missouri's numerous offensive weapons.
Darren McFadden: Remarkable versatility (running, returning, receiving and occasionally passing) combined with game-breaking speed and size.

By the numbers
Chase Daniel: Daniel ranked 10th nationally in passing efficiency, completing 69.66 percent of his passes for 4,170 yards and 33 touchdowns. He enters the Cotton Bowl fourth in total offense at 342.6 yards per game.
Darren McFadden: McFadden ranks fourth in the Bowl Subdivision in rushing (143.75 yards a game) with 15 rushing touchdowns. He's also posted 21 receptions and has completed six of 11 passes for 123 yards and four TDs.

Signature performance
Chase Daniel: With the Big 12 North title at stake against Kansas at Arrowhead Stadium, Daniel completed 40 of 49 passes for 361 yards and three touchdowns. He showed his mobility, scrambling from pressure to hit Danario Alexander and cap an early 98-yard drive in the 36-28 win. The victory briefly lifted Missouri to the nation's No. 1 ranking.
Darren McFadden: Going against a solid South Carolina defense, McFadden tied a Southeastern Conference record with 321 yards rushing on 34 carries. He ran 80 yards for one touchdown and threw a 23-yard TD pass to Robert Johnson.

Showcase formation
Chase Daniel: Spread
Darren McFadden: Wild Hog, taking a direct snap from center

High school highlights
Chase Daniel: Daniel won 31 of 32 games as a two-year varsity starter at Southlake Carroll. In his senior season, he accounted for 6,042 yards of total offense and 70 touchdowns.
Darren McFadden: He averaged 10.7 yards per carry at Pulaski Oak Grove (Ark.) High School, recording 1,965 yards rushing and 27 touchdowns a senior.

Did you know
Chase Daniel: Daniel has led Missouri to its first New Year's Day bowl since the 1970 Orange Bowl.
Darren McFadden: McFadden needs 73 yards in the Cotton Bowl to move past LSU's Kevin Faulk into second place on the SEC career rushing list, behind Herschel Walker.

NFL future
Chase Daniel: He faces the same skepticism about his height that he endured as a high school player. Daniel says the odds are 99-to-1 against him leaving early for the NFL, and he could be an early frontrunner in the 2008-09 quarterback class.
Darren McFadden: Has drawn comparisons to Minnesota rookie star Adrian Peterson and has been projected as a top-five pick. His mother, Mini Muhammad, told ESPN.com in August that her son would enter the draft after this season.

The word
Chase Daniel: Arkansas interim coach Reggie Herring says: "What a combination of a Doug Flutie and a Brett Favre – a powerful arm, great legs, innovator on the run. I've seen an incredibly tough competitor. [He has] great tenacity, great spirit and great leadership and is surrounded by players that believe in him."
Darren McFadden: Missouri coach Gary Pinkel says: "When I saw that we were playing Arkansas, that was the first name that came up in my head. He is a great player, obviously one of the great players in the country. It will certainly be a great challenge for us, but you know, you play in a high-level bowl game, you are going to play against great players, and we're excited about playing."