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Mike Riley isn't a magician, and he doesn't act like Criss Angel.

The Oregon State coach says "neat" a lot and leads the Beavers in a "hip hip hooray" cheer after every win. He lives a few miles from the Corvallis campus and likes to go home to walk his dog.

Should OSU defeat the Arizona Wildcats on Saturday and Oregon in the finale, it would advance to the Rose Bowl, not USC. In his second stint in his hometown, Riley has won all four bowl games his team has attended.

It's amazing — but not magic.

"He's done a great job of not only getting the kids to come there, but then playing together as a team and playing within the system," UCLA coach Rick Neuheisel said. "They are who they are. They don't try to fool you."

The Beavers don't have the gravitas of USC or even Washington, or the financial backing of the rival Ducks. Seemingly every year, though, they become monsters as the season wears on. Since the start of the 2006 season, OSU is 20-4 in October, November and December.

The Beavers' current five-game winning streak is their longest in one season since 2000.

"It's kinda like people don't really understand how our program runs," quarterback Lyle Moevao said. "That's really something that we've lived by, especially being underdogs most of the time during the season.

"It's really shown that people don't really understand our program."

UA coach Mike Stoops believes Oregon State's success is more impressive given the Beavers' recruiting struggles.

"I don't think they've been in the top 25 ever," he said, "but they always win nine or 10 games. That's a credit to their coaches."

OSU has finished in the nation's top 25 in recruiting just once since Riley was rehired in 2003, according to Rivals.com.

Last year's class ranked ninth in the Pac-10 and No. 52 in the nation.

Jacquizz Rodgers, the Pac-10's leading rusher this year as a freshman, was listed as a three-star recruit.

"You see five-stars going to other schools in the Pac all the time," Moevao said. "He's able to pull guys that are two-star, three-star, one-star, no-star and be able to get the best out of them and play as if they're five-star."

Oregon State runs a "pretty high-tech" offense, said Pete Carroll, whose USC team lost to Oregon State earlier this year to fall from the No. 1 spot.

The scheme is similar to an NFL attack — fitting, because Riley was once the head coach of the San Diego Chargers.

"It's the complements of the things you've done from one week to the next," Carroll said. "It's taking advantage of knowing what you've shown your opponent and then going to the next level.

"It's giving and taking, scheme-wise. He just really understands it. He's really good at it."

Riley and the Beavers are getting corresponding attention.

This week, OSU has been bombarded with interview requests for national interviews.

Radio stars Jim Rome and Colin Cowherd, television personalities Jack Arute, Chris Fowler and Tim Brando, and ESPN, Versus and CBS College Sports asked to talk to Riley.

Most wanted to talk to the Rodgers brothers, too — Jacquizz and older brother James, who averages 60.3 receiving yards per game.

Riley is fine with the attention.

"I think they have earned some respect in that regard, which is very important for them as people and as a team," he said. "This is, in a way, icing on the cake, I think.

"It's not the focal point, but it's a good residual from what's going on."

The specter of returning to the Rose Bowl for the first time since January 1965 hangs over the team. It's a nice problem for the Beavers to have — but one that becomes moot if they lose to the Wildcats.

"If you don't win it," Riley said, "then all that other stuff is out the window anyway."

Tough recruiting situation doesn' t hold back Riley