ORLANDO, Fla. >> Cam Ward missed out on the College Football Playoff, the Atlantic Coast Conference championship game and the Heisman Trophy.

He’s not missing one more chance to play for Miami.

Ward and the 15th-ranked Hurricanes (10-2) take on 18th-ranked Iowa State (10-3) in the Pop-Tarts Bowl on Saturday, both teams looking for an 11th victory — something Iowa State has never done and something Miami hasn’t done since 2003.

And for the most part, both teams expect their full rosters to play Saturday. It’s not a meaningless game to either side.

“I think both programs are built on values and principles and team — and the reality is team is all the way until the end of the season, not till halfway through the season,” Iowa State coach Matt Campbell said. “I know we are very fortunate that we’ve got a great senior class that has stood for the right thing for multiple years in our football program. I think when your seniors believe in those values, it really trickles down from the top down, and so we are really fortunate to have great leadership.”

Ward has thrown for 4,123 yards and 36 touchdowns this season, both of them Miami school records. But Miami lost two of its final three games, missing out on the ACC title game and CFP field, and Ward finished fourth in the Heisman voting.

It seemed like Ward had nothing more to accomplish. The modern trend would have been for him to opt out of the bowl game and begin preparing for the NFL draft. Ward is bucking that trend.

“Modern-day conventional wisdom sometimes clashes with principles and values of what is right,” Miami coach Mario Cristobal said. “Nowadays in college football, we are compensated at all levels — coaches, players, administrators — and to do a job, you must finish the job. I think Cam’s DNA, his upbringing, everything that he is made of and stands for is the right kind of stuff, the stuff you want your team made of. ... He understands the importance of finishing.”

The Cyclones were in line for a playoff spot as well but lost in the Big 12 championship game to No. 10 Arizona State.