History will be on Miami's side when the fourth-ranked Hurricanes play No. 1 Nebraska in the Orange Bowl.
The Hurricanes are 62-1 on their home field over the past decade, while the Cornhuskers have lost five straight at the Orange Bowl, including three to Miami by a combined 76-33."To play Nebraska here in the Orange Bowl is a goal we've had all year," Miami coach Dennis Erickson said. "We're happy to have the opportunity to play one of the great teams in country."
The six coalition bowls finalized their matchups Monday, six days ahead of schedule. They decided not to wait for Saturday's Southeastern Conference championship game between No. 3 Alabama and No. 6 Florida because the outcome probably won't cause a major shakeup in the rankings.
It's No. 7 Florida State vs. the Alabama-Florida winner in the Sugar, Texas Tech vs. No. 21 Southern Cal in the Cotton, and No. 5 Colorado vs. Notre Dame in the Fiesta. No. 17 Virginia Tech will play Tennessee in the Gator, and No. 18 North Carolina will face Texas in the Sun.
For the second straight year, an undefeated Nebraska team will play for the national championship in the Orange Bowl. Last year, the No. 2 Cornhuskers lost to No. 1 Florida State 18-16.
Nebraska, the Big Eight champion, is 12-0. Big East champion Miami (10-1) has won eight straight since losing to Washington on Sept. 24, a defeat that snapped the Hurricanes' record 58-game home winning streak.
Erickson said Nebraska's defensive speed will pose a challenge for the Hurricanes.
"They're much better on defense than they have been," he said. "In the past they've been known for their offense, but now they have one of the best defenses in the country."
The Sugar Bowl selected Florida State (9-1-1) to play the SEC champion, setting up a possible rematch against Florida (9-1-1). The Seminoles overcame a 28-point deficit in the fourth quarter Saturday to tie the Gators 31-31.
The alternative is an intriguing matchup between Alabama (11-0) and Florida State. Seminoles coach Bobby Bowden grew up in Alabama and dreamed of playing for the Crimson Tide, but he has never coached against his boyhood team.
"Either way, we'll get a great game," said Sugar Bowl executive director Troy Mathieu. "One way, we get an undefeated team with a legitimate shot at the national championship. The other way, we get to finish a fantastic game that started last Saturday."
Notre Dame's 6-4-1 record isn't so fantastic. However, coach Lou Holtz said the Irish deserve to play Colorado (10-1) in the Fiesta Bowl.
"If you take away the kicking game, I think we can play with anybody," Holtz said.
Notre Dame and Colorado met in the 1990 and 1991 Orange Bowls when the Buffaloes were No. 1. Colorado beat Notre Dame 10-9 in the 1991 game to win a share of the national championship. The previous year, the Irish won 21-6 to spoil the Buffaloes' bid for the national title.
Southern Cal (7-3-1) and Texas Tech (6-5) may need directions to get to the Cotton Bowl. The Trojans have never played there, and the Red Raiders are making their first trip since 1939.
Other bowl matchups: Rose (Penn State-Oregon); Citrus (Alabama-Florida loser vs. Ohio State); Peach (North Carolina State-Mississippi State); Hall of Fame (Wisconsin-Duke); Freedom (Arizona-Utah); Independence (Texas Christian-Virginia); Copper (Oklahoma-BYU); Alamo (Baylor-Washington State); Liberty (Illinois-East Carolina); Holiday (Michigan-Colorado State); Las Vegas (Central Michigan-UNLV); Carquest (South Carolina vs. West Virginia or Boston College); and Aloha (Kansas State vs. Boston College, West Virginia or Syracuse).