Texas squeaks into Rose Bowl to play Michigan
AUSTIN, Texas -- Mack Brown begged and pleaded for his team to get into the Bowl Championship Series.
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It worked.
Texas is headed to the Rose Bowl to play Michigan after squeaking past California in Sunday's final BCS standings to grab an at-large berth in the four big-money bowl games.
Although Cal was ranked ahead of Texas in both polls Sunday, the Longhorns were close enough that when combined with the computer rankings, it was enough to leapfrog the Golden Bears.
It will be the first BCS and Rose Bowl appearance for Texas (10-1). Michigan (9-2), which already knew it was in by virtue of its shared Big Ten title with Iowa, will be in Pasadena, Calif., for the second consecutive year.
"It is two of the storied programs in the country," Brown said. "You'll never have a group that's more excited to come to Pasadena than the Texas Longhorns. ... It's something a young boy from Cookeville, Tenn. never thought he'd be a part of."
Texas, which plays in the Big 12, needed some late help to earn a trip West.
After his team ended its regular season with a win over Texas A&M on Nov. 26, Brown publicly pleaded with voters in the Associated Press media poll and the coaches poll to give the Longhorns the boost they needed to get into the BCS.
The Longhorns trailed California by a mere .0013 in last week's BCS standings. The Golden Bears' 26-16 in over Southern Mississippi on Saturday night failed to impress enough voters to keep them ahead of Texas.
The snub was a bitter blow to Cal coach Jeff Tedford and his players, who were on the verge of the school's first Rose Bowl berth since 1959.
On Sunday, California players criticized Brown's pleas and said teams should stand on their records.
Brown was sympathetic to Cal's plight but defended his actions and his team' Rose Bowl berth.
