 "Photo: Ben Sklar")
Even after his teammates started calling Sunday afternoon to celebrate Texas' invitation to play in the Rose Bowl on Jan. 1, Rod Wright couldn't believe it.
The Texas defensive tackle wanted to see the Bowl Championship pairings announced on television to prove the Longhorns had finally received their first BCS invitation.
For Wright, his teammates and Texas head coach Mack Brown, the wait is finally over. The Longhorns will play Michigan in the Rose Bowl.
"I wasn't going to get sucked in again. I needed to see it for myself," said Wright, who repeated the mantra "BCS - nothing less" with his teammates during the offseason when they woke up and worked out every day at 6 a.m. "For two years, I was on the outside looking in [at the BCS]. We are really deserving [of the invitation]. We finally got over the hump."
Everything fell into place for the Longhorns, who entered the final weekend of the season needing a boost in the BCS standings to pass California. The Golden Bears (10-1) had led the Longhorns (10-1) by only 0.0013 in last week's standings for the No. 4 spot and final at-large invitation.
Following California's closer-than-expected 26-16 victory over Southern Mississippi on Saturday, the Longhorns gained points in The Associated Press poll and the USA Today/ESPN coaches' poll to move ahead of the Golden Bears.
"Looking back on our season, it was something special. I just felt like we would get in," Texas senior receiver Tony Jeffery said. "We stuck together and pulled out close games. We believed in each other. It's hard to put in words. It makes everything that we did and what I've done the past four years worthwhile. It's something I will remember for the rest of my life."
In the AP poll, California kept its No. 4 ranking but lost 11 points. Texas stayed No. 6 behind California and Utah but gained 12 points. Texas also gained ground in the coaches' poll. Texas went from 1,266 points last week to 1,281 this week. Cal fell from 1,314 points to 1,286.
Texas finished fourth in the standings with a BCS average of 0.8426, ahead of California's 0.8347. The Longhorns, familiar with BCS heartbreak, can sympathize with the Golden Bears, who will play in the Holiday Bowl against Texas Tech.
"Cal is thinking the same thing we were last year," Texas defensive back Michael Huff said. "They'll bounce back. They had a great season. We've been there before."
In 2001, the Longhorns fumbled away their chance for any sort of BCS bowl when Colorado upset Texas in the Big 12 Championship. Texas went to the Holiday Bowl.
In 2002, Texas was in position for a BCS berth but lost late in the season at Texas Tech. Texas went to the Cotton Bowl.
Last year, Texas was sitting pretty at No. 5 in the BCS, but an Oklahoma Big 12 Championship loss sent the Longhorns to the Holiday Bowl again.
Texas has never played Michigan, another tradition-rich program with legendary coach Bo Schembechler to rival the legacy of Texas' Darrell K Royal. Texas has never played in the Rose Bowl. A perfect match, right?
But the Rose Bowl, a partnership between the Pac-10 Conference, the Big 10 Conference and the Tournament of Roses, is all about tradition. And it's no secret that the bowl's committee preferred California to keep the traditional Pac-10/Big 10 matchup alive.
"Obviously, we are known to be traditionalists who want a matchup with the Pac-10 and the Big 10," said Dave Davis, director of the Tournament of Roses association. "But we understand the BCS rules, and we comply with them. We want to put on the best possible game for both of these teams."
Davis said the Longhorns' performance this season, television ratings and the traveling - and spending - patterns of Texas' fans separated the Longhorns from the other eligible teams, including Pittsburgh and Utah.
Brown understands the pressure associated with Texas upsetting the balance of power in Pasadena, Calif., and trumping California for the Rose Bowl bid.
"There is a tremendous amount of pressure coming from outside to the Rose Bowl," said Brown, who learned of the Longhorns' destination while in New York for a Coaches' Hall of Fame function. "We know we have to represent the Big 12 well. But they will never have a group that's more excited to come to Pasadena than the Texas Longhorns."
Michigan coach Lloyd Carr thinks a Texas-Michigan Rose Bowl is good for everyone involved, especially the fans.
"I think it's something that excites all of us," Carr said. "It's a game that everyone in the country is going to want to see. The tradition of college football is about to write a new story."
Michigan (9-2) vs. Texas (10-1) Jan. 1, 5 p.m., ABC Rose Bowl, Pasadena, Calif. http://www.rosebowl.org
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