NEW YORK -- 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 match-ups 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 versus the Alabama-Florida winner in the Sugar Bowl, Texas Tech versus. No. 21 Southern Cal in the Cotton, and No. 5 Colorado versus. 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.


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Bill Walsh, who returned to Stanford "to find my bliss" after coaching the San Francisco 49ers to three Super Bowl titles, resigned after two straight losing seasons.


Walsh, who had two years remaining on a five-year contract, will become a special assistant to Stanford athletic director Ted Leland.


The departure of Walsh, who turns 63 Wednesday, had been rumored in recent weeks. He often seemed distracted this season, and repeatedly had trouble remembering the names of his players during his news conferences.


"I just felt that this was an appropriate time to move to another stage of my life," Walsh said Monday.


Terry Shea, the current offensive coordinator, is expected to be among the candidates to replace Walsh.


Walsh returned to Stanford three seasons ago after compiling a 102-63-1 record in 10 years as coach of the 49ers, including Super Bowl crowns in 1981, 1984 and 1988. He was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1993.


He spent three years as a pro football analyst for the NBC television network returning to coaching.


Walsh, whose first head coaching job was at Stanford in 1977-78, when he led the team to consecutive bowl victories, led the Cardinal to a 10-3 record and a win over Penn State in the Blockbuster Bowl in his first year back at Stanford in 1992. But the Cardinal slipped to 4-7 last season and went 3-7-1 this year.


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Colorado assistant coach Rick Neuheisel accepted the head coaching job for the Buffaloes on Monday, filling the big shoes of Bill McCartney, who resigned Nov. 19 to spend more time with his family. Neuheisel, 33, will be the youngest coach in Division I college football.