MIAMI -- Nebraska will try to finally overcome two decades of Orange Bowl frustrations to keep its ranking as the No.1 college football team this weekend with Penn State waiting in the wings if the Cornhuskers misstep.
The main Cornhusker nemesis of recent years, Miami, will be on the other side of the line Sunday night with an outside chance to get the number one ranking itself.
If No.1 Nebraska wins the Orange Bowl match-up, the race will be over. If No. 3 Miami wins it will to wait for the outcome of Monday's Rose Bowl pitting No. 2 Penn State against No. 12 Oregon which is an 18-point underdog.
Other major Bowl games Monday include No. 5 Florida against No. 7 Florida State in a Sugar Bowl rematch of their 31-31 tie earlier this month; No. 4 Colorado against unranked Notre Dame in the Fiesta Bowl; No. 21 USC versus unranked Texas Tech in the Cotton Bowl and No. 6 Alabama against No. 13 Ohio State in the Citrus bowl.
Historically, the Orange Bowl has been a field of failure for Nebraska and a stadium of success for Miami.
The top-ranked Cornhuskers have lost five straight games at the Orange Bowl, including three to Miami. The Hurricanes have won 62 of their last 63 on their home field, including an NCAA-record, 58-game winning streak that was stopped by Washington early this season.
So when they play in the Orange Bowl on New Year's night, Miami (10-1) will be widely regarded as the favorite even though Nebraska (12-0) has a higher ranking and a better record.
"It's our house, it's that simple," Miami defensive tackle Dwayne Johnson said. "We've had so much tradition winning here, we just don't feel we can lose."
Not so for Nebraska. Two of its last five defeats, 31-30 to Miami in 1984 and 18-16 to Florida State last season, cost the Cornhuskers national championships.
In fact, all the losses were to Miami or Florida State in front of partisan homestate crowds. And all were to teams that finished No. 1 or No. 2.
A Nebraska win would give the Cornhuskers their first national title under Tom Osborne, who is finishing his 22nd season as head coach.
"It's going to be a big challenge for us," defensive tackle Terry Connealy said. "But if we're as good a team as we think we are, we'll meet the challenge."
Contemplating his chances in the Rose Bowl, Oregon coach Rich Brooks is less confident. In fact, he finds Penn State's offense nauseating. Literally.
The second-ranked Nittany Lions fielded the nation's most prolific offense this season, rolling up 520 yards and 47.8 points a game. Their scoring average was the fourth highest in NCAA history.
Led by tailback Ki-Jana Carter, who rushed for 1,593 yards, and quarterback Kerry Collins, who completed 66.7 percent of his throws for 2,679 yards and 21 touchdowns, the Nittany Lions (11-0) were virtually unstoppable.
While Penn State's offense has been overpowering, Oregon's has been productive, if not so spectacular.
The Ducks, led by quarterback Danny O'Neil and tailbacks Dino Philyaw and Ricky Whittle, averaged 331.7 yards and 27.4 points.
O'Neil completed 141 of 280 passes for 1,756 yards. Philyaw carried 177 times for 702 yards and seven TDs, and Whittle, sidelined a couple of times by injuries, ran for 561 yards and seven touchdowns on 118 carries.
The Sugar Bowl pits archrivals Florida and Florida State in a rematch of their dramatic -- but anticlimactic -- tie in their final regular-season game, where the Seminoles mounted a 28-point comeback in the final 12:59. Although the national championship probably will not ride on the outcome, Sunshine State bragging rights most certainly do.
Fourth-ranked Colorado (10-1) has everything going for it in the Fiesta Bowl -- Heisman Trophy winner Rashan Salaam, the swan song game for retiring coach Bill McCartney, and a lowly opponent in Notre Dame. At 6-4-1, the Fighting Irish suffered their worst regular season under Lou Holtz and many criticized their choice for a major bowl game. That prompted one wag to needle: "What's the difference between Notre Dame and Cheerios? Cheerios belong in a bowl." , MT)
The main Cornhusker nemesis of recent years, Miami, will be on the other side of the line Sunday night with an outside chance to get the number one ranking itself.
If No.1 Nebraska wins the Orange Bowl match-up, the race will be over. If No. 3 Miami wins it will to wait for the outcome of Monday's Rose Bowl pitting No. 2 Penn State against No. 12 Oregon which is an 18-point underdog.
Other major Bowl games Monday include No. 5 Florida against No. 7 Florida State in a Sugar Bowl rematch of their 31-31 tie earlier this month; No. 4 Colorado against unranked Notre Dame in the Fiesta Bowl; No. 21 USC versus unranked Texas Tech in the Cotton Bowl and No. 6 Alabama against No. 13 Ohio State in the Citrus bowl.
Historically, the Orange Bowl has been a field of failure for Nebraska and a stadium of success for Miami.
The top-ranked Cornhuskers have lost five straight games at the Orange Bowl, including three to Miami. The Hurricanes have won 62 of their last 63 on their home field, including an NCAA-record, 58-game winning streak that was stopped by Washington early this season.
So when they play in the Orange Bowl on New Year's night, Miami (10-1) will be widely regarded as the favorite even though Nebraska (12-0) has a higher ranking and a better record.
"It's our house, it's that simple," Miami defensive tackle Dwayne Johnson said. "We've had so much tradition winning here, we just don't feel we can lose."
Not so for Nebraska. Two of its last five defeats, 31-30 to Miami in 1984 and 18-16 to Florida State last season, cost the Cornhuskers national championships.
In fact, all the losses were to Miami or Florida State in front of partisan homestate crowds. And all were to teams that finished No. 1 or No. 2.
A Nebraska win would give the Cornhuskers their first national title under Tom Osborne, who is finishing his 22nd season as head coach.
"It's going to be a big challenge for us," defensive tackle Terry Connealy said. "But if we're as good a team as we think we are, we'll meet the challenge."
Contemplating his chances in the Rose Bowl, Oregon coach Rich Brooks is less confident. In fact, he finds Penn State's offense nauseating. Literally.
The second-ranked Nittany Lions fielded the nation's most prolific offense this season, rolling up 520 yards and 47.8 points a game. Their scoring average was the fourth highest in NCAA history.
Led by tailback Ki-Jana Carter, who rushed for 1,593 yards, and quarterback Kerry Collins, who completed 66.7 percent of his throws for 2,679 yards and 21 touchdowns, the Nittany Lions (11-0) were virtually unstoppable.
While Penn State's offense has been overpowering, Oregon's has been productive, if not so spectacular.
The Ducks, led by quarterback Danny O'Neil and tailbacks Dino Philyaw and Ricky Whittle, averaged 331.7 yards and 27.4 points.
O'Neil completed 141 of 280 passes for 1,756 yards. Philyaw carried 177 times for 702 yards and seven TDs, and Whittle, sidelined a couple of times by injuries, ran for 561 yards and seven touchdowns on 118 carries.
The Sugar Bowl pits archrivals Florida and Florida State in a rematch of their dramatic -- but anticlimactic -- tie in their final regular-season game, where the Seminoles mounted a 28-point comeback in the final 12:59. Although the national championship probably will not ride on the outcome, Sunshine State bragging rights most certainly do.
Fourth-ranked Colorado (10-1) has everything going for it in the Fiesta Bowl -- Heisman Trophy winner Rashan Salaam, the swan song game for retiring coach Bill McCartney, and a lowly opponent in Notre Dame. At 6-4-1, the Fighting Irish suffered their worst regular season under Lou Holtz and many criticized their choice for a major bowl game. That prompted one wag to needle: "What's the difference between Notre Dame and Cheerios? Cheerios belong in a bowl." , MT)
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