Why did the Orange Bowl get the pick over the Rose Bowl?
The Orange Bowl lost Big East champion Miami to the Fiesta Bowl, but so, too, did the Rose Bowl, which lost undefeated Big Ten co-champion Ohio State. According to BCS rules, bowls that lose teams with traditional tie-ins to the national championship game get to select at-large teams to play in their games, with the bowl losing the higher-ranked team getting the first pick. Since Miami was No. 1 in the BCS standings and Ohio State was No. 2, the Orange Bowl got to pick Iowa before the Rose Bowl could. Q: Why did the Orange Bowl get to pick its second team before the Sugar Bowl made its pick? After the Rose Bowl picked Oklahoma, the Orange Bowl and Sugar Bowl each had a slot to fill. Both bowls were then required to list its top three choices to fill its at-large slot. When both picked USC, the Orange Bowl won out. According to BCS rules, if two bowls pick the same team, the bowl that makes the larger payout gets first preference. Bowl games are allowed to use this exemption only once i
