ESPN.com - NCF/BOWLS99 - Consolation contest? Not exactly, say Orange Bowl teams

Friday, December 31
Michigan, 'Bama glad for BCS bowl

Associated Press

MIAMI -- Given the setbacks Michigan and Alabama had this season, playing on New Year's night is an impressive achievement. The perennial powers won't complain about their Orange Bowl consolation contest.

Lloyd Carr
Lloyd Carr kept Michigan in the mix despite a pair of losses.

Fifth-ranked Alabama (10-2) and eighth-ranked Michigan (9-2) meet Saturday with little at stake other than pride. Both teams are out of the running for No. 1.

"You turn on the scoreboard to keep score," Alabama coach Mike DuBose said. "We're here with two objectives -- to have a good time and to win. We can do both. When you're a competitor you play to win, whether it's tiddlywinks or checkers or football."

Three months ago, an Orange Bowl berth seemed beyond reach for Alabama. The Crimson Tide, already reeling from a sexual harassment scandal involving DuBose, lost Sept. 18 to Louisiana Tech and fell out of the Top 25.

But Alabama regrouped, went 8-1 the rest way and beat Florida twice, including 34-7 in the Southeastern Conference championship game.

"Anyone who has watched Alabama, from the way they started the season, it says a lot about the kind of kids they have," Michigan coach Lloyd Carr said. "In a place like Alabama and Michigan, any time you lose there's tremendous unrest, with criticism and speculation and all of the things that go into not living up to expectations.

"It takes a special toughness to maintain your course, stay with the things you believe in and continue to support each other. In those same circumstances you see a lot of teams fall apart. That team did not do that."

The same is true of the Wolverines. They lost back-to-back games at midseason to Michigan State and Illinois, then finished with four consecutive wins, including victories over Penn State and Ohio State to close the regular season.

The Wolverines won the national championship two years ago, but skeptics say this season's team is fortunate to be playing in a New Year's Day game. Six times Michigan won by a touchdown or less.

"We've got something to prove," receiver Marcus Knight said. "A lot of people don't believe we should be here. We need to prove we're a good team, and that if things had gone just a little differently, we could easily be in a higher bowl."

For the Crimson Tide, the motivation is to show that they're on the rise following probation in the mid-1990s. This is the Tide's 50th bowl game, an NCAA record, but their first in a major bowl since they beat Miami in the Sugar Bowl to win the 1992 national championship.

"This is another step to getting our program back on top," defensive tackle Cornelius Griffin said.

Although the matchup offers an abundance of tradition, the game is not a sellout, and thousands of no-shows are expected. Orange Bowl executive director Keith Tribble blames competition from South Florida's professional teams, but the empty seats may also reflect a lack of interest nationwide.

The Bowl Championship Series paired No. 1 Florida State against No. 2 Virginia Tech in the Sugar Bowl, and critics contend the system diminishes the stature of other games.

"It seems like there's one major bowl, and there's all the others," Virginia Tech coach Frank Beamer said.

Michigan quarterback Tom Brady disagrees.

"I don't think anything is diminished," he said. "There are a lot of people who love matchups like this. I'm sure everyone in the country is going to be watching this game. It's two great college football powerhouses squaring off in the Orange Bowl."

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FedEx Orange Bowl

Alabama puts the game out of reach on Shaun Alexander's third TD.
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Shaun Alexander goes in for his second score of the game.
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Shaun Alexander ties the game on an 8-yard touchdown run.
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David Terrell hauls in the 26-yard TD pass from Tom Brady.
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Tom Brady hits David Terrell for a Michigan TD.
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Anthony Thomas dives for the TD.(Courtesy:ABC)
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Anthony Thomas marches in untouched for the TD. (Courtesy: ABC)
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	Lloyd Carr kept Michigan in the mix despite a pair of losses.