ROSE BOWL Match-up is historic and controversial

The first time meeting for storied programs has Pac-10 supporters upset.
CARSON, Calif. (AP) -- The fight songs, the helmets, the school colors, the national titles: Texas and Michigan are two of the proudest programs in the history of college football.
Throw it all together for one game, and Saturday's Rose Bowl matchup between No. 6 Texas (10-1) and No. 13 Michigan (9-2) will be the epicenter of the proud traditions of college football, even if just by being there Texas has upset some of the purists who felt the nod should have gone to Pac-10 runner up Cal.
The 91st Rose Bowl will be the first meeting between two of college football's elite programs.
"It's a game that everybody in the country is going to want to see," Michigan coach Lloyd Carr said. "I think the tradition of college football is about to write a new story."
Both schools have been playing football since the 1800s with smashing success, just not against each other.
Michigan (842) and Texas (786) rank Nos. 1 and 3, respectively, for the most wins in Division I football. Michigan has won two Associated Press national championships (1948 and '97), and Texas has also won two (1963, '69).
Hall of fame coaches
And they have a pair of old-timer former coaches -- Texas' Darrell Royal and Michigan's Bo Schembechler -- who are good friends and the patriarchs of proud programs.
Both coaches said Thursday their teams never met while they were coaching because they had tough enough non-conference schedules.
"We had a loaded boat," said Royal, who at 80 rarely travels with Texas anymore but made sure to make the trip to California. "We weren't looking to put any more weight on it."
Texas's unique burnt-orange and white uniform, the simple Longhorns logo on the white helmet, and the forefinger-and-pinky "Hook'em Horns!" salute are well-known throughout the Southwest.
Michigan's winged helmet design is undoubtedly THE most famous in college football, if not the strangest.
Although simply a design introduced by coach Herbert O. "Fritz" Crisler in 1938 when most teams wore black or brown helmets, fans outside of Michigan often wonder what it is. "I thought it was a Wolverine claw or something," Texas safety Michael Huff said.
Texas coach Mack Brown had been practically giddy over the Rose Bowl matchup since it was announced on Dec. 5, even as he's faced a steady stream of questions over whether his team should even be here.
"I know there's a tremendous amount of pressure on us coming from outside," Brown said.
"But the Rose Bowl will never have a group more excited to come to Pasadena than the Texas Longhorns."