BOWL GAMES Elite teams from power leagues will square off in the new year

The will be eight games in three days between founding members of the BCS.
By RALPH D. RUSSO
AP SPORTS WRITER
It's not just Alabama against Texas Tech in the Cotton Bowl, it's the Southeastern Conference against the Big 12.
Virginia Tech against Louisville in the Gator Bowl is a chance for the Big East's new heavyweight to take down the team that abandoned the league for the Atlantic Coast Conference.
Conference pride always comes out during the postseason, especially when the elite teams from the power leagues go head-to-head in the New Year.
With 2006 starting on a Sunday, college football's marquee bowl marathon will be on Jan. 2 with six games, including two Bowl Championship Series matchups.
Penn State and Florida State in the Orange Bowl get the spotlight to themselves the next night, before Southern California and Texas settle the national championship on Wednesday in the Rose Bowl.
Eight games in three days with nothing but teams representing the founding members of the BCS.
SEC has four teams
The SEC has four teams playing, including the Crimson Tide in the most fascinating game outside the Fiesta, Sugar, Orange and Rose.
Defense dominated the Deep South's favorite conference this season and no team in the country was tougher to score upon than Alabama (10.7 ppg), with All-American linebacker DeMeco Ryans leading the charge.
Under coach Mike Leach, Texas Tech's Air Raid cranked out another season of gaudy numbers. Tech was fourth in the nation in scoring (42.1 ppg) and tops in passing at 403 yards per game, with quarterback Cody Hodges playing triggerman.
"They're the most unique bunch we've played," Alabama coach Mike Shula said.
If Alabama can ground the Red Raiders in Dallas, it'll help confirm what SEC supporters have said all season: The league-wide scoring slump was more about stingy defense than incompetent offense.
Florida, Auburn and SEC champ Georgia also play on Monday.
The Gators and Tigers face Big Ten opponents, with Florida getting Iowa in the Outback Bowl and Auburn facing Wisconsin in the Capital One.
Big Ten was deepest
While the SEC was a bit top heavy this season, the Big Ten was the deepest conference in the country and the only league with two teams in the BCS.
Ohio State is in the Fiesta Bowl for the third time in four seasons, facing Notre Dame on Monday. Joe Paterno and the Nittany Lions are in the BCS for the first time.
Georgia faces West Virginia in the Sugar Bowl, with the Mountaineers trying to restore respect for the much-maligned Big East.
West Virginia coach Rich Rodriguez quietly did a tremendous job with a young team, getting big seasons from freshman running back Steve Slaton and redshirt freshman quarterback Pat White.
"We lost a lot of guys to graduation last year, so we realized there wasn't going to be a lot of talk about us winning the Big East this year. It was neat to watch them come together," Rodriguez said.
Last season in the Fiesta Bowl, Big East champ Pittsburgh took a beating from Utah and so did the league's reputation.
The Mountaineers and Louisville have a chance to show the Big East is still worthy of its automatic BCS bid. A Louisville win over Virginia Tech, which bolted for the ACC along with Miami after 2003, would be especially sweet.
The picks:
Monday
Cotton Bowl
Alabama (plus 3) vs. Texas Tech
Tide's first Cotton Bowl since Bear Bryant lost to Texas in 1982 ... TEXAS TECH 27-21.
Outback Bowl
Iowa (plus 3 vs. Florida
Hawkeyes beat Zook-led Gators 37-17 in Outback two years ago ... FLORIDA 24-20.
Gator Bowl
Virginia Tech (minus 7) vs. Louisville
Hokies are 1-3 in Gator Bowl, with a victory over Clemson in 2001 ... VIRGINIA TECH 37-23.
Capital One Bowl
Wisconsin (plus 10) vs. Auburn
Outgoing Badgers coach Barry Alvarez is 7-3 in bowls, with two-game losing streak ... AUBURN 39-20.
Fiesta Bowl
Ohio State (minus 4) vs. Notre Dame
Fighting Irish have lost seven straight bowls, dating to '94 Cotton ... OHIO STATE 30-24.
Sugar Bowl
Georgia (minus 7) vs. West Virginia
Mountaineers have won just once in last 12 bowl appearances ... GEORGIA 29-24.
Tuesday
Orange Bowl
Penn State (minus 8) vs. Florida State
Bobby Bowden's .696 bowl winning percentage is best; Paterno 20-10-1 in bowls ... PENN STATE 34-17.
Wednesday
Rose Bowl
Texas (plus 8) vs. Southern California
Trojans have won 21 Rose Bowls; Texas one ... SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA 45-28.