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The Sugar Bowl passed on the chance to take a pair of higher-rated teams, matching No. 13 Michigan against 17th-ranked Virginia Tech in the Jan. 3 game in New Orleans.
The bowl has a traditional tie-in with the Southeastern Conference, but No. 1 LSU and No. 2 Alabama will meet six days later in the national championship game, also at the Superdome in New Orleans.
No. 8 Boise State and 11th-ranked Kansas State were both available to the Sugar Bowl. The selection committee went a different direction, taking two programs that likely will bring more fans to the Big Easy.
Michigan (10-2) had a resurgent season under first-year coach Brady Hoke, capped by a 40-34 victory over Ohio State. Virginia Tech (11-2) claimed a BCS bid despite losing 38-10 to Clemson in the Atlantic Coast Conference championship game.
Boise State (11-1) finished seventh in the BCS standings and has a well-known history of success when invited to a major bowl. Kansas State (10-2) was one spot lower in the BCS.
In this case, ticket sales meant more than rankings - especially with the Sugar Bowl having to contend with a higher-profile game less than a week later.
Chief executive officer Paul Hoolahan said Virginia Tech's proven history of bringing fans to New Orleans was ''extremely important,'' even though the Hokies only finished 11th in the BCS rankings.
''I think Virginia Tech has proven over the years the caliber of football team they are,'' Hoolahan said. ''I think they will perform extremely well. I think that's a team that will be a great performer for us.''
Michigan was 13th in the BCS, the lowest-ranked at-large team to receive a bid. But its program is on the upswing after the rocky tenure of former coach Rich Rodriguez.
''Obviously, it was a difficult decision,'' Hoolahan said. ''We thought every team we had an opportunity to select presented us with certain unique credentials. In the final analysis, we just felt the two teams we have chosen really give us in the long run the best opportunity to put together a matchup that will provide a very exciting football game.''
Hoke said after the victory over Ohio State, which ended a school-record, seven-game losing streak in the storied series, that his team was deserving of a BCS bid. They got some help in the final rankings, moving up to get inside the top 14 - a requirement to be eligible for an invitation.
''A 10-win team out of the Big Ten conference, I think that speaks for itself,'' Hoke said.
The Wolverines endured three miserable seasons under Rodriguez, whose tenure ended with his only bowl appearance - a blowout loss to Mississippi State in the Gator Bowl.
Now, Michigan is back on one of the biggest stages for the first time since a loss to Southern Cal in the 2007 Rose Bowl.
Virginia Tech will be making its third trip to the Sugar Bowl, its previous appearances including a 46-29 loss to Florida State in 2000 that determined the national championship.
The ugly loss to Clemson made the Hokies available for an at-large selection, and the Sugar Bowl jumped at the chance to pick them after top two teams from the SEC landed in the BCS title game, denying the Sugar one of its traditional drawing cards.
''We obviously had firsthand experience with them,'' Hoolahan said. ''It's always been a very effective experience and so we really didn't think we had any problems selecting them.''
