The Big Ten finished in an unusual four-way tie for first place between No. 12 Michigan, No. 16 Illinois, No. 17 Iowa, and No. 22 Michigan State; the Hawkeyes, who beat all three of the other teams but lost to two lesser opponents, got the Rose Bowl bid against No. 8 Washington. The Cotton Bowl featured a relatively normal matchup between No. 3 Texas and No. 4 Miami, but the Fiesta Bowl, faced with a potential boycott over the state of Arizona’s refusal to declare Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday a holiday, had to settle for No. 18 Louisville against No. 25 Alabama. No. 2 Georgia Tech’s Citrus Bowl opponent would be No. 19 Nebraska. Bowl games Although Miami had two losses, the Hurricanes would repeat as national champions if both Colorado and Georgia Tech lost while Miami won. The Hurricanes did their best, routing the Longhorns, 46–3, but the early morning 45–21 pounding of No. 19 Nebraska by Georgia Tech, closed the door on the Hurricanes chances and opened the question of whether Georgia Tech could possibly win a share if Colorado beat Notre Dame. The wins by Miami and Georgia Tech ensured Notre Dame could not wind up as champion, but the Irish and Buffaloes fought to the finish with Colorado prevailing, 10–9, on a blocked extra point. With only 65 seconds left, it appeared Notre Dame had won when Rocket Ismail ran 91 yards with a punt return for touchdown that was called back on a clipping penalty. Deon Figures intercepted Rick Mirer's desperation pass to clinch the national title for Colorado. UPI rankings shake-up When the final votes were counted, Colorado had won their first national champion as voted by the Associated Press. The UPI coaches poll, however, saw a shake-up that resulted in Georgia Tech moving to No. 1 by one point. The deciding vote was cast by Colorado Buffaloes rival Nebraska's head coach Tom Osborne, the only coach who had played both teams during the 1990 season. Colorado beat Nebraska, 27–12, in Lincoln while Georgia Tech had beaten them in the Florida Citrus Bowl, 45–21. See also Fifth Down Game (1990) References