The at-large spot in the Orange Bowl was filled via a round-robin selection procedure defined by the other Bowl Championship series games ( the Sugar , Fiesta , and Rose bowls ) and the automatic bids . The order of at-large selections rotates annually among the BCS bowls . In 2009 , the Fiesta Bowl picked first , followed by the Sugar Bowl , then the Orange Bowl . The Fiesta Bowl picked Ohio State , while the Sugar Bowl selected Utah . The Orange Bowl was thus left to select Big East Conference champion Cincinnati , fulfilling the BCS ' contractual obligation to provide a game for the conference 's champion
Big East Conference
Big East Conference (1979–2013)
2009 Orange Bowl