Bowls beckon for underdogs

New Orleans-bound: Maryland quarterback Shaun Hill

The surprise packages of US college football this season have won berths to major bowl games.

Maryland travel to Miami for the Orange Bowl, while Illinois go to New Orleans to contest the Sugar Bowl.

The Terrapins (10-1) won its first Atlantic Coast Conference title since 1985, ending Florida State's nine-year run at the top.

Illinois (10-1), which had a conference record of 2-6 last year, won the Big Ten Conference championship to secure its Sugar Bowl place.

This year marks the first time the winner of the Big Ten is not playing in the Rose Bowl as the Pasadena stadium will instead host the national title game.

Top-ranked Miami will play in the Rose Bowl with Tennessee poised to claim the other berth for the title game.

But first it has to win the Southeastern Conference championship game against Louisiana State on Saturday.