MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — Texas, join the party.

The why-not-us-as-national-champs festival.

Utah and Southern California, the ink not dry on their BCS bowl victory statements, were the early arrivals. And now the Longhorns, after their dramatic 24-21 victory over Ohio State in Monday's Fiesta Bowl, become part of the college football debate.

Just not the national championship picture.

It won't happen with the top two teams in every ranking meeting Thursday in the BCS national championship game. Oklahoma or Florida will receive the crystal ball trophy at Dolphin Stadium, even before the final voting.

The only hope for championship recognition would be in The Associated Press poll, but that also is unlikely. Entering the bowl season, fifth-ranked Southern California and No. 7 Utah received no first-place votes.

Texas, a solid No. 3, received six first-place votes and was only 10 poll points behind the Sooners. Florida was a definitive No. 1 with 50 first-place votes.

If the Utes, Trojans and Longhorns are feeling unloved, it's understandable. Postseason slights have become as much part of the game as marching bands and multimillionaire coaches.

It's partly a consequence of a season and bowl schedule. With the BCS stretched out over a week, Southern California opened with an exclusive window to make its impression.

The next day, all of college football watched the Utes stun Alabama.

Then came Texas' dagger to Ohio State, which appeared to have ended its recent BCS doldrums only to have Colt McCoy and Quan Cosby team up for a 26-yard touchdown with 16 seconds remaining.

After the games everybody stated their case.

Southern California: How is the loss at Oregon State different from Florida's to Mississippi? After their bowl victories, the Beavers and Rebels stand an identical 9-4.

Conference strength? The Southeastern Conference is traditionally tough, but the Pacific-10's 5-0 bowl record is college football's best.

"I don't think anybody can beat us," Trojans coach Pete Carroll said.

Utah: Does 13-0 mean anything? Nobody else is undefeated, and although the strength of schedule is around No. 70, the Utes will have defeated at least three teams in the final top 25 and two in the top 10 (Alabama and TCU).

"What else do we have to prove?" Utah quarterback Brian Johnson said after the Sugar Bowl. "Without question we're one of the best, if not the best team in the country."

Texas: Needs the team it beat, Oklahoma, to win Thursday to give AP voters a Red River choice, though the Longhorns didn't wow in their bowl game in the same way as the Utes and Trojans did.

"Friday morning I'm going to vote Texas No. 1 because I think we're the best team in the country," Longhorns coach Mack Brown said on the trophy podium.

Utah would argue. The Utes beat the team—Oregon State—that beat Southern California, and they thumped an Alabama team that spent several weeks at No. 1. Nobody else has that kind of resume.

Not since Brigham Young won the 1984 national championship has a team outside the power conferences made as compelling a case.

Never mind that Vegas oddsmakers are saying Florida and Oklahoma would go off as double-digit favorites against Utah. Alabama was a heavy favorite in New Orleans, too.

Not that it matters, but the players in south Florida preparing for the BCS title game watched the other BCS games, and although it's easy to say the right things, their sympathy, especially toward Utah, seemed genuine.

"For the Utah players, I really don't know what I would say to them," Oklahoma quarterback Sam Bradford said. "To go 13-0 and not have a shot to be in the game, it's obviously tough for them. It's the system we have and the system we have to deal with."

Sooners center Jon Cooper added, "They did everything they could. There's not a perfect system."

They probably wouldn't be as charitable to Texas, but you have to understand Oklahoma-Texas to know that.