The computers screwed over Cal, but don't forget about Mack Brown's whining to the sportswriters and coaches and begging them to rank Texas ahead of Cal. If he went on national TV and said something generic to everyone who voted, that's one thing. But he was calling these writers and coaches personally after their game against A&M to plead his case like this was some sort of election campaign. What a classy guy, eh? And it did work. While Cal was still ahead in the AP and coach's polls, they did lose ground to Texas in both of them, and it did help alter their final BCS score. That's one thing I learned about the BCS this season-- being a weasel has its advantages.
The one positive you might get to say about this Rose Bowl is that you get a bizarro matchup that could be oddly compelling (Texas and Michigan have never played each other). I'm sure the Rose Bowl Committee is up in arms about this non-traditional matchup, but they knew what they were getting themselves into when they aligned with the BCS.