LOS ANGELES - Mack Brown strode out of the locker room and faced the cameras ready to deliver a message to the nation.

Texas deserved to be in the Bowl Championship Series, he said, and Brown urged the media and coaches across the country to put the Longhorns there.

A week later, his team leapfrogged California to get into the Rose Bowl. While Texas fans celebrated, media around the country tagged Brown a whiner and vilified him as the coach whose begging busted up the traditional Pac-10 versus Big Ten matchup.

A month later, Brown stands firm in his comments as his sixth-ranked Longhorns (10-1) prepare to meet No 13 Michigan (9-2) on Saturday.

Given Texas' previous BCS near-misses, Brown only wishes he would've done it sooner.

"No regrets," he said. "If I had to do it again, I'd say exactly the same thing. I didn't say change your vote. I said look closely. I usually keep my mouth shut. I think the players appreciated me doing what I told them I would do.

"If I hadn't said anything, I'd be criticized for not getting to the BCS again."