re: Pre 1970 was the Sugar Bowl a lot less prestigious?

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Orange, Sugar and Cotton were all considered to be the best of the best type bowls.

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Correct.

I think it's fair to say the Orange was slightly more prestigious though.

The Rose was locked in early to the Big Ten and what became the Pac 12. Interestingly enough, segregation (or rather lack thereof) played a role in the Big Ten/Pac 12 matchup. The Cotton Bowl integrated in 1948, the Orange in 1955 and the Sugar in 1956.

No doubt segregation also played a major role in the bowl selections for SEC schools prior to 1970. I read somewhere that LSU did not play a non-Southern team, at home or on the road, from 1942 to 1970. But that must not include bowl games as LSU played Syracuse in the '65 Sugar Bowl.

Here's an interesting article on that '65 Sugar Bowl:
LINK

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How LSU and Syracuse Met in the 1965 Sugar Bowl

Seven days after the Alabama-Ole Miss football game, the United States Supreme Court ruled that the Louisiana statute requiring racial segregation of public entertainment and athletic events was unconstitutional. Ernest N. Morial and A.P. Tureaud (Tureaud was first African American to attend class at LSU. Tureaud Hall is named for him), who argued the case for Horace Bynum, were the winning attorneys. Both were trailblazers in the civil rights' years and Morial, 14 years later, would become the first black mayor of New Orleans.

That decision removed a barrier that had hindered the Sugar Bowl from being the national game it had been before 1957. There was no reason New Orleans shouldn't pick up the bowl tempo again. Meanwhile, the Orange Bowl, in one of the most farsighted moves any postseason game ever took, changed its kickoff from early afternoon to prime television time-in the evening. The Rose Bowl, because of the time difference, had always started later than the other three bowls. That, combined with the tie-up between two of the country's most populous areas, had given Pasadena control of the ratings and a much larger TV contract than the others. Miami, no longer bound to the Big Eight, would now also be unopposed. Eventually, the money would be an inducement to help the Orange Bowl get the games it most desired. This was the real start of the television age for the bowls.

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So -- that sheds a lot of light on what was holding the Sugar Bowl back.

Also, love this part of the story featuring Buddy D:

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That left a great deal of leeway in the 1964 season. States-Item columnist Peter Finney and his Times-Picayune counterpart Buddy Diliberto felt one team filled both bills for the Sugar Bowl: Syracuse - the East's best team - featured an incredible running tandem in fullback Jim Nance and half-back Floyd Little. The two accounted for 1,779 yards and 25 touchdowns.
The problem was the Orangemen had two defeats and one game to go before the Bowl invitations would be extended. Finney and Diliberto continued to plug for Syracuse.

"For one thing," said Diliberto, "we thought it would be a dramatic way to end the segregation thing. Secondly, there was talk beginning then that New Orleans might be in line for a National Football League franchise. If there was any doubt about racial problems in the city, it could have endangered that move."

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I didn't learn this history about the '65 Sugar Bowl until researching for this thread. Pretty amazing how much the world has changed in 50 years.

Now I know...