College Football Prepares For Bowl Games
HENDRICKS: A big weekend in sports. Ray D'Alessio is here to tell us all about what's going on. A big game here in Atlanta last night?</s>RAY D'ALESSIO, CNN SPORTS: The Chick Fillet Bowl here last night, South Carolina and Florida State. And if I'm a South Carolina fan, I want nothing to do with Atlanta anymore. Of course, a couple weeks ago they lost to Auburn in the SEC championship. Last night, watch this. Their star running back, Marcus Latimer absolutely leveled by Florida state's Greg Reid. You see Latimer fumbled on the play, down for several minutes, left the game, did not return. The official reason given was for a cut lip, but during the broadcast, the head coach also said that Latimer suffered a concussion on the play. And Florida State beat the Gamecocks by a final of 26 to 17.</s>HENDRICKS: Let's pretend we weren't there. What about the Rose Bowl? Remember back in the day, Arizona state-Ohio state.</s>D'ALESSIO: It used to be the game!</s>HENDRICKS: It's not the game anymore?</s>D'ALESSIO: The Rose Bowl -- it's lost its emphasis and its prestige, I guess, because there are so many bowl games now and because the BCS game is played a week later, the national championship. But today's matchup very interesting. You've got Wisconsin and TCU. TCU, so much attention here. They're the little guy trying to compete with the big guys and they have been doing that. They've got a 25-game regular season winning streak. They haven't lost a game since 2008. Last year they got shut out of the BCS national championship game. This year they got shut out of the BCS national championship game. So they are out to prove that, yes, we belong on the field with teams like Wisconsin. And I've got to be honest, I'm going to predict them to win today.</s>HENDRICKS: You are?!</s>D'ALESSIO: I don't make predictions, I don't make predictions, because usually I'm wrong, but I've got a good feeling.</s>HENDRICKS: You know this is on tape? We're going to rewind it.</s>D'ALESSIO: Absolutely.</s>HENDRICKS: All right, we're talking about Paterno?</s>D'ALESSIO: That's the outback bowl, Penn state and Florida. And the big story there are the two coaches. Joe Paterno coaching in his 37th bowl game. He's been the Nittany Lion's head coach since 1966. A lot of speculation as to whether or not he is going to retire after the season, but Paterno said yesterday, no, I'm staying, I'm not going anywhere. Urban Meyer, on the other hand, the head coach for Florida, he has already announced that he is going, that he is stepping down. He announced that he is stepping down after this bowl game. He cites that he wants to spend more time with his family, wants to pursue other interests. Of course, last year he retired and then changed his mind and came back because of health reasons. But he has not said he is retiring because of health reasons, he's just wants to spend more time with his family.</s>HENDRICKS: I remember him saying, I missed a couple of game with my daughters. I don't want to do this anymore.</s>D'ALESSIO: But 46 years old, he's one of the premiere coaches in college football. He's got two national championships, he could win a couple more --</s>HENDRICKS: His family won't want to hear that!</s>D'ALESSIO: I'm a football guy, what do you expect.</s>HENDRICKS: I'm a family girl. What about Brett Favre, will he or won't he?</s>D'ALESSIO: That's the big question. He has still yet to pass his post-concussion test. He suffered that concussion a couple weeks ago on that Monday night game against the Bears. He has yet to pass those doubts. Right now he is listed as doubtful for tomorrow's game. And unless he passes the post-concussion test today, he will more than likely end his storied 20-year career on the sidelines tomorrow. I know a lot of people are like, yes, right, we've heard Favre say before he's going to retire. This year, he is definitely done. This guy has suffered numerous injuries this year, the concussion. He's playing on a broken ankle. He can't continue like he's going. His body is completely battered and broken and I believe him when this the year says will be his last.</s>HENDRICKS: Nine lives. Looking at Reynolds Wolf, who do you think he's a fan of? Look at his pocket square and tie and shirt? Auburn, I think, right?</s>D'ALESSIO: Oh, yes, he likes Auburn in the BCS. What'd we say before, the auburn game, a couple months away still?</s>WOLF: It seems -- I believe it's going to be in three years.</s>D'ALESSIO: And there's so many obscure names for bowl games this year. You have the Ticket City Bowl now.</s>WOLF: That's in today's forecast. The Northwestern versus Texas Tech, it's Tommy Tufervol's first game. They're playing in Dallas, the Ticket City Bowl.</s>D'ALESSIO: I'm from the Midwest, a big ten guy, I'm going with northwestern.</s>HENDRICKS: I didn't know the Rose Bowl was not hip anymore.</s>D'ALESSIO: Hey, these things happen. Hey, take a look at this one. The capitol one bowl game in Orlando, that's number 16. Alabama, Crimson tide taking on the Michigan State Spartans. I've got to pull for Michigan State. The reason why, my wife is a Spartan. I pull for the other team. I'm sleeping outside for the rest of the year. Plus, Alabama, I'm an Auburn guy. Let's go to the Knicks bowl game, Progressive Gator bowl. It's Mississippi State versus Michigan. And the Rose Bowl, Wisconsin and TCU, that should be amazing. And then the Tostitos Fiesta bowl, sounds delicious, that's going to be Oklahoma in Connecticut.</s>WOLF: What's the goofiest name of a bowl game? There's like the hunger bowl.</s>D'ALESSIO: You don't want to knock the Humanitarian bowl, but they have the Humanitarian bowl, the Ticket bowl, the Meineke Car Care bowl.</s>HENDRICKS: Did you see Wheat-eater?</s>D'ALESSIO: There was the Wheat-eater bowl years ago.</s>WOLF: There's all kinds of bowl games.</s>D'ALESSIO: Going to a bowl game that's fair to partly cloudy, but going to some that are a little bit -- and think about it, these days there are so many bowl games, if you have six wins, you qualify for a bowl game.</s>HENDRICKS: Good times. Learn something new.</s>D'ALESSIO: That's why we need a playoff, Susan.</s>HENDRICKS: Thank you, guys. With the holidays winding down, thousands of people are heading home. Coming up at the top of the hour, a live report from an interstate along the east coast and a preview of what to expect. Also next, what could be a new era in TV begins in just about an hour, the countdown to the Oprah Winfrey Network.