TAMPA, Fla. -- Not one person asked me about the game my first day here -- about who would win, what kind of team Penn State has, nothing -- but I was asked about 20 times if this will be Joe Paterno's final game.
A taxi driver asked. A hotel clerk. A random stranger on the sidewalk. Several Florida media members. And so on.
Greetings from the Outback Bowl, where the game itself doesn't seem to matter.
Really, what we see on the field for 60 minutes Saturday won't mean much of anything. It won't widely change the perception of either team.
A victory won't be the elusive signature win that Penn State needs to make this a successful season. Or Florida, for that matter.
It's two 7-5 teams, two big-name programs that underachieved this season and enter the game unranked.
Yawn.
Who cares?
Well, everybody, actually.
Of all the games during this ridiculously long bowl season -- including the national title matchup between unbeatens Auburn and Oregon -- the Outback Bowl is arguably the most intriguing.
It's been cleverly dubbed by some as the Urban-Legend Bowl, which is a masterpiece of wordplay.
The legend, of course, is Paterno, who plans to keep coaching next season at 84 years old.
The Urban part is Florida's outgoing coach Meyer, who is calling it quits at the ripe old age of 46.
This is the only bowl featuring two coaches that have won a national championship -- each has two -- and while JoePa is one of the greatest of all time, Meyer is one of the greatest of the past decade.
What keeps JoePa going? And why doesn't Meyer have it? We'll never know all the details, but this week will feature an endless array of questions and speculation about it.
The Florida media can't wait to interrogate Paterno, to see if the rumors about his deteriorating health are true and to ask about retirement speculation.
Some of us in the Pennsylvania media can't wait to ask Meyer why on earth he would walk away from one of the best jobs in the country and a $4 million annual salary.
We also can't wait to talk with Penn State defensive coordinator Tom Bradley to find out if he's upset he didn't get the Pitt or Temple jobs. And to talk with Gators offensive coordinator Steve Addazio to find out what Temple could have seen in him that made him a better choice than Bradley.
Florida fans may like to know that, too, although they're just happy to be getting rid of Addazio after a dismal offensive season.
There are intriguing elements about Saturday's game, but even some of them may not mean much in the big picture.
It will be interesting to see how Matt McGloin fares against a decent SEC defense, albeit one that's missing four injured starters. However, even a good showing by McGloin won't lock up the starting quarterback job next season because we already know Rob Bolden and Paul Jones will be in the competition.
Can Penn State's defense stop Florida's three-quarterback system? That should be neat to see, but it will mean little to the Gators, who are scrapping it immediately after the game as new coach Will Muschamp is bringing in a pro-style system.
Even a good showing by Florida quarterback John Brantley might not mean much because he ultimately still may decide to transfer.
Hopefully we'll get to see a good game Saturday. But it won't matter if we don't.
The Urban-Legend Bowl isn't about football. It's about two things we do best in this country -- hype and speculation.
Cory Giger is the host of "Sports Central" from 4 to 6 p.m. daily on ESPN Radio 1430 WVAM. He can be reached at 949-7031 or cgsports12@aol.com.
