Celebration Bowl Preview

The MEAC champions, the North Carolina Central Eagles come into the Celebration Bowl with an overall record of 9-2. The SWAC champions, the Jackson State Tigers come into the game undefeated. It's the second straight Celebration Bowl for Jackson State under head coach Deion Sanders, who will coach his final game for the Tigers before taking over as head coach at the University of Colorado. For NCCU, it's their first bowl game since 2016 when they lost by a single point.

In this weekly series, Chris Lea (WRAL-TV) and Dennis Cox (99.9 The Fan) interview famed sports figures, entertainers and pop-culture icons about their love of and contributions to the North Carolina sports culture and the state's large, sometimes over-looked, impact on the national sports scene. Culture State instills pride in natives, residents and fans in what’s produced or influenced by our state, while also generating intriguing continuing fan conversations and water-cooler moment laughs. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram: @CultureStatePod @ChrisLeaTV (Chris Lea) @TheFanRookie (Dennis Cox)