The first baby born in Temple on New Year

WASHINGTON (AP)

TIKRIT, Iraq (AP)

(AP) — The New Year marched in with Mummers parading as Martha Stewart and a shackled Saddam Hussein in Philadelphia and water-squirting elephants and a bubble-blowing octopus entertaining the hundreds of thousands of people who lined the route of the Rose Parade. Others marched to their own drummers and took part in a different New Year’s Day tradition: jumping into bone-chillingly cold water for a quick “polar bear” swim.

WASHINGTON (AP)

PASADENA, Calif. (AP) — Point made. Top-ranked Southern California laid out its case for the national championship the best way it knew how — by dominating No. 4 Michigan with a 28-14 victory Thursday in the Rose Bowl.

MIAMI (AP) — Florida State didn’t want this rematch. Now everyone knows why. Jarrett Payton ran for 131 yards, Jon Peattie kicked three field goals and Miami shut out the Seminoles in the second half to give the Hurricanes a 16-14 win Thursday night in the Orange Bowl.

IRVING (AP) — The Dallas Cowboys have a group of players that coach Bill Parcells often says are immature. They show their naivete by acting as if they’re just playing a game each week rather than recognizing they’re part of a team trying to reach a goal. Now it’s the playoffs, which should be enough to get their attention.

TEMPE, Ariz. (AP) — The Kansas State Wildcats considered their Fiesta Bowl matchup with Ohio State the biggest game yet for their once-downtrodden program. The euphoria over the team’s first BCS appearance faded, though, with news that quarterback Ell Roberson has been accused by a woman of sexually assaulting her at the team’s hotel.

DALLAS (AP) — Rashaun Woods, Josh Fields and Tatum Bell have practically lifted Oklahoma State out of the quagmire of college football mediocrity by themselves. Now the Cowboys’ lynchpin trio will likely play their final game together today in the Cotton Bowl against No. 16 Mississippi.