Strike a conference down, and it shall become more powerful than you can possibly imagine. OK, so perhaps that's a bit over-dramatic. But in the fifth season of the College Football Playoff, the American Athletic Conference is rolling along nicely despite bearing the brunt of damage the new system's consolidation of power among five leagues…
Root for Notre Dame. So why cheer, cheer, cheer for ol’ Notre Dame, currently ranked No. 5 with a 6-0 record? Your Veteran Scribe likes the college football version of chaos theory. (“Chaos theory” is a branch of mathematics focusing on the behavior of dynamical systems that are highly sensitive to initial conditions. YVS has no…
It's that time of the week again: We have a new, fresh edition of the Third Phase, America's most American column about punting. Aren't you excited! Best Pac-12 Punter Saturday night once again featured a top-tier punter showdown. However, this time it took place on the West Coast, late at night, during some supposed Mixed…
Imagine a scenario where two top 10 teams – say Ohio State vs. Penn State in Week Five - had played the first half of the game before severe weather hit, preventing the game from being completed. NCAA rules require at least three quarters be played for a winner is declared. Having that showdown, with…
Rarely does three hours and 36 minutes of a classic rivalry game played next to a state fair in a historical venue conflict with the space-time continuum. Texas 48, Oklahoma 45 was far from the outcome expected. Certainly, the Longhorns have improved and are the best they’ve been this decade. The Red River Rivalry always…
If the Big 12 is going to keep pace or move up in college football's pecking order, Saturday's game at the Cotton Bowl is a glimpse of the pathway. The best and biggest game of Week Six is the Red River Rivalry - No. 7 Oklahoma vs. No. 19 Texas. It's a contest of such…
Endings are inevitable. No career lasts forever. Even active Hall of Fame coaches eventually must concede to the factors that are unavoidable. As much as it’s painful to write, it might be time for Bill Snyder to retire for a second and final time following the end of this season. Kansas State is 2-3 heading…
It's that time again: Let's talk about punting! The Third Phase is back fulfilling your craving for collegiate punting content. Here are the storylines we're talking about this week. Headed for a Showdown Saturday night undoubtedly featured one of the best games of the season in Penn State versus Ohio State. We're talking about probably…
Mike Gundy reaped what he sewed, and it turned into a minor embarrassment for the Big 12 Conference. Like most conferences, the Big 12 conducts weekly teleconferences with coaches during football season. (The Pac-12 this season has cut back to a teleconference every other week - another example of how the Left Coast League is…
via GIPHY Oh, but it gets worse, my friends - of those, USC has 18 penalties for 169 yards. To phrase that another way, USC gifted Arizona 169 additional yards on the night. Honestly, I see why fans of other conferences don't take the Pac-12 seriously. via GIPHY Why, USC? Just why? Why do the…
ESPN color analyst Todd Blackledge labeling Kelly Bryant as "selfish" fit within the recent trend of game commentary increasingly resembling daytime opinion-driven filler. The sentiment behind the transferring quarterback's decision, hammered home when Trevor Lawrence went down in the first half of Clemson's 27-23 win over Syracuse, isn't new at all. The back in my…
The Open Man Saturday Six-Pack is back ... in podcast form! On tap is a loaded Week 5 slate, featuring four games with Top 25 teams meeting head-to-head. This week's games kick off in the Big 12 with West Virginia at Texas Tech, then finish up at night with BYU at Washington. We also have…
Among my earliest memories from tuning into SportsCenter each morning was the weekly check-in on Prairie View A&M. ESPN's flagship show never aired clips from the Panthers' games, but the program devoted a few seconds on Sunday mornings in the fall for an update on their exploits. Now, an unfortunate reality for programs below the…
Mike Stoops took the podium Saturday night wearing his white OU visor upside down and backward. For Oklahoma fans who swear Stoops is a deep state operative planted by the University of Texas, that was an apt metaphor for the defense Stoops is charged with coordinating. Ever since he was hired by older brother and…
It's that time of the week again where we talk about punting. That's right, it's another edition of the Third Phase. You know it, love it, and can't live without it. What would you do? Punters sometimes take on additional roles to help out the special teams. They might handle kickoffs. But they could also…
