You've got questions, The Open Man has answers. Sometimes. The only way to find out is to participate! Send your questions on Twitter @kensing45 or @the_open_man. You can also email kyle@theopenman.com. Home field advantage. Overrated? Underrated? Things that play into it more so than just crowd noise? — Michael Castillo (@MichaelCastFS) October 17, 2018 Providing…
Ahh yes, it's time for another edition of the Third Phase: America's Column about Punting. We have a lot to talk about this week, much of it focused on fake punts. That Pitt Fourth Down Fake There were quite a few fake punt storylines that happened last weekend. However, none infuriated me more than what…
We’re tragically already halfway through the 2018 college football season, and while we don’t know if any teams are truly elite besides Alabama, one thing is certain – some of the stats thus far in the year are absolutely absurd. So head-scratching are some of these stats, in fact, that I can’t stop thinking about…
A chaotic weekend in college football provided early shake-ups to the Playoff picture, the Heisman race begins to come into focus, and more, all recapped in this edition of The Open Man Podcast.
A piece of Pullman, Washington, has been on the scene for ESPN's Saturday morning flagship (pun intended) program College Gameday. The show itself, however, has never made its way to the Palouse. That changes in Week 8 of the 2018 season. 🚨 THIS IS NOT A DRILL 🚨 FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER ... PULLMAN,…
Few rivalries in the Pac-12, if not all of college football, match the bitterness of Oregon-Washington. And yet, prior to 2016, the series went more than a decade with all the suspense of Wil E. Coyote vs. ACME products. Oregon's 12-season winning streak ended unceremoniously two years ago in a 70-21 blowout that marked the…
The Saturday Six-Pack returns for an intriguing college football Week 7 slate. A pair of Top 20 showdowns pitting Georgia against LSU, and Washington against Oregon, carry College Football Playoff implications. These and more (and The Open Man Six-Pack recommendation of the week!) included in this episode.
When West Virginia (ranked No. 6 and 5-0) plays at Iowa State Saturday, the Mountaineers’ potent offense will be led by two-year starter and senior quarterback Will Grier, a Heisman Trophy candidate. The Cyclones’ quarterback will be Brock Purdy. Who? Exactly. Purdy, a freshman who was a three-star recruit from Gilbert, Ariz., is another in…
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…
