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…
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…
Welcome to The Open Man in The Morning, your A.M. primer on whatever the hell piques The Open Man's interest in sports and entertainment. A New Creed 2 Trailer Drops Today Per Screen Rant, the second trailer for the upcoming sequel to Creed drops today. I'm not sure if a trailer can assuage my doubts,…
My love of the college football season can be partially described in the rough debut to the 2018 Saturday Six-Pack. We spend months, from the moment the national championship is awarded until Week 1 kickoff, analyzing every facet of rosters. Just when we believe we have everything figured out, games are played and prove we…
The Open Man countdowns to the 2018 college football season with 129 — in honor of the 129 programs participating in the Football Bowl Subdivision this year — things we love (and some we hate) about the sport. Click the 129 Things tag to see every entry. You know what’s super dope about being a sports fan…
Alabama football, for all its many All-Americans, NFL talents and national championship (real or conjured), never produced a Heisman Trophy before 2009. That factoid felt pertinent in the lead-up to the 2009 Heisman vote, which Crimson Tide running back Mark Ingram won by a historically narrow margin over Stanford running back Toby Gerhart. Gerhart's runner-up…
Friday, Friday, gotta Q&A on Friday. We are NOT going to the archives for this week's edition of reader Q&A. Oh, no. Your boy made time in his schedule to produce this week's Q&A session, which answers the challenge Scott Hall laid down on WCW Nitro 22 years ago when he demanded Billionaire Ted get…
It's hard to believe, but college basketball season is done in the ACC. Despite four teams in the Sweet 16, the Atlantic Coast Conference was shut out of the Final Four, which means it is time to turn our eyes to next year and examine just how different the conference might look. HOOS ON TOP?:…
This might not be the Sweet 16 we all expected, but the ACC is still quite well represented with four teams left in the field after a wild opening weekend to the NCAA Tournament. But with Virginia and North Carolina each gone early, we’ll see just how many can make it to the Final Four.…
A new year is here, technically, but if you live ACC Country your calendar likely centers around college basketball meaning January isn't the beginning, it's simply when the season really starts to get interesting. Each week in this space we’ll take a look at the most interesting and important happenings around the league that made…
Four college basketball matchups on Saturday pit two Top 25 teams head-to-head. Of those four, three feature teams ranked No. 19 or better. Oh yeah, the road to March is intensifying. For several of the squads featured in this week's edition of the Saturday Six-Pack, the weekend presents an opportunity for redemption. TCU and Texas…
The new year is here, technically, but if you live ACC Country your calendar likely centers around college basketball meaning January isn't the beginning, it's simply when the season really starts to get interesting. Each week in this space we’ll take a look at the most interesting and important happenings around the league that made…
When it comes to Alabama vs. Clemson, we've been spoiled. The last two games featuring these two teams have been epic. It was a treat to watch them play in the last two national championship games. When they face off in the Sugar Bowl Monday night, it will be just as much a treat. In…
The 2018 Heisman Trophy winner could emerge from relative obscurity. Such was the case for recent winners Johnny Manziel and Jameis Winston, a pair of redshirt freshmen not even projected to start a year out from their inclusion in college football's most exclusive club. Lamar Jackson was a known commodity after the 2015 season, but…
Clemson is looking to win another national championship while most of the rest of the ACC is getting ready to spend the holiday season at bowl locales both far and near. Each week in this space we’ll take a look around the Atlantic Coast Conference football fields and examine the most important happenings. DON'T DOUBT…
