Every passing moment moves us all one step closer to conclusion of our life's journey from cradle to casket. It's only upon reflection that one realizes how far they've progressed, and the realization settles in: How damn old am I? Related: The 2018 college football season marks 25 years since I became a true fan…
Bean counters in the San Diego State athletic department had to ask themselves, at least for a couple of seconds on Thursday night: Does our insurance cover Jalen McDaniels incidentals? McDaniels, San Diego State's freshman forward, threw down a tip-dunk in the Aztecs' 72-70 upset of Gonzaga that sent a packed Viejas Arena into a frenzy.…
For as long as I have tracked these weekly rankings, The Open Man Heisman watch has always been a Top 10. Earlier this season, the race condensed down to five. Heading into Championship Week, the pack is at seven who seemingly have a reasonable path to New York. So, while names like Arizona's Khalil Tate,…
Certain milestones in sports carry legendary distinction to such a degree, one only need cite the statistic and no further context is needed: 3,000 hits. Triple Crown. 2,000 yards. The luster of the 2,000-yard milestone in college football has seemingly worn off in recent years, however. San Diego State running back Rashaad Penny joined the…
Difficult as it may be to glean much from pre-Thanksgiving college basketball results, one team in the West Coast Wednesday footprint made a statement in opening week: the Nevada Wolf Pack. Eric Musselman's defending Mountain West Conference champions has played two games, and has gone 3-0 against teams picked to win their conferences in 2017-18.…
Welcome to this edition of the Worst where occasionally, we like to mix things up a little bit. For this week's installment, we are going into the past, but not very far. We're traveling to last week's set of games. These were the five worst performances of Week 8, for various reasons. 5. San Diego…
The 2017 college football season last weekend reached its midway point for many of the 130 teams in FBS. The remainder will be halfway through their slates by day's end Saturday. In college parlance, this time of year marks midterms. We have a sense now as to which programs are on course for an A-grade…
Among the more fun developments of the 2017 college football season has been the prominence of running backs. College football never exactly commoditized the position to the extent of the NFL, wherein the early part of the 21st Century running backs were treated as wholly expendable. Still, college running backs weren't celebrated as a whole…
So, it seems this college football season is heeding the words of former Miami Hurricanes tight end: C'mon, fellas, let's get weird. G-Reg's alma mater warrants a kickoff mention in this week's Four Downs. Miami snapped its seven-game losing streak to rival Florida State in dramatic fashion. The U's come-from-behind victory over the 'Noles provided…
We head into the first weekend of October, and a clear 1-2 lead the Heisman Trophy race. Penn State's Saquon Barkley remains atop the projection this week, barely holding off Oklahoma quarterback Baker Mayfield. The two occupied each of the top spots in every publication used to tabulate this week's ranking, and hold a sizable…
Let's make this perfectly clear up front: Alabama is obviously one of the two best teams in college football. The state of the Southeastern Conference as a whole in 2017 does not reflect negatively on the Crimson Tide, which is outscoring SEC opponents 125-3. In contrast, Alabama's two games against Mountain West Conference opponents Colorado…
Saquon Barkley's heroics in prime-time last week push the Penn State running back into the lead of the latest Heisman Top 10. The combination of Barkley's show-stealing effort at Iowa, and Oklahoma State laying an egg against Big 12 Conference counterpart TCU, broke up the brief Bedlam one-two setting the pace a week ago. Just…
Star players delivering in the most crucial moments: That's when college football is at its best, and that best describes Saquon Barkley's Week 4 performance against Iowa. The Penn State running back stepping up when the Nittany Lions needed him most headlined yet another Saturday that showcased the spirit of this game we love. But,…
The 112th installment of Bedlam will not commence until November, but early indicators of the annual Oklahoma-Oklahoma State rivalry tilt suggest more than bragging rights are at stake in 2017. Through three weeks of the college football season, quarterbacks Baker Mayfield and Mason Rudolph are 1-2 in The Open Man Heisman Top 10, tracking reputable…
College football isn't and will never be the NFL -- and thank the Gridiron Gods for that. Amateurs -- even if they're the best fraction-of-a-percent of amateurs -- still are not professionals. College football is played, primarily, by 18-to-23-year-olds who are more prone to mistakes than their professional counterparts. It's for this reason a Saturday…
