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…
Stanford's visit to San Diego State in the nightcap of Week 3 action marks one of the most important regular-season college football games ever played in the city of San Diego. Despite a loss last week at rival USC, Stanford arrives on Montezuma Mesa with a Top 20 ranking and a running back in Bryce…
Week 3 is the last of this college football that falls before...well, fall. Autumn equinox is next Friday, which means we're just about fully settled into football season. The beginning of autumn coincides with the start of conference play, and for many teams around the nation, Week 3 is either the final or penultimate weekend…
A tremendous Week 2 slate, featuring more marquee dates than opening weekend, did not disappoint. And just like in Week 1, Week 2 provided further reminder that you never tune out a Pac-12 game until the clock hits zeroes; especially if it's into the night. First Down: #Pac12AfterDark Is Alive and Well On my drive…
When Boise State joined the Mountain West Conference in 2011 -- the same year BYU and Utah exited, and one year prior to TCU's departure -- consensus dictated the Broncos would run roughshod over the league. It's been a half-decade, and Boise State has just one, outright conference championship. Meanwhile, once-sleeping giant San Diego State…
With the bustle of Pac-12 media days, Friday Q&A took a backseat. And yet, we persist! This is the best week of questions since Q&A's inception, so a hearty thank you is owed to you fine readers of The Open Man. Keep them coming, and hopefully my As live up to the standard of your…
Fewer than two months remain until the 2017 college football season kicks off. The Open Man's Preview Listapalooza transitions into a Rankapalooza! Fans and pundits alike often lament the imbalance and other imperfections of nonconference play. Why do some Power Five teams go without scheduling a single Power Five opponent? Why don't the leagues have…
