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With the first College Football Playoff on the horizon, ESPN Magazine 2014 College Football Preview, on newsstands Friday, August 8, features a wide variety of content, including:
- A look at what aspects of sports we’ll miss – and what won’t – with the new playoffs and what the future holds;
- Dissecting the top 25 teams and college football insider on the season’s biggest topics according to 95 players;
- A not-so-serious look at how members of different schools’ playoff committees are connected and how those connections might influence their votes;
- Photo gallery of the offices of several head coaches, including Steve Spurrier, Bob Stoops, Mark Dantonio, Brian Kelly and more;
- An exploration of a growing phenomenon of quarterbacks joining the ranks of celebrity narrated by Oregon’s Marcus Mariota, this season’s leading candidate for instant stardom;
- A look at first-year Texas head coach Charlie Strong and how he will handle the scrutiny that comes with following a successful coach at a school with high expectations for success; and more.
College Football Preview Issue Features:
ESPN Power Rankings
Our Top 25 is packed with insight from ESPN insiders Phil Steele, Travis Haney and Brock Huard, plus two (that’s right, two!) sets of rankings. We brought together a panel of 13 experts to establish a Top 25, then compared it to serious algorithms. So, for better or worse, we introduce for the first time: the playoff era!
This season, four teams will face off in the first-ever College Football Playoff. When we surveyed 95 players anonymously, they were already excited about the first year of the four-team playoff…and ready to expand it. In addition to the new postseason system, players were also asked about their thoughts on Jameis Winston and the dangers of being in the spotlight.
It doesn’t matter what color your blood is
However you view the playoffs – as a much-needed overhaul of a broken system or as a plot to end Southern dominance – rest assured that the nation’s love for college football will not waver Never.
As college football bids farewell to the BCS, Rick Bragg looks back at what he’ll miss — the drama of the regular season — and what he won’t miss — the outrage of Auburn fans in front of a bunch of computers in 2004, while welcoming the future of college football. By Rick Bragg
Deep in the heart *(with video)
How does Charlie Strong plan to revive a legendary program in the nation’s biggest fishbowl? By hooking the best recruits, shooting straight and taking no bulls. By Tim Keown
To not have enough time
In an era where NFL teams refuse to spend money in the first round on a running back, Melvin Gordon made a bold move. Even though he was almost guaranteed to go in Rounds 2 and 4 of this year’s draft, the Kenosha, Wisconsin native decided to return to the Badgers for his senior season. Through Gordon, The Mag explores the uncertain future of the running back in high school and college. By Chris Low
No access beyond this point
Amid the Heisman hype, athletic departments are supporting elite players like Oregon QB Marcus Mariota as together they learn the art of the stiff arm. By Ryan McGee
First and thirteen
We’re not saying the members of the new playoff committee are biased — we’re just saying they’re human. The Mag breaks down the 13-member committee by charter, background and association in order to demonstrate that the panel runs the risk of pleasing no one.
There’s a story behind it
You can tell a lot about a coach by what he keeps in his office. Steve Spurrier’s roosters and Mark Dantonio’s warrior helmet, we get. But Brian Kelly’s surfboard? This requires an explanation.
Additional highlights from the College Football Preview issue:
- MLB: In his new Numbers In this column, Peter Keating discusses the “resounding success” of hitters who know just how to crush the ball: Ruth. Husbands. Obligations. The cunning Mo Pena. But who has the purest power of all? Our new metric reveals the answer.
- NFL/Fantasy Football: You don’t need us to decide your first-round fantasy picks. Anyone can spot fantasy studs. But to find steals on draft day, you need to dig deeper. So, once the blocks are removed from the board, target these five players. You will thank us in December. (Terrance Williams, Kendall Wright, Jordan Cameron, Bryce Brown, Toby Gerhart).
- Golf: For the first time in 31 years, the season’s three major winners – Bubba Watson, Martin Kaymer and Rory McIlroy – enter the PGA Championship (August 7-10) with at least two career majors under their belt. The Mag explores who has the advantage “Two for three.”
- Soccer: Recently, English football has become less English. When the season begins on August 16, the top five comeback chance creators will be foreigners, led by Frenchman Samir Nasri (Man City), Belgian Eden Hazard (Chelsea) and Spaniard David Silva (Man City). (Michael Cox).
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Media Contact: Carrie Kreiswirth at (860) 766-6042 or (email protected)
