Unexpected nostalgia overload found in a box

From now on I will refer to the directions of plays as windward or leeward

Cleaning my office has led me back deep into the 1913 football scene

Smidgen is 1-0 all time picking the national championship game

The Miami-Indiana pick is in

Very nearly!

Our favorite college football games of 2025, from Miami-Notre Dame to Playoff classics There's only one game left in a wild 2025 college football season. What was the best game? Here are our staff's favorites.

What was your favorite game of the 2025 college football season?

Our picks:

www.nytimes.com/athletic/696...

Alabama is now 2-4 when I attend its games

Penn State’s first Rose Bowl? Delayed by traffic, coaches nearly coming to blows Penn State and USC met in the first Rose Bowl in the current stadium in 1923 — a game delayed by traffic problems and coaches' near-brawl.

And the story of the first Rose Bowl at the current stadium, when Penn State got stuck in traffic and showed up late and the coaches nearly came to blows

www.nytimes.com/athletic/404...

The first Rose Bowl: How Michigan routing Stanford led to chariot and animal races before a football tradition was born Michigan and Stanford met in Pasadena on Jan. 1, 1902, with many of the ingredients of a modern bowl game, just far ahead of its time.

At the Rose Bowl for the first time in 17 years

Here's the story of the first Rose Bowl: How Michigan routing Stanford led to chariot and animal races before a football tradition was born

www.nytimes.com/athletic/302...

Construction update

Before Lions and Cowboys owned Thanksgiving: How college football changed a holiday forever Football on Thanksgiving is almost as old as football itself. Here's how the Princeton-Yale rivalry took over America in the late 1800s.

How college football changed Thanksgiving:

www.nytimes.com/athletic/508...

What happens when college football games are only for the rich? Some faithful fans are finding out Special moments and memories attending college football games are priceless — until they aren't.

And here's Florida State's AD, saying something you'll hear from LOTS of people in the industry:
“Balancing financial sustainability and accessibility is one of the hardest challenges in college sports right now."
www.nytimes.com/athletic/679...

Was Omar Cooper’s catch college football’s best ever? Here are our favorites Indiana's Omar Cooper Jr. made a case for best catch ever with toe tap to beat Penn State. These are our college football staff's favorites.

What's the best college football catch you've ever seen?

www.nytimes.com/athletic/679...

The Athletic spoke with 10 people who have been part of LSU football in recent years and/or have worked for Brian Kelly.

They described a coach who delegated too much authority, didn’t prioritize recruiting and failed to bond with his players: www.nytimes.com/athletic/676...

College football is absolutely unhinged right now. It’s exactly why we love it College football has always been governed by emotion, not logic. This is what happens when you add chaos to it.

I wrote for @theathletic.com about how unhinged college football is right now. www.nytimes.com/athletic/675...

Brian Kelly, LSU in standoff as disagreement over staff changes leaves future murky: Sources Kelly left the football facility, as did pretty much everyone else on the LSU staff, as they awaited resolution.

Less than 24 hours after LSU was embarrassed by Texas A&M, sources told The Athletic embattled head coach Brian Kelly might have coached his last game in Baton Rouge. Our story on what happened today at LSU, and why it’s gotten so messy there: www.nytimes.com/athletic/675...

Why does college football have most of the world's biggest stadiums?

This has always fascinated me: College football has most of the biggest stadiums in the world. Not country, the world.

How and why is that? Delving into it, including perspective from a couple foreigners who know college football:

www.nytimes.com/athletic/673...

What are the best college football stadiums? Vote for your favorites here We ranked our favorite college football stadiums. We want to hear what you, the fans, think too.

Mad at our rankings and want to do your own? Reader voting is open! www.nytimes.com/athletic/673...

Only on 9 of 28 top-10 ballots since we were considering it as a home UCLA venue, but 5 No. 1 votes and 1 No. 2. An impossible task

Ranking the 25 best college football stadiums from the Big House to Death Valley What makes a college football stadium great? We polled our staff to come up with The Athletic's Top 25 — with a clear No. 1.

We figured out our college football staff @theathletic.com has attended games at 123 of 136 FBS stadiums.

So we took a vote and came up with the Top 25 college football stadiums, ranked

www.nytimes.com/athletic/672...

At Penn State, James Franklin was standing on the edge of a cliff for years. Here’s why Penn State seemed built to contend and riding recent good vibes. In reality, it was one of college football's most fragile teams.

At Penn State, James Franklin was standing on the edge of a cliff for years. Here’s why it was all so fragile and why in 15 days, everything collapsed. Reporting with @ralphdrussoath.bsky.social: www.nytimes.com/athletic/672...

The Athletic spoke to several sources who have worked for UNC football, the university, or had direct dealings with the team in the past year.

They described a culture of arrogance and ignoring of steep differences between college and the pros: http://dlvr.it/TNbl7Y

Have come a long way from never being able to get into soccer to being captivated by Slavia Prague vs. Bodø/Glimt on a Wednesday afternoon

No matter what happens Saturday, it will not top 1900

The AP poll the last time Indiana and Illinois met when both ranked (1950)

Welcome aboard to my old Sports on Earth pal

The worst college football game ever: 77 punts, 33 plays and the growing legend of a record-setting 0-0 tie It takes a lot for a game to truly qualify as one of the worst ever. There's a case for Centenary-Texas Tech in 1939.

Too much scoring for my liking in Farmageddon www.nytimes.com/athletic/291...

Our @theathletic.com staff college football predictions: Texas is the favorite, but 7 teams got a national title vote and 41 teams got at least 1 CFP vote.

And I'm calling my shot in the SEC

www.nytimes.com/athletic/656...

Happy to hang up my cleats after 8 years and pass The Athletic voting baton to Ralph