Phil Steele Is Coming To Your Computer

by Peter Bean on Jul 13, 2007 1:12 PM CDT in Football Comment 6 comments

Learn from the master...

If everyone were asked to compose a short list of folks they could sit down and talk college football with before the season, there's probably only one name that would show up on just about every single list: Phil Steele.

For the sport's truly addicted, Steele's annual preview is a Bible of sorts. It's not that the man isn't ever wrong - like everyone else, he is. It's that he consistently takes his analysis further and, when his research leads him to believe something that isn't conventionally held, he prints it anyway. Where other publications and prognosticators seem to jumble ever so slightly the end-of-season rankings from the previous year, Steele dives headfirst into the cold, hard data to make his guesses about the upcoming season.

The cold, hard data, too, is worth admiring. No one packs more information into so little space, giving readers stats and data points on every player from every team. It seems almost impossible to cover 119 teams and leave no stone unturned, but Phil Steele does it year in and year out.

And next week, Steele jumps off of my Short List and into the guest chair, as he'll be our featured expert on EDSBS LIVE.

Start preparing now, and if you have some questions, shoot 'em this way. I know I've got quite a few for the guru - both about Texas (Colt McCoy and Tray Allen spring to mind) and CFB in general.

--PB--

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That picture reminds me of a song

Mustache is a symbol of repression and of hate
Never trust a man with a butt broom on his face
It's the facial marking of the man who holds you down
The source of all your problems, every city, every town
Stalin, Hitler, Schneider, just to name a few
got to kill the mustache before it grows on you
Fight! The mustache power!
Fight! Fight! Fight!
Mustache is authority

Whew! Had to get that mustache humor out the way first.

Now I can focus on his football acumen.

Cats and dogs sleeping together.

by EYESofBEVO on Jul 13, 2007 1:31 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

The ACC

I'd appreciate it if y'all ask him a question or two about the ACC, specifically whether he thinks it will be the same cluster-F this year that it was last year.

Go Jackets!

by Jeff on Jul 13, 2007 1:36 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Question

Your thoughts - Playoff system (reasonable playoff - let's say 4 team using BCS system as framework) versus current system.

by Longhorn in LA on Jul 13, 2007 3:03 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Great Get!

Ask him who the backup fullback will be at Vanderbilt. I just want to see if he knows off the top of his head.

Mike

Black Shoe Diaries

by PSUMike on Jul 13, 2007 3:49 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

For some reason

that picture of Steele always makes me think of Office Space. I mean, with that haircut and mustache, he's got to be wearing a short-sleeve dress shirt, right?

I'd like to know if Phil Steele agrees with me in that Vince Young was the greatest CFB player ever.

So take that.

by Kahuna on Jul 13, 2007 4:07 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

If I could ask Phil Steele a question . . .

I would ask him if teams that play in a conference with a championship game (Big12, SEC, ACC) have an advantage over teams that don't (Pac10, Big10, MWC, BigEast).

by Arby A on Jul 14, 2007 12:59 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs