The Maisel Report: College Football's Most Overrated & Underrated Players, Coaches, Teams, and Traditions

by Ivan Maisel

Sportswriter Ivan Maisel pulls no punches and takes no prisoners as he sets the record once and for all in this book about the most over and underrated programs in college football. A detailed,... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 160078092X
• ISBN13: 9781600780929
• Release Date: August 2008
• Publisher: Triumph Books (IL)
• Length: 240 Pages
• Weight: 1.15 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 6.5" x 9.3"

Customer Reviews

Fun, insightful read

I consider Ivan Maisel the best college writer out there today -- and yes, I've one of the many schmucks who has sent Mr. Maisel an e-mail disagreeing with one of his ESPN.com columns. He respectfully wrote back very politely. He knows his stuff and in turn can turn a phrase with the best of them -- the line about the last time a college team won when Barry Bonds' hat size was smaller just a sample of a great one-liner. He bashes some long-held myths out there, hits it spot-on, and goes from there. Just a great, fast moving read. Funny how Chris Fowler explains in the forward that college football is about opinion, and Ivan himself goes on further to explain the importance of opinion in college football and one "reviewer" (I use that term lightly) here says there's too much opinion in this book. Bunk. That's what makes it fun, ratings, rankings, and opinion. Maisel has traversed the country and written millions of words on college football. His opinion is an educated one and an astute one. Plus, he has fun with it, making the book that much better. If all the no-sense-of-humor college football die-hards can lower their blood pressure for a few hours, pick up this book and have fun. If they can't do that, pick it up anyway, but keep your doctor's number nearby. The book will surely get your blood boiling. One of the best books ever on college football!

A Fun Read for College Football Fans

I enjoyed this book very much. I am a lifelong college football fan (SEC especially). Not only is it extremely entertaining, one can also learn a few things along the way. If you have a strong allegiance to a particular school's football program, you will be extremely gratified in some instances and take exception with Mr. Maisel's opinion in other instances. But that's just the nature of the college football beast. A very fun read, and I thank Mr. Maisel for writing it.

Absolutely a Phenominal Read

Like the quote on the cover, once I started, I just couldn't put it down. I started reading it at 10pm and, sure enough, before I knew it, it was well past midnight (very late for me on a Sunday night). I kept on finding more and more fascinating material sprinkled with witty interjections, I completely lost track of time. Therefore, I highly recommend NOT reading your book before bed...this book is just too darn good. Being a Clemson grad, I thought I'd have issues with several of Ivan's opinions, but his thoughts are well organized and very convincing...I no longer consider them mere "opinions". I completely understand why Ivan Maisel is called the dean of college football. This book is a MUST read for anyone interested in collegiate athletics...

Sports Book of the Tear

The Maisel Report: College Football's Most Overrated and Underrated Players, Coaches, Teams, and Traditions By Deep Threat (Texas) Those who love college football and good writing must have The Maisel Report. Ivan Maisel's latest book is full of opinions grounded in fact, not myth, that are guaranteed to pump up or piss off (maybe both) fans of every major program. Maisel gets it: the passionately held opinions of college football fans are what sets our favorite sport apart. Maisel also understands that opinions on college football are rooted in traditions as old as a century or events as fresh as last season. As Ole Miss fan William Faulkner wrote, "The past is never dead. It's not even past." If you can't start an argument with The Maisel Report, you're not trying.