Bryan's Rant
No Margin for Error
Mississippi State University seemed to be in shock for the first half of last weekend's game against University of Alabama. The Bulldogs played some of their worst football of the …
Person of the Day
W.C. Gorden
Jackson State University has seen some great football coaches, but the greatest, without question, is W.C. Gorden, who coached the Tigers from 1977 to 1991.
2014 JFP College Football Poll: Week 11
Teams eliminated from the playoff were Kansas State, Michigan State and Notre Dame in games against other teams in the playoff race. Auburn finally ran out of luck, and Texas …
Bryan's Rant
Mississippi State’s Biggest Game
For Mississippi State University, football has come full circle.
The Slate
A SWAC team from Mississippi will play in the championship game for the third straight year. Alcorn State wrapped up the east division and now awaits to see who it …
Person of the Day
Jarvis Summers
This season, former Provine High School star Jarvis Summers will have to be the leader on and off the court for the Ole Miss Rebels.
JFP College Football Top 25 Poll: Week 10
There was some more shake-up in the poll this week after University of Mississippi, University of Georgia, University of Arizona, University of Utah, University of West Virginia and University of …
Bryan's Rant
Elimination Saturday
College football is going to give us a full slate of meaningful games this Saturday. As many as six of them could affect the playoff picture and the national-championship race. …
The Slate
There have been fewer heartbreaking losses than what happened to Ole Miss on Saturday. It is tough to have the game-winning touchdown and star wide receiver taken away in one …
Person of the Day
Magic Johnson
Earvin "Magic" Johnson Jr.'s million-dollar smile made him a star on and off the basketball court. He was the face of the "Showtime" Los Angeles Lakers in the 1980s and …
JFP College Football Top 25: Week Nine
College football is about to enter its final month in the regular season. Each week comes with de-facto playoff games as one-loss teams face each other.
The Slate
When did the NFC South become the 2010 NFC West? Currently, every team in that division has a losing record after the first eight weeks of the season.
Bryan's Rant
High Expectations
William Shakespeare wrote in "Henry IV": "Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown." This quote seems to apply to Mississippi State University as the team learns to live with …
Person of the Day
Johnathan Perkins
Thanks to the Lady Arrows' dominance, head coach Johnathan Perkins won the 2014 National Federation of State High School Associations' award for girls' track and field, and it made him …
Bryan's Rant
Bad Calls and Dan Mullen
This past weekend showed me that it is becoming nearly impossible to play pass defense. For example, West Virginia upset Baylor thanks to a few bad pass interference calls. The …
JFP College Football Top 25: Week 8
People used to say that the road to the national championship goes through Florida. This year, the road to the title goes through Mississippi.
The Slate
Last weekend, the Florida State Seminoles and the Detroit Lions got favorable calls from the officials so they could beat the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and the New Orleans Saints.
Person of the Day
Benardrick McKinney
MSU middle linebacker Benardrick McKinney is essentially the quarterback of the team's defense, and even though he might not get as much of the national spotlight as quarterback Dak Prescott, …
JFP College Football Top 25 Poll: Week Seven
The top of the poll has changed, with both Mississippi teams in the SEC grabbing the top two spots. The Bulldogs and the Rebels have jumped Florida State as the …
Bryan's Rant
From the SEC to the NFL
Mississippi State University is the top team in the country, and there really is no argument as to why the Bulldogs should be No. 1. MSU has played one of …
The Slate
I never thought I would wake up in the morning and a football team from Mississippi would be ranked No. 1 in the polls. This has been a special season …
Bryan's Rant
Mississippi Mania II
I felt anxious as Mississippi prepared to be front and center in the college-football world. Fans of any team in this state can tell you how many times they have …
The Slate
ESPN's "College GameDay" started going to campuses in 1993. The show never stepped foot in Mississippi until last weekend, and now it will be here for back-to-back weeks.
JFP College Football Top 25 Poll: Week Six
It was a bloodbath for Top 25 teams last week. Ranked teams were going down faster than characters in a "Walking Dead" season finale.
Person of the Day
Derek Jeter
Two of the biggest rivals in Major League Baseball, the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox, took a timeout from their hatred of each other on Sunday to honor …
JFP College Football Top 25 Poll: Week Five
The rest of the early contenders are closing in on Florida State. The Seminoles have been nowhere near as dominant this season as they were last season.
The Slate
If the Rebels and Bulldogs are going to do something special this football season, this Saturday is the day to do it. It should feel like Christmas has come early …
Bryan's Rant
A Special Football Week in Mississippi
In my 36 years of life, I have never seen the college football world so squarely focused on Mississippi. Maybe it is a year for dark horses in the SEC. …
The Slate
If I was a college football coach, I would rather have 100 Dak Prescotts than one Jameis Winston. Prescott is everything you want in a college athlete.
Bryan's Rant
Winning the Wrong Way
Times are changing, and the NFL is learning that the hard way with public backlash to the recent family-violence cases.
JFP College Football Top 25 Poll: Week Four
This is the first week of the season that a team has dropped out of the top 25 poll. It wasn't just one team falling out of the poll, though; …
Person of the Day
Mark Ingram
The New Orleans Saints' task against the Minnesota Vikings this season got much harder with running back Mark Ingram suffering a fractured thumb that required surgery. Ingram had two screws …
2014 JFP College Football Top 25 Poll: Week Three
The top five of the poll keeps on rolling, but the rest is in flux, since South Carolina upset Georgia. Boston College pulled the upset of the week after defeating …
The Slate
One of the biggest surprises of the early NFL season is the start of the New Orleans Saints. It is never a good way to begin the season to be …
Bryan's Rant
Getting Tougher
By now everyone who has wanted to see it has seen the video of Ray Rice punching his then-fiancee in a casino elevator. The video, released by TMZ, brought major …
2014 JFP College Football Poll: Week Two
Unless you've been under a rock, you know that the Big Ten stumbled this past weekend as Michigan State and Ohio State bombed on the big stage.
Bryan's Rant
Playoff Probs
Two weeks into the college football season, the Big Ten faces an uphill climb. This past Saturday was a disaster for the conference.
The Slate
By the end of this weekend, nearly every college football team in the country will have played at least two games, except for the University of Cincinnati who will play …
Person of the Day
Greg Livingston
Senior wide receiver Greg Livingston was the star of Belhaven University's offensive fireworks, scoring four touchdowns. The Houston native scored on three receptions and a punt return.
Bryan's Rant
Saints Preview
Unless an unlikely team comes out of nowhere, like the 1999 St. Louis Rams, the 2014 Super Bowl has only a handful of contenders.
The Slate
I'm starting to think the "challenge" part in the SWAC/MEAC Challenge is if SWAC teams can win. The MEAC is 8-2 in the series and has won the last four …
Person of the Day
LaMontiez Ivy
Harold Jackson's first season at Jackson State will be successful or unsuccessful based on a number of factors, the biggest being that the Tigers' season outcome will be on the …
Bryan's Rant
Good Luck, Everyone
Over the next two weeks, all the colleges and universities start their football seasons, and I hope each team has a successful one.
The Slate
The wait is finally over. Football is back. This is the time of year I tell my wife and daughter that I love them but I won't see them on …
Pamela Bates Graham
At night and on weekends, Pamela Bates Graham puts on the green and black uniform of the Capital City Roller Girls and transforms into Graham Reaper.
Too Many Flags
Friday night's game between the New Orleans Saints and Tennessee Titans became a flag fest. It seemed like neither team could run a play without a yellow flag littering the …
The Slate
Football that counts is so close that I can taste it. How close is it? It is closer than you think if you read the Slate.
The Littles
It's easy to see why Alcorn State fans think this season will bring the team's first SWAC Championship since sharing the title with Grambling in 1994.
Cover
JFP Poll: 2014 Preseason Top 25
Last season ended with Florida State at the top of the poll. While there are no free trips to Disney World for the team, it does land the top spot …
2014 Predictions
Every season, I make predictions that never seem to pan out, but that doesn't stop me from pulling predictions from my cloudy crystal ball. Maybe I need to fix the …
