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Ranking the best college football writers is even harder and more subjective than ranking teams, especially in 2015.
A lot of it depends on personal taste. Do you consume your content via social media? Do you only care about news? Do you want to be entertained? Do you like minute details or are you a big-picture fan?
Regardless, these excellent college football writers are must-reads (and must-follows).
Here are my top college football writers as of January 2015. What are yours?
5. Travis Haney, ESPN Insider
Haney has all kinds of coaches in his Rolodex cell phone contact list. He may be the most connected college football reporter when it comes to coaches, and constantly gleans insight and opinion from them on relevant national topics.
Blended with his own observations and analysis, Haney puts out smart, bold, often-predictive work that’s positioned perfectly for the die-hard college football fan.
4. Holly Anderson, Grantland
Her prose is the most unique, quirky and brilliant of any sportswriter in the country today. (Don’t believe me? Read this.) She can be snarky and off-color. She doesn’t do much reporting, and probably doesn’t belong at a traditional outlet, but she’s perfect for Grantland.
Anderson is endearingly clever with a rare gift to entertain with turn of phrase, tough to do in 2015. But her intelligence is good for real insights as well.
3. Matt Hayes, Sporting News
My favorite thing about Hayes? He’s unafraid to say exactly what he thinks, and he forms his own opinions. In a media world lacking in originality, where the writers who go out on a limb are more page-view oriented and inflaming just to create a stir (Clay Travis), Hayes does the same, but in an earnest, thoughtful way.
He’s not afraid to call people out for misdeeds, and it doesn’t usually take him long to recognize when the consensus opinion on a team or player is wrong. His work is a nice blend of reporting, analysis and a precise mind for what’s interesting or relevant. His first-and-10 column is required reading.
2. Andy Staples, Sports Illustrated
Like many of his SI colleagues (ESPN isn’t immune to it either), Staples can be quite smug. But there’s a reason for that. His Punt, Pass & Pork columns are a weekly must-read, similar to Peter King in the NFL. He’s at his best answering questions on Twitter or in his #DearAndy columns, as he’s thoughtful, fair and intelligent. He sees the big picture well and also offers strong narrow insights.
Oh, and he’s a respected foodie.
1. Brett McMurphy, ESPN
His Twitter feed is a college football version of Adam Schefter. A strong writer and an even better reporter, McMurphy is well-connected and has a nose for relevant news of national interest. (Like this piece on Braxton Miller’s future, written just after the national championship game.)
In 2015, ability as a pure writer is great, but information is better. And McMurphy is the information king.
Just missed: Stewart Mandel, Sports Illustrated; Paul Myerberg, USA Today; Dennis Dodd, CBS
An itinerant journalist, Christopher has moved between states 11 times in seven years. Formally an injury-prone Division I 800-meter specialist, he now wanders the Rockies in search of high peaks.
