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Here at Crystal Ball Run, we often joke that sometimes, the world of college football really does seem stranger than fiction. Only for ESPN analyst Ed Cunningham, his life is almost the exactly opposite; the wacky world of Les Miles and conference realignment is nothing compared to the work he does away from the football […]

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(Photo Courtesy: USA Today Sports) After a fun-filled week of #MACtion, which saw us discuss the league’s newest coaches, biggest games, toughest schedules and best players, it is now time for our staff to make their picks on who will ultimately win this league. (Also, for our staff picks on the American Conference please click […]

(Photo Courtesy: USA Today Sports) It’s only 10:30 a.m., but we’re already a bit late to the game in the latest chapter of “Where in the World is Johnny Football.” After Manziel has spent his off-season traversing the globe, with pit-stops along the way at a casino (18+ of course!), numerous NBA and NFL games, […]

(Photo Courtesy: USA Today Sports Images) In every way, shape and form, #MACtion (as both a noun and a verb) is alive and well. Just looking over rosters this spring, it’s simply incredible how much talent returns to this conference in 2013. In specific these offenses (not surprisingly) are stacked; the MAC returns seven wideouts […]

It’s no secret that the last few years have been lean times for the Memphis Tigers football program. That tends to happen when a school is coming off a 4-8 season, which just so happens to mark their best record in five years. Overall, the Tigers are 9-39 since the beginning of 2009, and have […]

(Photo Courtesy: USA Today Sports) It’s “MAC Week” here at Crystal Ball Run, and if there’s one certainty about this league through the years, it’s that it’s become known as somewhat of a cradle for future college football coaching superstars. In the same way that every great actor seems to have done a random two-episode […]

(Photo Courtesy: USA Today) Admittedly, Crystal Ball Run isn’t normally a source of late-breaking high school baseball news, but then again there’s nothing normal about Louisiana high school pitcher Manny Miles. For one, the sophomore from University High School in Baton Rouge is an emerging star, and on Friday night threw his second no-hitter of […]

(Photo Courtesy: USA Today Sports) After spending the last five days reviewing the new “American,” it’s time for the Crystal Ball Run staff to make their conference championship picks. Allen Kenney’s Take: The lack of stability within the membership of the Conference Formerly Known as the Big East fits with the outlook for the league […]

(Photo Courtesy: USA Today Sports) This past week, Crystal Ball Run has given you an all-encompassing look at college football’s newest conference, “The American.” We’ve discussed key players, the league’s bizarre scheduling quirks and even the biggest and most exciting games to mark on your calendar. And today it’s time to complete our look-ahead to […]