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

Ivan Maisel (Author), Chris Fowler (Foreword)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1, 2008

Whether you saw winning national championships in the 1983 Orange Bowl or 2001 Rose, Ivan Maisel says there's only one true nickname for the Miami Hurricanes - the No. 1 most overrated program in college football history. Who's his most overrated Heisman Trophy winner? Only the star of Michigan's 1997 national championship team, the Wolverines' Charles Woodson. Michigan fans will join the rest of the Big Ten in lamenting Maisel's assertion that the conference is the most overrated in the NCAA.

The Maisel Report:College Football's Most Overrated and Underrated Players, Coaches, Teams, and Traditions by Ivan Maisel pulls no punches and takes no prisoners. With more than 20 years of sports journalism under his belt - including six with ESPN - Maisel has seen, talked to and worked with the best in the business. But he is setting the record once and for all about what are probably the biggest sports debates ever argued between fans.

Football fans will be stunned when they see where he ranked the following stadiums, coaches and players:

* Nick Saban
* Frank Beamer
* Eddie George
* Tim Tebow
* Charlie Weis
* Phillip Fulmer
* Bill Walsh
* Michigan Stadium
* Orange Bowl

Nobody is left out. Maisel goes through the best of college football's history, including sections on the most over/underrated moments, national champions, Heisman Trophy winners, stadiums and more.

The Maisel Report is not a fans' opinion of college football history, it is a detailed, highly-researched thesis that will make even the most die-hard fan of a team admit that their feelings have muddied their opinions and weakened all previous arguments about the who and what is the most overrated and underrated ever .

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Maisel has been covering college football since 1987, most recently for ESPN.com. In that time, he has formed opinions—college football, after all, may be the sport driven the most by opinion and the least by verifiable fact (there is no national championship tournament; the best teams from one conference often don’t play the best from other conferences, etc.). Hence, opinion rules. Maisel is here to tell us what’s wrong with our opinions and what’s right about his. The book is divided into categories (Programs, Conferences, National Champions, Coaches, Players, even Fight Songs). Maisel breaks them all down into two groups: the most overrated and the most underrated. Naturally, this plays into our own prejudices perfectly, and readers will react either with glee or outrage. A sample: most overrated program?  Miami (yes the Hurricanes have won a mess of national championships, but nothing since 1991); most underrated program? Boston College (wrong market, wrong conference equals no respect). And because you’re dying to know, the most overrated fight song is a little ditty called “Gimme a G,” sung by Florida Gators fans. Good fun. --Bill Ott

From the Publisher

"Ivan Maisel is more qualified than almost anyone I know to be the arbiter of what is overrated and underrated about anything related to college football. In The Maisel Report, he delivers his opinions with a wonderful sense of humor and a style that is sure to induce arguments that will continue long after `last call.' Throughout the book, his love of college football is always obvious."
--Verne Lundquist, CBS Sports lead college football commentator

"I don't think anybody has the point of reference from a historical perspective that Ivan possesses. He has the first-hand knowledge. I know college football and I love college football, but the knowledge and perspective in this book made me realize that the things I thought I knew, I really don't know. Whether you're a casual observer or a fanatic, you're going to learn something in The Maisel Report. I was amazed at the research and the time that went into this book."
--Mel Kiper Jr., ESPN analyst and NFL Draft expert

"Ivan Maisel is already the most important, influential, and intelligent writer on the college football scene today, and this book will further cement that lofty label. Unfortunately, there will be many places in the nation--such as Tuscaloosa, South Bend, and parts of Florida--that Ivan may need to take off his summer vacation list. It is one's fervent hope that most college football fans will see this book for what is--a piercingly honest and long-overdue analysis of the game we so dearly love."
--Paul Finebaum, syndicated radio host and columnist at the Mobile Press-Register

"Ivan Maisel has as much passion for the sport as any journalist I know. After 25 years traversing the landscape, he is armed with plenty of opinions. That's what makes The Maisel Report so compelling."
--From the foreword by Chris Fowler, host of ESPN's College GameDay

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Triumph Books (August 1, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 160078092X
• ISBN-13: 978-1600780929
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.5 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #880,511 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Great subject, but misses the mark a bit., October 1, 2008

By 

Bill Hayes (Richmond, Virginia USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Maisel Report: College Football's Most Overrated & Underrated Players, Coaches, Teams, and Traditions (Hardcover)

Not bad, but not great. It really states the obvious too much. Maisel will not bowl you over with any revelations here, but I would recommend this book to the fan that is not too familiar with the college game. Maisel is a witty writer, but his book concentrates mostly on the big names in college football. The SEC, Big Ten, and Notre Dame seem to take up most of the book's pages. Overall I liked the book, but I think the author missed a good opertunity to write a really great book.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fun, insightful read, May 10, 2009

By 

Timothy R. Sullivan - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Maisel Report: College Football's Most Overrated & Underrated Players, Coaches, Teams, and Traditions (Hardcover)

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!

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Absolutely a Phenominal Read, August 26, 2008

By 

Brian F. Ridgeway AIA (Fairfield, Connecticut) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Maisel Report: College Football's Most Overrated & Underrated Players, Coaches, Teams, and Traditions (Hardcover)

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...