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With the inaugural college football playoff on the horizon, ESPN The Magazine’s 2014 College Football Preview, on newsstands Friday, August 8, offers a wide variety of content including:

• A look at the parts of the sport that will be missed – and those not missed – with the new playoff and what the future holds;
• Dissection of the top 25 teams and a college football confidential on the biggest topics of the season according to 95 players;
• A not-so-serious look at how the various schools’ playoff committee members are connected and how those ties could influence their votes;
• Photo gallery of the offices of multiple head coaches, including Steve Spurrier, Bob Stoops, Mark Dantonio, Brian Kelly and more;
• An exploration of an increasing phenomenon of quarterbacks joining the celebrity ranks told through Oregon’s Marcus Mariota, this season’s leading candidate for instant stardom;
• A look at Texas’ first-year head coach Charlie Strong and how he will handle the scrutiny that comes with following a successful coach at a school with high expectations for success; and more.

College Football Preview Issue Features:

ESPN Power Rankings

Our Top 25 is packed with insights from ESPN Insiders Phil Steele, Travis Haney and Brock Huard, plus two (that’s right, two!) sets of rankings. We assembled a 13-expert panel to lay out a Top 25, then lined it up against some serious algorithms. So for better or worse, we introduce for the first time — the Playoff Era!

College Football Confidential

This season four teams will collide in the first-ever College Football Playoff. When we surveyed 95 players anonymously, they were already excited about Year 1 of the four-team postseason … and ready to expand it. In addition to the new post-season system, players were also polled on their thoughts on Jameis Winston and the perils of being in the spotlight.

No matter what color you bleed

However you spin the playoff—as a much-needed overhaul of a flawed system or as a plot to end Southern dominance—rest assured the nation’s love for college football will never falter. 

As college football says goodbye to the BCS, Rick Bragg looks back at what he’ll miss—the drama of the regular season—and what he won’t—the outrage of Auburn fans at a bunch of computers in 2004, while also welcoming the future of college football. By Rick Bragg 

Deep in the Heart *(wih video)

How does Charlie Strong plan to revive a storied program in the nation’s biggest fishbowl? By hooking the top recruits, shooting straight and taking no bull. By Tim Keown

Running out of time

At a time when NFL teams refuse to spend first-round money on a running back, Melvin Gordon made a bold move. Even though he was almost guaranteed to go in Round 2-4 in this year’s draft, the Kenosha, Wisconsin, native decided to return to the Badgers for his senior season. Through Gordon, The Mag explores the uncertain future of the running back in high school and college. By Chris Low

No access beyond this point

Amid Heisman hype, athletic departments are supporting elite players like Oregon QB Marcus Mariota as together they learn the art of the stiff-arm. By Ryan McGee

First and thirteen

We’re not saying members of the new playoff committee are biased – we’re just saying they’re human. The Mag breaks down the 13-member committee by chart, background, and association in an effort to demonstrate that the panel runs the risk of pleasing no one.

There’s a story behind that

You can tell a lot about a coach by what he keeps in his office. Steve Spurrier’s roosters and Mark Dantonio’s warrior helmet, we get. But Brian Kelly’s surfboard? That requires explanation.

Additional College Football Preview Issue Highlights:

• MLB: In his new Numbers column, Peter Keating discusses the “smashing success” of hitters who just know how to crush the ball: Ruth. Maris. Bonds. Wily Mo Pena. But who has the most pure power of all? Our new metric reveals the answer.
• NFL/Fantasy Football: You don’t need us to decide your first-round fantasy picks. Anybody can spot the fantasy studs. But to unearth draft-day steals, you have to dive deep into the metrics. So after the studs come off the board, target these five players. You’ll thank us in December. (Terrance Williams, Kendall Wright, Jordan Cameron, Bryce Brown, Toby Gerhart).
• Golf: For the first time in 31 years, the season’s three major winners — Bubba Watson, Martin Kaymer and Rory McIlroy — enter the PGA Championship (Aug. 7-10) with at least two career majors to their name. The Mag explores who’s got the edge in “Two for Three.”
• Soccer: Recently, English football has become, well, less English. When the season starts August 16, the top five returning chance creators will be foreigners, led by Frenchman Samir Nasri (Man City), Belgian Eden Hazard (Chelsea) and Spaniard David Silva (Man City). (Michael Cox).

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Media Contact: Carrie Kreiswirth at (860) 766-6042 or [email protected]