The Polite Power Rankings

Politics and football are set to overlap on Monday night, when the Washington Redskins take on the Pittsburgh Steelers. No, Obama and McCain aren’t suiting up. But the outcome of Monday night’s game just may …

Veteran sportswriter Roger Kahn has given us this gem: “Football is violence and cold weather and sex and college rye.” Well, I don’t feel comfortable besmirching the pages of Smile Politely with talk of violence …

You have to go all the way back to 1803 to find the first use of the word “upset” to describe, well, a team being unexpectedly toppled. Back then, the word was actually applied to …

If you’re a fan of the gridiron — NFL or college — this has got to be a great a time of year for you. Rankings and standings are reshaping themselves and games are beginning …

Illinois standout turned Steelers prospect Rashard Mendenhall had what some might call a rough week. It began with a supposed text message (Mendenhall denies it) to a buddy who also happens to be a rookie …

Who, really, is the NFL favorite in Champaign-Urbana? The Bears obviously have the edge, as Chicago is just a little more than two bings away and the university’s undergraduate ranks are swollen with students from …

This past week I had the chance to take a nostalgic stroll through last year’s Polite Power Rankings. One of my most intriguing discoveries came in my end-of-the-regular-season rankings, where I slotted the New York …

Saturday night promises to be the kind of night that any good football fan lives for: the family around, the weekend in full swing, Illinois’ Rose Bowl appearance just a few days off, and the …

The Dolphins won, breaking a 14-game losing spree, and the Patriots also won, keeping their history-sculpting win streak alive. The local-favorite Chicago Bears made the NFL headlines this week as well, becoming one of many …