I've been meaning to post this for some time, but required reading took precedent (Truman Capote's In Cold Blood and The Liar's Club by Mary Karr). Such is the life of an English major.

But I digress. This is the Footblog's first ever book review. Two weeks ago, at the Ohio State game, I met SI.com's Stewart Mandel. For those of you who might not know -- if, perhaps, you've been living under a boulder -- Mandel is one of the nation's foremost authorities on college football. He just so happened to be in town for the Whited Out clash against the Buckeyes, and he just so happened to have a copy of his recently published book, Bowls, Polls and Tattered Souls. He was nice enough to give me one.

Mandel tackles everything in the book from the Bowl Championship Series to the recruitment of former Penn State offensive lineman Antonio Logan-El. As one might expect, Mandel lends a credible voice to an array of complex and layered issues in the college football world. What comes through, in particular, is the wealth of knowledge he brings to his coverage. Also, one thing I've always enjoyed about Mandel is that he's not afraid to speak straightforwardly in his columns or this book.

Bowls, Polls and Tattered Souls is 256 pages worth of Mandel commentary and insight. It's like his Inside College Football Blog but longer. And if you're a college football fan, that's a good thing.

-- Mark