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Jeff Mezydlo

A Chicago native, Jeff Mezydlo has professionally written about sports, entertainment and pop culture for parts of four decades. He was an integral member of award-winning sports sections at The Times of Northwest Indiana (Munster, Ind.) and Champaign (Ill.) News-Gazette, where he covered the NFL, PGA, LPGA, NCAA basketball, football and golf, Olympics and high school athletics. Jeff most recently spent 12 years in the editorial department at STATSPerform, where he also oversaw coverage of the English Premier League. A graduate of Northern Illinois University, Jeff's work has also appeared on such sites at Yahoo!, ESPN, Fox Sports, Sports Illustrated and NBA.com. However, if Jeff could do it again, he'd attend Degrassi Junior High, Ampipe High School and Grand Lakes University

EXPERTISE:

NCAA football, NCAA basketball, PGA/LPGA, international soccer, sports history, rock music, film history

25 college basketball players to watch in 2022-23

Trying to nail 25 premier players to watch for the upcoming college basketball season isn't easy, but we have a good idea of who has already stood out and others who are ready to shine. Here are the 25 players we landed on, listed in alphabetical order.

Top 25 players expected to play in the 2022 World Cup

Here's a look at 25 of the best players expected to be in Qatar for soccer's premier tournament. Players are listed in alphabetical order. Statistics are valid through September 5, 2022.

College football Week 9: Picks and previews

We are one more game weekend out of the first College Football Playoff rankings. Several of the major players for the top-four spots are in action this week. 

Who are the early Heisman Trophy contenders?

The Heisman Trophy presentation is a little less than two months away, but we're starting to get a picture of the top contenders after the first seven "official" weeks of the season.

College football Week 8: Picks and preview

The Week 8 college football schedule involving ranked teams is limited but still features some intriguing matchups, most notably in the Big 12. 

College football Week 7: Picks and preview

There are just 13 games featuring teams in The Associated Press Top 25 for Week 7, but six involving two ranked squads. There's plenty of intrigue to keep a college football fan glued to the screen this weekend.

College football Week 6: Picks and preview

As we get ready for Week 6 action, the conference races are starting to heat up, with some untraditional football-successful schools making a little noise.

College football Week 5: Picks and preview

There are plenty of intriguing conference matchups on the docket for Week 5, notably in the Big 12 and SEC. 

The definitive Simon & Garfunkel playlist

Together, Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel put out just five studio albums. However, the work was truly magnificent and opened the door for folk music to be embraced by mainstream music fans.

The definitive Bon Jovi playlist

Bon Jovi thrived during the 1980s era of power ballads and MTV but remains relevant and earned a spot in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Here is our list of the 20 best Bon Jovi songs.

The definitive Neil Diamond playlist

Trying to peg down the top 25 songs written and performed by the legendary Neil Diamond can be pretty daunting. However, we gave it a go. Here they are.

The definitive playlist of The Police

In honor of this Hall of Fame trio, here is our list of the 20 best songs from The Police.

The definitive Bob Dylan playlist

It's not easy trying to put together the perfect Bob Dylan playlist. The choices are seemingly endless, but the challenge can be entertaining, like his music. Here is our list of the 25 best Dylan songs.

The perfect Black Sabbath playlist

Trying to put together the ultimate Black Sabbath playlist can be daunting. There are so many classic options. But we gave it a go. Here is our ranking of the best Black Sabbath tracks.

The definitive Judas Priest playlist

Here is our ranking of the 20 best Judas Priest songs.

20 popular songs that are closely associated with sports teams

Listed in alphabetical order are 20 popular songs with strong ties to specific sports franchises.

The 25 best 'How I Met Your Mother' episodes

CBS's How I Met Your Mother was one of the funniest, most heartwarming, and uniquely creative sitcoms on network television. We offer our top 25 episodes in the history of How I Met Your Mother.

20 jams that belong on every Grateful Dead playlist

Here's our list of the 20 best Grateful Dead tunes.

College football Week 4: Picks and preview

Week 4 of the college football season features some intriguing matchups within the SEC, Big 12, Big Ten and Pac-12. 

College football Week 3: Picks and preview

Week 3 of the 2022 college football season might not have many marquee matchups, but plenty of big-time programs are looking to bounce back from an upset or close call.

College football Week 2: Picks and preview

Here are our previews and predictions (point spreads courtesy of DraftKings and current at the time of publication, but subject to change) for games featuring teams in The Associated Press Top 25 and some other notable contests.

College football Week 1: Picks and preview

The first full week of the 2022 college football season is here. And with it comes some intriguing matchups. 

The 25 greatest Alabama football players of all-time

It isn't easy to deliver a condensed list of the best players in the storied history of Alabama football. We did it anyway. Listed in chronological order, here are our 25 greatest football players to ever suit up for the Crimson Tide.