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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

The 25 most memorable fictional bands

Great bands don't have to be real. What does that mean? There are plenty of great bands that exist only on the screen. Sure, some fictional bands have managed to play some real-life gigs, but you get the point.

The top storylines heading into the 2020 Masters

The 2020 Masters, which tees off in this week, will look and feel like no other in the history of this beloved and grand event. That said, the intrigue and interest should not diminish from those watching at home.

Fictional parties we wished we could have attended

Everybody likes a party. In movies or on television, there have been many memorable parties that viewers wish they could have attended. Here are 25 of the best.

Albums that defined Los Angeles in the '80s

Los Angeles is the entertainment capital of the world. That's certainly true when it comes to making music. But the whole beachy, diverse and eclectic vibe of the city and its surroundings has also influenced and inspired many a musician to write and sing about it all.

Way-too-early 2020 bowl predictions

It might be early, but there's never a wrong time to start thinking about college football bowl matchups. Yes, this season's slate will look slightly different due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The 30 greatest TV miniseries of all time

Miniseries are a TV and streaming services staple. Listed in chronological order are 25 of the best.

Jock jams: The 25 best songs about sports

These are songs about actual games, athletes, or leagues. Listed in chronological order are 25 of the better songs about sports.

Class clowns: The 25 best movies about college

Movies based around the college theme — sports or academics, comedies or dramas — have always been popular. Here is our ranking of the 25 best college movies of all time.

The biggest X-factors for the college football top 25

The best college football teams have that one athlete or aspect of the squad that is key to a program's overall success. Maybe it's not obvious to all fans, but it's there, and being counted on to continue in a positive way, especially for ranked teams.

College football midseason awards

While not every FBS conference has started its season, it's still not too early to highlight some of the great performances to this point on the 2020 campaign.

The biggest flaw of every top 25 college football team

None of these 25 teams are perfect. Their issues or flaws range from the physical to mental, some controllable and some not.

25 underrated band members who deserve more love

Not everybody in the band receives just due. That does not mean they are any less a contributor to the success of those groups. Here are some notable band members who probably have been underrated during their careers.

The 25 best political comedies

Politics and comedy go well together on film or television. Listed in alphabetical order are some of the more notable political comedies.

The villains from '90s movies who we love to hate

Whether action films, comedies, dramas or psychological thrillers, Hollywood has given moviegoers plenty of memorable screen villains over the decades.

Celebrities who had cameos on both "Seinfeld" and "Friends"

Seinfeld and Friends are two of the most popular sitcoms in television history. But did you ever notice how many notable actors and actresses guest-starred or starred on both shows? Here's a look.

The 25 best live albums of all time

If we can't get to a concert, this is the next best thing. That was especially true in the 1970s and '80s when live-recorded albums seemed to come out weekly. Listed in chronological order, here are some of the best.