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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 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.

Growing up: The best movies about coming of age

Some of the most endearing films of all time can be labeled as "coming of age," a story of growing up or young people dealing with some potentially life-changing events. In chronological order, here are 25 of the best.

The best and worst fictional teachers

Television and movie fans have been introduced to some beloved teachers we wish we could have had in class and others who we would have wanted to avoid. Here are 20 of the best and worst fictional teachers.

The best nicknames in NFL history

The NFL season is about to start (whatever that may look like). That means we'll get reacquainted with some of the games best players - and nicknames (Gronk, Matty Ice).

Who are the 25 best fictional football players?

The game of football is a near-perfect, time-tested vehicle for Hollywood dramatization, regularly producing memorable characters and helping to launch the careers of many stars. Here are 25 of our favorite fictional football players of all time.

The 25 most significant political songs

The political climate in the United States is quite contentious at the moment. On the positive side, perhaps some memorable music will come out of this moment when things calm down.