Phi Steele is considered one of the most respected college football prognosticators in the country.
Each year he produces the annual preseason magazine–Phil Steele’s College Football Preview–which has been lauded for its accuracy when it comes to college football predictions.
I had the opportunity to sit down and interview Steele about the Mississippi being the center of the college football university, Jameis Winston repeating as Heisman Trophy winner and the Capital One Mascot Challenge.
Steele gave me his thoughts on a wide range of college football topics and the intense action this season both on the field and between the mascots.
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BSO: Phil it’s my pleasure to speak with you today. Can you tell our readers a little bit about the Capital One Mascot Challenge?
Phil Steele: The easiest thing to explain it is the competition factor. School Spirit is always high when it comes to fan votes and Capital One loves to have the mascots go head to head. Capital One makes it easy for you to vote by going to www.CapitalOneBowl.com. I got involved last year and saw that it would be lots of fun. I have my 9-year-old daughter put in her votes by showing her pictures of the mascots. Before the season I come out with my preseason power ratings just like I do for the action on the field. Every week there is also a new power rating. Another neat thing is when teams play each other, their mascots will go head to head. The Oregon Duck is in this year, Michigan State’s Sparty, Virginia Tech’s HokieBird, and USF’s Rocky The Bull to name a few. I like Aubie from Auburn, Zippy from Akron and Jack the bruin. As the season goes on the standings are based on records. Cocky from South Carolina has been the favorite all season.
BSO: Who is your Heisman favorite at this point?
Phil Steele: I like Mississippi State quarterback Dak Prescott a lot. Marcus Mariota is playing well again and I think he’ll be there in the end as well. I think Amari Cooper from Alabama can be a dark horse candidate along with Melvin Gordon of Wisconsin.
BSO: Do you believe Jameis Winston’s Off-Field Issues will prevent him from repeating?
Phil Steele: I don’t believe Winston has any shot at repeating as Heisman Trophy winner. I’m not sure it has anything to do with off the field stuff. A Heisman Winner hasn’t repeated since Archie Griffin did all those years ago. I think Winstons stats are down from last season, as well as FSU is not playing as dominant as they did a year ago as well.
BSO: What is your opinion of the state of Mississippi being the center of the College football universe right now?
Phil Steele: I think it’s amazing that both programs are ranked this high right now. Hugh Freeze has done an amazing job of recruiting. Ole Miss has just as many four star recruits on their roster as any other top-tier SEC program.
BSO: Why are you considered the most respect college football prognosticator?
Phil Steele: Well because it’s all I do. My wife will tell you college football is my only passion. I work about 100-120 hours per week watching games and ranking teams.
BSO: Which games outside of FSU-Notre Dame do you like this week?
Phil Steele: Well of course I like FSU-Notre Dame. The Irish intrigue me. I thought they performed well very against Stanford, and should have won going away. I like Florida State 33, Notre Dame 30, Alabama 37, Texas A&M 17, Oklahoma 37, Kansas State 24, TCU 43, Oklahoma State 26, Stanford 30, Arizona State 23.
BSO: Tell everyone how they can vote in the Capital One Mascot Challenge
Phil Steele: Steele: Head on over to www.CapitalOneBowl.com and you can voted right there. You can choose to vote on one matchup or all 8 matchups. The winner will be crowned January 1, 2014 with the winning school being awarded a $20,000 scholarship toward its mascot program. Each participating Capital One All-America mascot’s school receives $5,000 for their respective mascot program. Added you can have 25 points or 100 points. If fans want to go the extra mile, they can take part in 25-point and 100-point challenges by posting photos/videos on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram as proof that they met the challenge. This week challenge is name your mascots pet of choice.