Talk about a page turner! The System: The Glory and Scandal of Big-Time College Football by Jeff Benedict and Armen Keteyian is just that. If you have any interest in college football, this is a must-read. Even if you only have a passing interest in the game, the insights Benedict and Keteyian bring are fascinating.

It reads a bit choppy at times, jumping from the story of Mike Leach, to a rape on campus and then to the secret tools recruiters use. After a few chapters however, you understand why the authors move around and it starts to make sense. Flow aside, every single chapter is an interesting read by itself.

Why is Alabama so darn good? What is the deal with Mike Leach and accusations of athlete mistreatment? How does Brigham Young (BYU) compete with such a different set of rules than most universities? What goes on during those official and unofficial visits recruits take to visit schools? What exactly is the secret weapon that causes many high school boys to make such big career decisions seemingly on a whim? All these questions and more are answered in The System.

Despite it being a very big book (386 pages) it reads fast because there is so much timely (and interesting) information on each page.

This is one of my favorites of the year.

by Chris Doelle

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