Brain Power It's the muscle inside the helmet and beneath the headset that counts most

Football is a chess game with ambulances in waiting. Its long
pauses elevate the significance of strategy and preparation.
During the week coaches work past midnight searching for
opponents' weaknesses, and players spend hours poring over film.
On game day each play is a symphony of decisions in the coaching
booth, on the sideline and on the field. What's at work? Football
intelligence.

It can be a beautiful thing when bodies and brains are in
harmony: USC's Student Body Right in the '70s, Florida's Fun 'n'
Gun in the '90s, Oklahoma's defense to begin the new century.
Each represents intelligence applied to the crash of bodies on
the football field. And that is how you win.

COLOR PHOTO ILLUSTRATION: ILLUSTRATION BY JOE ZEFF