It's January, and I actually succeeded in finding a little airplane time over the holidays to escape and think those deep thoughts that one is supposed to stew over when not plugged into the office 24-7. Sure, I was still contemplating the relationship between consumer insights and successful sports marketing, but these brief interludes do sometimes allow me to further connect the dots across our disparate projects and varied conversations with other folks that think about similar things on a regular basis. While far from epiphanies, here are a few quick themes that we'll continue to think about in the …

It is safe to say college football fans have entered 2015 more excited than ever before. Why? Because the college football gods had heard for years their cries and moans, and finally answered. This was the year that a playoff would finally crown the best team in the nation. After suffering through the BCS, and computer calculations of which was the "supposed" best team in the nation, the college football-crazed masses would now have a fair and logical end to their season.