Stewart Mandel is a senior writer for SI.com, covering the national college football and basketball beats for the web site and writing the weekly Three-Point Stance and other features for SPORTS ILLUSTRATED. Mandel's most popular features on SI.com include his College Football Mailbag, Power Rankings and NCAA tournament Bubble Watch. He has covered nine BCS national championship games and five Final Fours.

Mandel's first book, Bowls, Polls and Tattered Souls: Tackling the Chaos and Controversy that Reign Over College Football, was published in 2007. In 2008, he took first place (enterprise category) and second place (game story) in the Football Writers Association of America's annual writing contest. He also placed first in the 2005 contest (columns).

Mandel has been with SI.com (formerly CNNSI.com) since 1999. Previously he worked at ESPN the Magazine, ABC Sports Online and The Cincinnati Enquirer.

A native of Cincinnati, Mandel graduated from Northwestern University with a degree in journalism. He currently resides in New York City