Zain Bando covers college football for The Sporting News. He graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and Northwestern’s Medill School of Journalism.
Bando has reported on Illinois, Northwestern, and Kansas State athletics throughout his career, with the Big Ten conference as his primary focus.
He also covers combat sports for MMA Knockout On Sports Illustrated.
Bando hosts two weekly podcasts: “Bando’s Breakdowns” and “The MMA Outsiders” as part of the Empty The Bench Podcast Network. Both shows stream on YouTube and are available on podcast platforms on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.
A Chicago suburban native, Bando holds memberships in the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA) and U.S. Basketball Writers Association (USBWA).
Since 2019, his work has appeared in MSN, Yardbarker, Deadspin, FanSided, BJPenn.com, Bridge Media Network, Mike Farrell Sports, and Reuters.
When not writing, Bando watches old UFC fights, spends time with family and friends, memorizes Super Bowl history, and plans his future travelsālaptop always in tow.
