Independents college football outlook

By J.R. Hopwood  |   Sunday, July 31, 2005  |  Comments( 0 )

College Football
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The Independents are very weak this year. Unless Charlie Weis can turn things around at Notre Dame you could very easily see no team with a winning record.

1. The Notre Dame Fighting Irish break in new head coach Charlie Weis, the former offensive coordinator for the New England Patriots. Unfortunately the D is where the question marks are this year, returning only 3 starters and losing some good talent. The offense returns top talent at every position and, should the defense hold, this team may be able to sneak a few upsets.
2. The Navy Midshipmen had 2 straight 8+ win seasons the past two years but I think the run ends here. 2 offensive starters return and only 4 on defense. There are very capable guys in the mix, but they won't be near where they were the past 2 seasons.
3. The Army Black Knights return some key talent including RB Carlton Jones and QB Zac Dahman. This is Bobby Ross' second year at the helm, so look for the guys to know the offense a little more. I'd say they could pull a surprise win or two, but I would be very surprised to see more than 3 wins.
4. The Temple Owls have no conference to call home so they are making a run as an independent. They will quickly find out why independent schedules are difficult as they get the luxury of traveling to Arizona State, Wisconsin, Bowling Green, Clemson and Navy, and they also face Toledo, W. Michigan, Maryland and the Miami's (FL and OH) at home. They return a total of 12 starters and could be competitive in a few games, but I just think the schedule is too tough.
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