2011 Independents Football Predictions


Written by

Four years ago Navy beat Notre Dame for the first time in 44 years. They have won three of four meetings since, including last season’s 35-17 victory. The Midshipmen beat both the Irish and the Army Black Knights in 2010 to take home the Independent Championship. It was the fourth straight year that Navy finished as the #1 Independent, compiling a 35-18 record over that span. All three teams played in a bowl game last season, and the conference gets even stronger with the addition of a new team.

The BYU Cougars become an Independent in 2011, making this conference much less Notre Dame-dominated. BYU has been one of the best teams in the Mountain West for years and will give both the Irish and Midshipmen a run for their money for conference supremacy. The Cougars have signed a deal to play Notre Dame in a 6-game series that gets underway in 2012. Here is where I have the Independents finishing in the final standings for 2011.

1.) Notre Dame Fighting Irish – It was a rough start to the 2010 season for first-year head coach Brian Kelly. The Irish opened 4-5 and looked like they might not even make a bowl game. That’s when things changed as Notre Dame would go on to reel off four straight victories to end the season. Those wins came against four bowl teams in Utah, USC, Army and Miami (FL), so it’s not like they were beating up on weak competition. Four teams since 2000 have won the National Championship in the second year of their head coach. Considering Notre Dame could possibly be favored in every game they play this year, the Irish faithful believe a championship is within reach in 2011. They are loaded with 17 returning starters and have an excellent schedule ahead.

2.) BYU Cougars – The Cougars were with both the WAC and MWC dating back to 1962, and now want to show the Independents that they are going to be a force for years to come starting in 2011. BYU posted four straight 10-win seasons from 2005 to ‘09, but struggled to make a bowl game last season and finished 7-6. Their offense was brutal at the beginning of the year, but came on strong late behind the play of QB Jake Heaps. They bring back 15 starters for the 2011 season, and also welcome in some very talented transfers. The Cougars will be tested with some very tough road games ahead against the likes of Texas, Oregon State, Ole Miss, TCU and Hawai’i. If it is eligible, BYU has already committed to play in the Armed Forces Bowl this season.

3.) Navy Midshipmen – It’s hard to judge how a service academy is going to fare in their next season simply by looking at their returning starters. That’s because most of these schools, like Navy, don’t return a lot of starters from season to season. Ken Niumatalolo has done an excellent job in three years here despite not returning more than 12 starters in any season. After a 9-4 campaign in 2010, Niumatalolo will have his work cut out for him in 2011. The Middies return only 10 starters, and must replace their most productive QB in school history in Ricky Dobbs. They also lose their top four tacklers on defense. The schedule gets a little tougher this season, and I do not see Navy matching their nine-win total from a year ago because of it.

4.) Army Black Knights – In just his second year on the job in 2010, head coach Rich Ellerson guided the Cadets to their first winning season since 1996. They would beat the SMU Mustangs 16-14 in the Armed Forces Bowl to finish 7-6. While they only have 11 returning starters this year, that’s about average for a service academy. The switch back to the option offense is starting to pay major dividends. The Knights should be even more explosive on this side of the ball in 2011 considering they return QB Steelman, RB Hassin and their top three receivers. A more difficult schedule will make it hard for Army to reach a second consecutive bowl game. I also can’t see them finishing with anywhere near a +16 turnover margin again, which was the key to their rare success a year ago.

Independent Team Predictions
Notre Dame Football Predictions BYU Football Predictions
Army Football Predictions Navy Football Predictions

 

College Football Predictions
ACC Football Predictions Big 12 Football Predictions
Conference USA Football Predictions Independents Football Predictions
PAC 12 Football Predictions SEC Football Predictions
Big East Football Predictions Big Ten Football Predictions
MAC Football Predictions Mountain West Football Predictions
Sun Belt Football Predictions WAC Football Predictions

More Resources

Subscribe to the BetFirms RSS Feed
Comments

Got something to say?