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Sunday, August 28, 2011

Week 1: Independent Predictions

BYU QB Jake Heaps
Here are our predictions for the independent division 1 football schools. This year sees the inclusion of a fourth independent school: BYU. After leaving the Mountain West Conference they have set out on their own much like Notre Dame and the military schools.

BYU @ Ole Miss
Prediction: BYU 42, Ole Miss 35
I expect an exciting game in Oxford to start the season. BYU isn't as talented as they have been in the past, and that will hurt them farther into the season. However, I believe Jake Heaps can win football games and carry the BYU team to a bowl game each year. This game will come down to Heap's arm over the Ole Miss defense, the winner of that battle will come away as the winner in BYU's first game as an independent.

Notre Dame vs. South Florida
Prediction: Notre Dame 35, South Florida 31
Notre Dame has an impressive schedule this year. Its the kind of schedule I wish all teams had to play (it would get rid of these weak out of conference games in week 1), but can they win against so many good teams? The answer is probably no, they wont go undefeated this year, but they can beat South Florida. South Florida should be a better team than they were last year (3-4 Big East), and they will come out hungry for a win against a ranked Notre Dame team. I expect Notre Dame to silence the doubters for a week with a close but exciting win over South Florida.

Navy vs. Delaware
Prediction: Navy 45, Delaware 7
Navy is had a great season last year (9-4) with a huge win over Notre Dame as the highlight. To start this year they play an FCS school, Delaware. These are the sorts of games that a coach worries about because you are never sure if your team will wake up ready to play an FCS opponent. Navy, if given the proper ambition, should not have to worry about that against Delaware. I expect a route on both sides of the ball, as Navy sets its sites on South Carolina in week 3.

Army @ Northern Illinois
Prediction: Army 21, Northern Illinois 24
Army finished last season with the lowest pass offense in all of division 1 football. Northern Illinois didn't fair much better (85th), but that should be enough in a home game. The MAC champions know they are the favorites in this one, and I expect them to come out ready to play. Army will keep the game closer than the Vegas odds predict (10 point underdogs). A late Northern Illinois field goal will ultimately sink their hopes for a victory.

2 comments:

  1. How do you consider Northern Illinois a slight underdog, when they are playing at home and are 10 point favorites?

    ReplyDelete
  2. You are correct! Thanks for pointing that out.

    I will reword that passage.

    ReplyDelete