Week 2: Independent Predictions

Last week saw the independents go 2-2 with Notre Dame and Army losing games. BYU, the newest independent school, won a close game on the road in SEC country while Navy roasted FCS Delaware. This week the independents run into some more challenging opponents. Can BYU take out Texas? Will Notre Dame continue to disappoint? We will see.

Notre Dame QB Dayne Crist

Army vs. San Diego State
Prediction: Army 14, San Diego S. 31

San Diego State hasn’t lost a game by more than 5 points in the last 18 months. They played Utah, TCU, BYU and others as closely as anyone last year. This year I expect them to be the surprise team in the MWC. Army will need to put in a great game to compete against San Diego State, and I don’t think it’s in them. Northern Illinois blew Army down last week, and I expect more of the same from San Diego State this week.

Navy @ Western Kentucky
Prediction: Navy 35, Western Kentucky 17
Navy should have this game on lock down, even on the road. Western Kentucky has the ability to keep the game close, but ultimately I think Navy prevails and sets up their match up against South Carolina next week.

BYU @ #22 Texas
Prediction: BYU 28, Texas 24
Probably the most interesting match up this week, with BYU taking their second road trip to a hostile environment. The Cougars escaped from Ole Miss with two touchdowns in the final quarter (after not scoring at all in the previous 3). Texas will not be as kind. BYU will need to play much better to come out with a win against an improved Texas squad. The Cougars have the ability to win this game if they don’t play as terribly as they did for the first three quarters against Ole Miss.

Notre Dame @ Michigan
Prediction: Notre Dame 17, Michigan 28
I made the stupid mistake of ranking Notre Dame last week (seriously what was I thinking), and they again managed to disappoint. This second game against Michigan will be a better test than South Florida, and this one is on the road. Michigan should be able to handle Notre Dame early, and will jump out to a comfortable first half lead. The Irish will come back in the second half, but will ultimately fall flat against Denard Robinson and the Michigan Wolverines. Another year of disappointment for Notre Dame may be coming to fruition.