Here are the team previews for the independents:
NOTRE DAME
After 12 seasons, Brian Kelly departed for LSU in December and Notre Dame quickly hired defensive coordinator Marcus Freeman as his replacement. The players’ jubilant reaction to the Freeman hiring became a viral video. Freeman has hit the ground running on the recruiting trail but how will he be when the games start? In Freeman’s first act, Notre Dame squandered a 21-point lead to Oklahoma State in the Fiesta Bowl.
Offense
Tommy Rees stayed on staff as the offensive coordinator, which was a massive win for Freeman. The biggest question is the quarterback position. How good is Tyler Buchner? Buchner rushed for 336 yards and three touchdowns last season as a true freshman but only attempted 35 passes. At running back, Notre Dame lost Kyren Williams to the NFL. Williams rushed for over 1,000 yards in both 2020 and 2021. Chris Tyree has explosive speed but is not expected to take over all of the carries that Williams had. Logan Diggs, who rushed for 230 yards last year, is expected to return in October after a shoulder injury. TE Michael Mayer (71 catches, 840 yards, 7 TDs) is arguably the top tight end in the country, which is important with an inexperienced wide receiver group. Leading WR Kevin Austin left for the NFL and the Irish have recruited poorly at the position. Sophomore WR Lorenzo Styles should have a breakout season. Up front, the Irish are stacked on the offensive line. Veteran OL coach Ha rry Hiestand (2012-17) has returned for a second stint in South Bend.
Defense
Former Temple and Miami head coach Al Golden replaced Freeman as Notre Dame’s defensive coordinator. Notre Dame will be quite strong on the defensive line and at linebacker. DE Isaiah Foskey (11 sacks) returns for his senior season and is likely going to be a first-round pick in the 2023 NFL draft. Most of Notre Dame’s linebackers return including Marist Liufau, who missed last season with a foot injury. In the secondary, the Irish must replace first-round pick Kyle Hamilton. Notre Dame grabbed All-American safety Brandon Joseph (Northwestern) from the transfer portal.
Outlook
Notre Dame opens the season as a two-touchdown underdog at Ohio State, plays BYU in Las Vegas, hosts Clemson and wraps up the season at USC. If Buchner and Freeman are ready, the Irish should win at least nine regular-season games for a sixth straight season.
Pick: Over 8.5
BYU
After losing QB Zach Wilson to the NFL last year, BYU hardly missed a beat as it won 10 games, including what could be called a mythical Pac-12 championship as the Cougars swept through Arizona, Utah, Arizona State, Washington State and USC. Their only losses were to Boise State and Baylor. This is BYU’s last year as an Independent as it is slated to join the Big 12 in 2023.
Offense
Jalen Hall (2,583 passing yards, 307 rushing yards, 23 total TDs) was no Zach Wilson, but he did well enough to lead an offense that averaged 33.1 points (29th in the nation) and 452.2 yards (17th). He certainly has the right to improve and the main concern is keeping him healthy as he missed three games to injury last season, including the Independence Bowl loss to UAB. Hall should be well-protected by a strong offense line led by potential NFL first-round pick Blake Freeland at left tackle, plus a new addition in RT Kingsley Suamataia, a transfer from Oregon. The Cougars lost RB Tyler Allgeier (school-record 1,601 yards and 23 TDs), but senior Lopini Katoa is back along with Cal transfer Christopher Brooks. The receiving corps might not have any All-Americans, but Gunner Romney and Puka Nacua combined for close to 1,400 yards and nine TDs and should have bigger roles. There is more depth at WR, plus TEs Isaac Rex and Dallin Holker will give Hall more options in the passing game.
Defense
There are more question marks on the defense, which allowed 24.7 points (51st in nation) and 388.8 yards per game (74th). Injuries kept the group from reaching its potential last year, and the hope is they stay healthier in 2022. They only had 20 sacks last season, but Tyler Batty (team-leading 3.5 sacks) is back to lead the defensive line. The Cougars’ strength is the linebacking corps if Payton Wilgar, Max Tooley and Keenan Pili can stay healthier than last year, plus they’re joined by Ben Bywater, who led BYU with 102 tackles in their absence. The secondary played well last year, led by CBs Kaleb Hayes and D’Angelo Mandell, despite the lack of a pass rush, and should be better with another year of experience.
Outlook
After BYU reloaded last season after replacing Zach Wilson and winning 10 games, we’re a little surprised its season win total was set at 8.5 instead of 9.5. There are a few road bumps at Oregon, Notre Dame and Boise State and a tough home game versus Baylor, but we don’t see the Cougars losing all four of those games. In fact, they have the talent to at least split those and perhaps win three of four and, if Hall continues to progress and the defense bounces back, it’s not outside the realm of possibility for BYU to sweep those games and be in the College Football Playoff conversation as it was two years ago.
Pick: Over 8.5
ARMY
Jeff Monken is entering his ninth season as coach at West Point and the Black Knights have enjoyed consistent success, winning eight or more games in four of the last five seasons. The Black Knights bounced back after losing to Navy with a 24-22 win over Missouri in the Armed Forces Bowl.
Offense
Leading rusher and quarterback Christian Anderson is gone, but QB Tyhier Tyler has experience under center. Tyler started four games over the last two seasons and rushed for 486 yards and seven touchdowns last season. Army finished second nationally in rushing with 280.6 yards per game in 2021. FB Jakobi Buchanan and slotback Tyrell Robinson return. Buchanan rushed for 504 yards and led Army with 12 TDs. Robinson, Army’s most dynamic offensive player, averaged 8.5 yards per carry and led the Black Knights with 949 total yards (609 rushing, 340 receiving). The offensive line returns three starters.
Defense
It is not often that Army has NFL talent on the roster, but Andre Carter II will likely hear his name called in the 2023 NFL draft. The 6-7 linebacker was second in the country with 15.5 sacks last season. The Black Knights ranked 15th in total defense in 2021. Army does need to replace Arik Smith, who had 10.5 tackles for a loss last season and led the team in tackles. The secondary is led by safety Marquel Broughton. Broughton had a pair of interceptions last season and is the leading returning tackler.
Outlook
Army opens on the road as a slight underdog to Coastal Carolina. The Black Knights host UTSA in Week 2 and visit Wake Forest in October. The schedule is quite manageable. They play Air Force in Texas as well as Navy in Philadelphia to wrap up the season. If Army can win one or two of its toss-up games, they will exceed their win total.
Pick: Over 8
LIBERTY
After a 10-1 record in 2020, there were high hopes with QB Malik Willis, but the Flames went just 7-5, dropping the last three games of the regular season before routing Eastern Michigan 56-20 in the Lending Tree Bowl. Still, it’s going to be hard to replace Willis as well as several other starters.
Offense
Coach Hugh Freeze hasn’t officially named a successor to Willis, but it’s expected to be Charlie Brewer. If that name sounds familiar, that’s because he’s the same Charlie Brewer who started 39 games between 2017 and 2020 at Baylor and the first three games at Utah last season. He somehow has some eligibility left and will probably get the nod over the other three QBs on the roster (Freeze says he likes all four). Willis was also the Flames’ leading rusher, so they have to fill that void as well, but Hawaii transfer Dae Dae Hunter (651 yards, 3 TDs last year) comes in. T.J. Green, last year’s top running back (477 yards, 4 TDs) also returns, so the cupboard isn’t completely bare and the Flames might rely more on the running game with an offense line that has been bolstered by the transfer portal. Liberty’s biggest weapon might be slot receiver Demario Douglas (team-high 52 catches. 701 yards, 6 TDs), who is also a dangerous punt retu rner.