The 2007 NCAA Previewtacular: THE INDEPENDENTS

THE CONSENSUS:

1. Notre Dame (#38 overall - AT: #38, LN: #36, SN: #39, ST: #34)
2. Navy (#56 overall - AT: #48, LN: #64, SN: #50, ST: #75)
3. Army (#111 overall - AT: #111, LN: #114, SN: #103, ST: #114)

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THE OFFICIAL TFFE RANKINGS, POWER POLL STYLE:

1. Notre Dame

The Irish shouldn't be too far off last year's team despite returning only 9 starters; unfortunately, last year was about an 8-win team, and the Irish schedule does them no favors. Whoever the starting QB is, he'll be behind a question mark of an offensive line; two excellent starters return in center John Sullivan and tackle Sam Young, but past that the line is as inexperienced as it is talented. At the very least, the running game may remain at about the same level, despite the loss of star RB Darius Walker; sophomore James Aldridge was one of the nation's top recruits in 2006, and is capable of a huge year now that he's healthy. The defense may hold up surprisingly well, even though the defensive line was absolutely gutted past DE Trevor Laws. Going to a 3-4 defense is a positive move for this season, as linebacker is probably the best position on this D; Joe Brockington and Maurice Crum are an excellent returning duo, and the talent level of the depth is near-elite. The secondary returns two starters, including third team all-American SS Tom Zbikowski, and essentially has a third in 2005 starting CB Ambrose Wooden. Maybe this year they won't get torched. Ohhhh ya burnt. Which, in fact, they were often. Anyway, the last four games on UND's schedule are winnable; the problem is, they may start the season 0-8, especially since Michigan State traditionally plays them tough. There's enough talent to pull off an upset at UCLA, but the Irish will probably have to win two of the home games against Georgia Tech, Michigan State, and BC to make it to .500.

THE REALM OF POSSIBILITIES: 4-8 wins

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2. Navy

It's almost pointless to analyze the Navy defense; they have an excellent system in place, and will run, run, then run some more, and keep running, and run for a lot of yards. But it's worth mentioning that they have an excellent stable of backs, led by seniors FB Adam Ballard and SB Reggie Campbell, who scored an NCAA bowl record 5 TDs against Colorado State in 2005. The defense is the real concern/variable this season, as the Midshipmen return only three starters. At the very least, both starting corners return for the secondary, and the linebacking corps has some talented upperclassmen. Still, the defensive line could very likely get pushed around, resulting in whatever the rushing equivalent of a shootout is. This could be a down year for Navy, but they have pretty much the opposite of the Notre Dame schedule, with Rutgers and the Irish themselves being the two major tests. It'd take a disaster for Navy not to be bowl eligible.

THE REALM OF POSSIBILITIES: 7-10 wins

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3. Army

David Pevoto returns at QB after a pretty awful junior campaign, where he barely reached 1000 yards and threw for a 6/14 TD/INT ratio. Still, he should improve on those numbers. Hopefully. The Black Knights also return a talented duo of backs in RB Wesley McMahand and FB Mike Viti, but they'll be behind a suspect offensive line that only returns two starters. The defense should be the strength of the team. While the defensive line loses two starters, they get a very big boost in talented DT Ted Bentler, who transfers from Iowa. The secondary should also be better, with three returning starters, but while the linebacking corps returns lots of upperclassmen, experience is scarce. The defense should be solid, but the offense will probably prevent them from going anywhere. At the very least, Army has some winnable home games against URI, Temple, and Tulane, but that's about it.

THE REALM OF POSSIBILITIES: 1-4 wins