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Notre Dame and Navy will dominate the Independents again this year. With Temple changing alliance and no longer in the Big East will spark more interest in Independents. Army coming over from Conference USA will not affect the perspective of the independents unless they have some surprises 2005 Predicted Order of Finish 1. NOTRE DAME\r With a returning very experience offensive unit and a new coach from the NFL, the loyal fans are expecting the Irish to be in contention for the national title. Starters returning are quarterback Brady Quinn, running back Darius Walker, tight end Anthony Fasano, and wide receiver Rhema McKnight. All five offensive linemen return as well. On the special teams there is kicker/punter D.J. Fitzpatrick. The defensive front seven will need some replacements, but linebacker Brandon Hoyte will return. Hoyte finished second in tackles on the team and should exceed his 2004 performance. 2. NAVY\r Senior Lamar Owens will run the team from the quarterback position. The running game will depend upon Trey Hines. The defense is solid with linebacker David Mahoney and defensive end Jeremy Chase leading the charge. The secondary has strength in cornerback Jeremy McGown and safety DuJuan Price. 3. TEMPLE\r Senior quarterback Mike McGann returns and has John Gross to anchor the offensive line. He will also have running backs Tim Brown and Umar Ferguson to push the ball. One weak spot will be in the wide receiver position with no returning starters. Last years defense (ranked 107th) must improve. The Owls have senior defense end Mike Mendenhall returning from making All-Big East last season. 4. ARMY\r With one returning starter on the offensive line, Carlton Jones will have a tough time repeating his 2004 performance (1,269 yards). Sophomore wide receiver Jermy Trimble is another excellent performer (17.5 yards per catch) that may have trouble repeating his prior seasonĄ¯s performance. The only returning starter for the defense is free safety Dhyan Tarver. It could be a long season for Army. Garth Belkins is the senior sports writer for 365SportsNews.com
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