Independent Preview

Now that the season is fastly approaching, we take a look at each conference for where the teams may stack up, who are the best at each position, some of the stoylines to watch, and some of the top talentes for the 2010 NFL Draft.

Projected Final Standings

Notre Dame                8-4

 Navy                          6-6

  Army                          2-10

Intriguing Story Lines

1. Great Talent Equals Great Success for Weis?

Even though Notre Dame is a national recruiting  powerhouse regardless of who’s there or what the season’s record was the year before, Charlie Weis has done a well-rounded, respectable job at bringing in elite prep talent. Stars like Jimmy Clausen and Michael Floyd along with a steady offensive and defensive line recruitment (something that Ty Willingham and many great recruiters who struggle) have Irish fans excited for the next two years. However, with an always above average schedule (usually facing USC and a few above average Big Ten foes consistently), Notre Dame is still a year away from being a BCS contender like when they had Brady Quinn. With 3 straight years of a “great class” (according to online sites like Rivals.com, who also have said South Carolina had great recruiting classes), Charlie Weis needs to show that he could use this immense talent and turn it into record success. If he can’t get above the 7-5 barrier, look for him to be out as coach, and the 2010 coach take advantage of this great talent.

2. Clausen Needs to Live Up To His Historic High School Hype

In the past 5 years, three quarterbacks have emerged as national guarantees for success. Matt Barkley, the most recent one, is at USC and is rumored to be already in the mix to compete with Mitch Mustain and Aaron Corp at USC. Matt Stafford, crowned a future 1^st overall pick by Mel Kiper Jr. coming out of high school, lived up to the hype and is now competing for a starting NFL gig. Jimmy Clausen has started all three years at Notre Dame, yet has yet to show any signs of consistency or NFL maturity yet. He has the “perfect” release, but his lack of a consistent offensive line and receiver’s catching follies has really hurt his stats and respect in the country. He is a future 1^st round talent, and if Sam Bradford and Jevan Snead both leave school early (as projected and very likely), then Clausen could be the top dog for the 2011 draft.

3. Navy To Try To Maintain Option Success With Dobbs.

Paul Johnson, current coach of Georgia Tech, is charged with the revival and success at Navy during his time there. He used his revitalized option attack to use his athletes, with usually few football technique masters, in their best possible way. His successor, Ken Niumatalolo, lead the Midshipmen to an 8-5 record in his first season, and will look to continue that again this season. And, with highly touted star quarterback Rick Dobbs now at the helm, Navy fans are excited. He’s only a junior, so Navy will have him for 2 more years, and they feel they could excel to even higher heights. With a rougher schedule, it could be tough this year to get above .500, but in 2010, watch out for the Midshipmen is Dobbs can live up to the hype.

Top 5 Prospects for 2010 NFL Draft

1. Sam Young, OT, Notre Dame

In an offensive tackle class with at least 3 1^st rounders, Young is in the competition of fighting for a Top 32 pick. Young may be a career right tackle because he’s such a sound run blocker, but may not have the athletic ability to play the left tackle position. However, run blocking and being a left tackle isn’t always a bad thing, as Young could make the Pro Bowl still on the right side, and look no further than Eben Britton (near 1^st rounder) last season who was in the same position.

2. Jimmy Clausen, QB, Notre Dame

As said before in the intriguing storylines section, Clausen has yet to make himself worthy of the national hype and attention he got coming out of high school. Clausen has the mechanics, the arm strength, the accuracy, and the athleticism to be a dynamic, NFL quarterback. And finally, this season, he has a team that can block for him, run the ball on occasion, and boast big play receivers. Clausen should have a very solid year after 2 years of starting. He reminds me a lot of Chad Henne from Michigan in his ability and style, but may be even more athletic then the 2^nd rounder and current Dolphin quarterback of the future. If he can show better maturity and decision making, he could be one of the best quarterbacks in college football, and put himself in prime position for the 2011 draft, barring he doesn’t leave early this season, which would only happen if Bradford and Snead both stayed in school.

3. Golden Tate, WR, Notre Dame

While not even the best or more talented receiver on his team (Michael Floyd owns that), Tate is still a possible to leave early for the draft this upcoming season. He is a little undersized for a 1^st round receiver, but his ability to make plays in space and be a consistent pass catcher should have teams excited. If he leaves early, he’ll probably be a 3^rd-4^th rounder, with the possibility to move into round 2 if few juniors declare.

4. Kyle McCarthy, S, Notre Dame

After the past 2 seasons of Tom Zbikowski, Chindum Ndukwe, and David Bruton all get drafted and currently slated to get playing time in the NFL, McCarthy may end up being the best of the bunch. McCarthy is 6-1, 203 and has a great eye for the ball at strong safety. If he can show a bit more range, consistency in tackling, and an overall better playmaking season, he could slide up into round 3-4.

5. Dan Wenger, C, Notre Dame

Since Jonathan Sullivan left 3 years ago, the Irish have felt his loss in their consistency on the offensive line. With Dan Wenger, they look to regain that confidence and bring this experienced unit together to help the extremely talented offense. Wenger is a solid prospect for a center, but the fact that he makes this list shows how underperforming the rest of the Irish team is. Other than a few key sophomores and freshman, Wenger has the best chance of getting drafted this season, and could go as high as round 5 or 6, most likely hoping to get drafted late.