Next season I may have to find a new home for the Independents.
With the Pac-12 revitalization set to occur in 2026, there will only be two programs in FBS that can even be considered quasi-independent. Notre Dame’s status seems set for the foreseeable future, but Connecticut’s somewhat complicated and perhaps not all that lucrative television deals to broadcast games prompt reasonable suggestion that the Huskies could eventually join a conference down the road. As recently as last year, there were indeed rumors of suitors.
That being said, both programs have recently been riding the success train, and so this small but mighty cohort is worth being familiar with this coming season.
On the Pac-2 front, the waiting game has paid off, as Oregon State and Washington State will be joined by a handful of current Mountain West members next season to form what will be the new Pac-12. Sickos rejoice – Pac-12 After Dark will return, and at times in a way that only you will be able to enjoy.
Embed from Getty ImagesTeams I Like
Connecticut
Jim Mora Jr. is already the second most successful coach in Connecticut football history behind the legendary Randy Edsall, having tied Edsall for the most wins in a regular season with nine in 2024. Mora Jr. and Edsall are also the only two coaches in program history to have coached Connecticut in more than one bowl game. The younger Mora is poised to continue the run of success in 2025, as the Huskies boast perhaps their most talented team on paper ever and could break that nine-win barrier.
The Huskies were a frustrating offense to play against last season, combining disciplined offensive line play (only 14 sacks allowed) with a methodical approach that was very intentional. Connecticut was fourth in the country in converting over 93 percent of its redzone opportunities. This season should bring a similar approach, with the Huskies retaining their star running back Cam Edwards and bringing in some pieces to keep the offensive line strong. While it took until the bowl game for Connecticut to beat a P4 school in 2024, they’ll have a few opportunities during the 2025 regular season where they will have an excellent shot of achieving that feat earlier. A third bowl game for Coach Mora at the program almost feels like a foregone conclusion.
Notre Dame
Marcus Freeman proved himself capable of leading a championship caliber team last season, and the Fighting Irish should be right back in the mix to achieve unfinished business in 2025. Most units on both sides of the ball remain rock solid, starting with the running back corps and offensive line. Notre Dame should be able to dictate what it wants to do from a ball possession and pace of play perspective. Defensively, some minor questions need to be answered about the defensive front, but there is enough experience and talent at linebacker and in the secondary for Notre Dame to be alright while the line finds those answers. I’m not particularly concerned about the prospect of starting true freshman CJ Carr at quarterback, as he will from the onset be more dangerous with his arm than Riley Leonard.
The schedule is not easy, with trips to Miami and SEC foe Arkansas adding to a difficult home slate that welcomes Boise State, Southern Cal and Texas A&M. What the schedule and the program’s blueblood status does afford Notre Dame, however, is a mulligan (or two) if at some point there is a slip-up. It’s tough to say where that may occur, though, because the Fighting Irish should be favored in every game they play this season.
Embed from Getty ImagesNot High On
Washington State
Until the final three weeks of the 2024 regular season, the Cougars were a bit of a surprise contender for a Playoff spot. It seems highly unlikely that they’ll be sitting in that position at any point during the 2025 campaign. New head coach Jimmy Rogers understands winning – he has, after all, won two of the last three FCS titles at South Dakota State. But the jump to FBS is a big one, and Rogers will be looking to a lot of pieces that he had at South Dakota State to help bridge that transition. I’m wary of massive roster overhauls and even more wary of ones where the players are making a division jump.
Rogers and his staff will deploy a run heavy approach offensively, which might be difficult to be successful with early thanks to an inexperienced offensive line. The personnel is just part of the concern, however. Trips to James Madison, Mississippi and Oregon State won’t be easy, and those are just what I believe to be a few of the Cougars’ most difficult games this season. Washington State will transition back to the revamped Pac-12 next season and some stability may come from that, but it could be a very tumultuous final season in conference limbo.
Embed from Getty ImagesPlayers To Watch
Cam Edwards, Connecticut running back
The 5’11”, 210 pound Edwards will be entering his third year as the bell cow back for the Huskies, though looking to remain a bit healthier in 2025 as injuries limited his playing time in a handful of games each of the past two seasons. His aggressive running style makes him a great all-down back, possessing the power to run between the seams and take hits but also with enough speed to break loose in the open field.
The Huskies have some other sturdy backs on the roster this season and may utilize them strategically to keep Edwards from getting banged up as much. If that happens, not only could Edwards break the 1,000-yard barrier, but he would have an excellent chance of contending with Jeremiyah Love for first-team All-Independent.
Jeremiyah Love, Notre Dame running back
Speaking of Love, Notre Dame’s star running back has returned for another year in South Bend. Of all the players from last year’s roster, Love may feel the most like he has unfinished business to attend to, as a leg injury severely limited his effectiveness during the team’s Playoff run. Had he been fully healthy, perhaps things may have ended differently for the Fighting Irish.
While Notre Dame may have the ability to be more potent through the air this season, Love will remain a focal point of the offense and his success will have a major impact on the success of the team as a whole. He is a serious threat to win the Heisman Trophy and Doak Walker Award this season, but could end up with more than just personal hardware.
Malachi Fields, Notre Dame wide receiver
The Fighting Irish lost some receivers after last season, but Freeman went out and added a great piece by grabbing Fields from the transfer portal. Fields has been one of the top wideouts in the ACC the previous two seasons with Virginia, leading the team with 1,619 yards receiving and 10 receiving touchdowns during that time.
The senior is a big body at 6’4”, 220 pounds that runs good routes and can make plays anywhere on the field. He is difficult to take down in the open field and will be a good complement to the receivers that Notre Dame retained. Fields is an excellent replacement for Beaux Collins, and may even be more skilled than the UFA currently jockeying for a spot with the New York Giants.
Maalik Murphy, Oregon State quarterback
Murphy has bounced around at the college level, playing for three schools in four seasons. But the current situation seems to be a good fit for both player and program, with Murphy getting an opportunity to play for a team with real Playoff aspirations and Oregon State getting a massive upgrade at the quarterback position.
Beavers’ offensive coordinator Ryan Gunderson gets a guy in Murphy who would prefer to sit in the pocket and let a play develop, which will mean a more pro-style look for Oregon State’s offense this season. Murphy is better suited than his predecessors to take full advantage of the skill position talent that the Beavers have, so expect the redshirt junior to approach flirt with the best numbers of his collegiate career in Corvallis.
Embed from Getty ImagesGames to Watch
Notre Dame at Miami (FL) (August 31)
The sweltering temperature in Miami in late August may have both sides sweating like a you know what in church (you’re welcome for the horrible Catholics vs. Convicts reference). Carson Beck will get his chance to take on a vaunted Notre Dame defense after having missed Georgia’s CFP quarterfinal game against the Fighting Irish last season due to injury.
Texas A&M at Notre Dame (September 13)
Last season an unproven offensive line paved the way for the Fighting Irish to post nearly 200 yards rushing against the Aggies in College Station in a 23-13 victory. This year that O-line comes in far more experienced to start the year, though on the other side Texas A&M will have a more mobile quarterback that the Notre Dame defense will need to contain.
Oregon State at Texas Tech (September 13)
The Beavers’ head coach Trent Bray has been bullish about his program since he arrived in Corvallis, but the results on the field didn’t quite align with his expectations last season. If the Beavers are to meet their own lofty goals, winning this game is a must but will be difficult.
Boise State at Notre Dame (October 4)
Marquee out-of-conference matchups in the month of October are nothing new to the Fighting Irish, but it will be for the Broncos. Expect a physical matchup where both teams look to control the line of scrimmage.
Notre Dame at Pittsburgh (November 15)
They say only two things in life are certain, but I’d like to propose a third: a Pat Narduzzi coached football team pulling a home upset once a season. Could this be the one? The Panthers enter this one off of a bye and it’s arguably the second toughest road game for the Fighting Irish.
Oregon State at Washington State (November 29)
Thanks to a unique scheduling agreement these programs, quasi-affiliated with the Pac-12, will play each other twice during the regular season. This is the second of those two games, and it will be interesting to see how the earlier game, just 28 days earlier, affects the strategy employed in the second round.
Embed from Getty ImagesAw, Shuck It (3 Bets to Place)
*odds via DraftKings at time of publication. Around The Corn is not responsible for lost bets!
Notre Dame Wins National Championship (+1100)
The Fighting Irish came the closest of any team in the country to winning the national title last season without capturing it, and do not lose enough from that team to remove them from the conversation heading into the 2025 campaign.
The schedule is tough but manageable for a team like Notre Dame and will prepare it for the rigors of perhaps another Playoff run.
Connecticut Over 7.5 (+100)
This is really about the favorable schedule, but it would be unfair not to give Jim Mora Jr. some props for what he has done at a school that is typically more interested in talking about basketball even in the months of September and October.
The Huskies may not be Notre Dame, but there isn’t a galaxy between them and the only other Independent program as there has been in the past.
Jeremiyah Love Wins Doak Walker Award (+400)
Love’s importance to the Notre Dame offense needs to real introduction at this point, and for that reason it makes sense that he is the preseason favorite to win this award.
If he can stay healthy, it is his to lose. But that is a fairly big if considering history.
Embed from Getty ImagesPredictions
- Notre Dame (12-0)
- Connecticut (10-2)
- Oregon State (8-4)
- Washington State (5-7)
