College football kickoff: Independents story lines

Top story lines

By Matt Cashore, US Presswire

Brian Kelly is 16-10 as Notre Dame's head coach.

By Matt Cashore, US Presswire

Brian Kelly is 16-10 as Notre Dame's head coach.

Notre Dame is still trying to get back to a Bowl Championship Series game, but the Irish have a potentially daunting schedule that includes games against Michigan State, Michigan, Miami (Fla.), Stanford, BYU, Oklahoma and Southern California. Five are ranked among the preseason's top 18 teams. In addition, they'll play their first two games without last year's leading rusher, Cierre Wood, who was suspended Sunday for a violation of team rules. … After improving from 7-6 to 10-3 in its first season as an independent, Brigham Young looks to keep it going behind QB Riley Nelson. …Navy soon will be giving up its independent status as the Midshipmen will join the Big East for football only starting in 2015. … Army took a step back last year after earning a bowl bid in 2010 but will continue to rush with the nation's best, led by veteran QB Trent Steelman.

Top players

Offense: QB Riley Nelson (Brigham Young), 6-0, 199. Overcame injuries and more heralded former teammate Jake Heaps to pass for 1,717 yards and 19 TDs and run for 392 yards, despite starting seven games. Heaps ended up transferring to Kansas.

Defense: LB Manti Te'o (Notre Dame), 6-2, 245. Was quite likely ticketed for the first round had he opted for the NFL draft this year after being named second-team All-American. Finished last season with 128 tackles, with 131/2 tackles for loss and five sacks.

From the top down

Notre Dame: The much-improved defense should be impressive, but the Irish have some questions, plus there is that schedule.

Brigham Young: The Cougars might be hard-pressed to win 10 again with road games against Utah, Boise State, Georgia Tech and Notre Dame.

Navy: Hoping to bounce back after a surprising losing season (5-7), the Midshipmen get Notre Dame and Penn State in their first two games.

Army: Schedule looks manageable, but the Black Knights need to improve on their 22 lost fumbles.

Top men

Bronco Mendenhall, Brigham Young, eighth season

Ken Niumatalolo, Navy, fifth

Rich Ellerson, Army, fourth

Brian Kelly, Notre Dame, third

Contributing: By Jack Carey

For more information about reprints & permissions, visit our FAQ's. To report corrections and clarifications, contact Standards Editor Brent Jones. For publication consideration in the newspaper, send comments to letters@usatoday.com. Include name, phone number, city and state for verification. To view our corrections, go to corrections.usatoday.com.

View the original article here