Football on the Fringe Season Previews were ranked, then delivered in random order.
The US Military Academy Black Knights had a respectable 2009 campaign for a team with a new coach and a new scheme. They lost some games in the early going that they no doubt wished they could have back, but still wound up 5-7 and just missed out on a bowl bid.
2010 looks promising for the Black Knights, as they enter their second year of the Rich Ellerson triple option era. They return seven offensive starters, including sophomore QB Trent Steelman (perhaps the perfect name for a football player, especially at Army) and senior runner Patrick Mealy. The defense comes back strong as well, with 8 players back on the #16 total defense from 2009.
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Football on the Fringe Season Previews were ranked, then delivered in random order.
Navy (and Army) occupy a strange place here on the Fringe. Since most of the writing here is organized by conference, they don’t get much attention. And since they’re usually locked into one bowl so long as they’re eligible, there’s not much suspense in their season. That being said, Navy was a very compelling team last year, peaking at their big win at Notre Dame. They ended up 10-4 and decimated Missouri in the Texas Bowl.
Star QB Ricky Dobbs is back to run the triple option, as are four of the other five top rushers from the system last year. Dobbs rushed for more than he passed last year, 1203 yards to 1031. The schedule sets up nicely enough that I’m prepared to make my first bowl projection of the 2010 season: Navy to the Poinsettia Bowl.
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The Mid-Season Report Cards are a subjective look using objective numbers with a look toward the remainder of the season as well. Teams are being reviewed in random order once they reach 6 games.
I’ve gone back and forth most of this season on how to cover Navy & Army. Since they don’t play in a conference, they don’t have quite as compelling a story to tell- 6 wins, they go to a bowl, that’s about it. So they won’t get a lot of discussion here, but the reality is that they’re just as stuck outside the BCS system as the rest of them are, so they’ll be discussed when there’s good reason to do so. As for Navy, they’re out to a very impressive start and appear comfortably headed towards a bowl berth. They lost to Ohio State by only 2 in the season opener and have picked up four wins since then.
- Wins: B. Despite the close loss to OSU, they’ve beaten the teams they should beat and lost to the teams they should have. Solid B. Read Post